Bernini's Early Showpieces

Bernini's Early Showpieces One can see Bernini's very first masterpiece, the Barcaccia fountain, at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, this spot is filled with Roman locals and travelers alike who enjoy debate and each other's company. The streets surrounding his fountain have come to be one of the city’s most trendy gathering places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. The master's first fountain of his professional life was built at around 1630 at the behest of Pope Urbano VIII. The fountain’s central motif is based on a massive boat slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. Period writings dating back to the 16th century indicate that the fountain was built as a monument to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's only prolonged trip outside of Italy.

Inventors of the First Outdoor Fountains

Inventors of the First Outdoor Fountains Multi-talented individuals, fountain artists from the 16th to the late 18th century frequently served as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and highly educated scholars all in one. Leonardo da Vinci, a Renaissance artist, was notable as a ingenious master, inventor and scientific expert. He carefully recorded his observations in his now famed notebooks about his research into the forces of nature and the properties and movement of water. Remodeling private villa settings into innovative water showcases complete of symbolic interpretation and natural beauty, early Italian water feature engineers paired imagination with hydraulic and horticultural abilities. The splendors in Tivoli were developed by the humanist Pirro Ligorio, who was famed for his capabilities in archeology, engineering and garden design. Masterminding the excellent water marbles, water attributes and water pranks for the assorted mansions in the vicinity of Florence, other fountain engineers were well versed in humanistic themes as well as classical technical texts.