Bernini's Early Showpieces
Bernini's Early Showpieces Bernini's earliest water fountain, named Barcaccia, is a masterful work of art seen at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. This spot is still filled with Roman locals and tourists who enjoy exchanging gossip or going over the day's news.
Bernini would undoubtedly have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's most fashionable areas, that around his amazing water fountain. Dating back to around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII mandated what was to be the very first fountain of the artist's career. The fountain’s central motif is based on a massive vessel slowly sinking into the Mediterranean. The great 16th century flooding of the Tevere, which left the entire region inundated with water, was memorialized by the water fountain according to documents from the time. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's only extended journey outside of Italy.
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings The amazing or ornamental effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, as well as providing drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.The main purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical. Inhabitants of cities, townships and small towns utilized them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains had to be linked to nearby aqueduct or spring.
Up until the nineteenth, fountains had to be higher and closer to a water supply, including aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were an excellent source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and celebrate the designer. Roman fountains usually depicted images of animals or heroes made of metal or stone masks. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. Fountains played a considerable role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exert his power over nature. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains made to mark the place of entry of Roman aqueducts.
Urban fountains made at the end of the nineteenth functioned only as decorative and celebratory adornments since indoor plumbing provided the essential drinking water. The introduction of unique water effects and the recycling of water were two things made possible by replacing gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains serve mostly as decoration for community spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational activities.