Where did Fountains Come From?
Where did Fountains Come From? The incredible construction of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to complement your home. From the beginning, outdoor fountains were soley meant to serve as functional elements. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs nearby. Used until the 19th 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 gravity. Acting as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also generated clean, fresh drinking water. Roman fountains usually depicted imagery of animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. King Louis XIV of France wanted to illustrate his superiority over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains built to mark the place of entry of Roman aqueducts.
Urban fountains made at the end of the 19th century served only as decorative and celebratory ornaments since indoor plumbing provided the essential drinking water. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Nowadays, fountains decorate public spaces and are used to honor individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
Creators of the First Fountains
Creators of the First Fountains
Water feature designers were multi-talented people from the 16th to the late 18th century, often serving as architects, sculptors, artisans, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one. During the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci exemplified the creator as a imaginative master, inventor and scientific virtuoso. He systematically documented his findings in his currently famed notebooks, following his enormous curiosity in the forces of nature led him to research the attributes and movement of water. Remodeling private villa configurations into amazing water showcases packed of symbolic interpretation and natural beauty, early Italian fountain designers combined imagination with hydraulic and horticultural knowledge. Known for his incredible skill in archeology, architecture and garden design, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, delivered the vision behind the magnificence in Tivoli. For the various lands close to Florence, other water feature designers were well versed in humanist subject areas and ancient technical texts, masterminding the excellent water marbles, water highlights and water jokes.
The Many Types of Outdoor Fountains
The Many Types of Outdoor Fountains Make your dream a reality by creating an oasis of tranquility in your garden. You can benefit from a water feature by adding an outdoor fountain to your garden and creating a place of serenity. The beauty of a spouting fountain can be observed when it sends a stream of shooting water into the air. If your pond is significantly large, it can be incorporated without trouble. You may have seen one of these in a park or an old estate.
One of the myriad examples of an outdoor water feature is a chic wall fountain. These types of fountains make great water features even if you only have a little garden. Spouting fountains usually make quite an impact whereas wall features are more of an understated type of water feature. In this straightforward process, water is ejected from a little spout, runs down a beautifully textured wall, before being collected at the bottom and returned to the top once again.
Putting in a fountain with a theme depends totally on the layout of your garden. If your bungalow or garden is styled in a rustic manner, you should think about adding a traditional type of statue, such as a seraph holding the spout, to your fountain. Contemporary gardens, on the other hand, benefit from something more audacious. Just permit your creativity to run loose.
Water streams down several levels in a tiered fountain. Due to the water running down its various levels, these are also called cascading fountains.
The space needed for an outdoor fountain can be vast, therefore, a better solution is to install a wall fountain or a pondless fountain. The reservoirs required for these types of fountains are concealed underground which helps you better use your limited space.
If you seek a feeling of serenity and calmness, put in a Japanese fountain as these are considered to bring about such sensations. Bamboo sticks are used in this type of fountain to expel the water. The repetition of water pouring into a bucket or shaped stone is one of the main attributes of this kind of fountain.
Glass fountains make up a different category of fountain. Featuring shaped metalwork, trellis-style fountains of this type have a more traditional aspect. Water features such as these are ideal for gardens with many sharp corners as well as modern forms and designs. As the water moves over the top of the glass it produces a dazzling effect. Colorful LED lights are also included in some fountains to illuminate the water as it progresses down the sheet of glass. A rock waterfall fountain (often made of imitation rock) shows off water slowly cascading down its façade.
In a bubbling rock fountain, a big rock is drilled with openings and then filled in the center with tubes. Low pressure is employed to push up the water which then bubbles and gurgles at the top. Downward flowing water appears as soft trickle as it moves down the sides of the rock to return to its base. Little gardens are perfect for this sort of fountain. The low pressure used in this sort of fountain hinders water from being spattered about in case of a windy day.
The trend of installing solar powered fountains is becoming increasingly widespread. The advantages of using this type of solar powered fountain is the lack of cables, lowered difficulty in installing them, the decrease in electric bills, and the positive effects they have on our environment. You will not have to concede on style since there is a wide array of designs to pick from in outdoor solar-powered fountains.