Bernini’s Very First Italian Water Fountains
Bernini’s Very First Italian Water Fountains The Barcaccia, a beautiful water fountain built at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna, was Bernini's earliest fountain. Roman residents and site seers who enjoy conversation as well as being the company of others still go to this spot. Bernini would undoubtedly have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's trendiest areas, that surrounding his amazing water fountain. The master's first water fountain of his career was built at around 1630 at the behest of Pope Urbano VIII. People can now see the fountain as a depiction of a commanding ship gradually sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. According to 16th century reports, a great flood of the Tevere covered the entire area in water, an event which was commemorated by the eye-catching fountain. In 1665 Bernini traveled to France, in what was to be his sole extended absence from Italy.Contemporary Garden Decoration: Garden Fountains and their Roots
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Garden Fountains and their Roots The dramatic or decorative effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, as well as supplying drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.
From the beginning, outdoor fountains were soley there to serve as functional elements. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, via aqueducts or springs in the area. Until the late nineteenth, century most water fountains operated using gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Designers thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and celebrate the designer responsible for creating it. The main materials used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to extol their positions by adding decorative baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
The end of the nineteenth century saw the increase in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to purely decorative elements. Gravity was substituted by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.
Nowadays, fountains adorn public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.