How Mechanical Concepts of Water Fountains Spread
How Mechanical Concepts of Water Fountains Spread Dissiminating pragmatic hydraulic information and water feature design ideas throughout Europe was accomplished with the printed papers and illustrated books of the time. An unnamed French water fountain engineer came to be an globally celebrated hydraulic innovator in the later part of the 1500's. His experience in designing gardens and grottoes with built-in and ingenious water fountains began in Italy and with commissions in Brussels, London and Germany. The text, “The Principles of Moving Forces,” penned near the end of his lifetime in France, became the definitive writing on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. The book updated important hydraulic breakthroughs since classical antiquity as well as detailing contemporary hydraulic technologies. The water screw, a technical way to move water, and developed by Archimedes, was showcased in the book. Sunlight heated the liquid in a pair of concealed vessels next to the beautiful fountain were shown in an illustration. The heated water expands and then rises and closes the water lines thereby activating the fountain. The publication furthermore includes garden ponds, water wheels, water feature creations.Where did Fountains Originate from?
Where did Fountains Originate from? A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinkable water, as well as for decorative purposes.From the onset, outdoor fountains were soley meant to serve as functional elements. Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to supply potable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from the power of gravity. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to decorate homes and celebrate the artist who created it. Roman fountains usually depicted images of animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to mimic the gardens of paradise. The fountains found in the Gardens of Versailles were meant to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Amazing water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Nowadays, fountains decorate public spaces and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.