Historic Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains
Historic Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains
Fountains and Water and the Minoan Civilization These were utilized to furnish cities with water as well as to alleviate flooding and remove waste material. The principle ingredients used were rock or terracotta. Anytime clay was employed, it was usually for waterways as well as water pipes which came in rectangular or round patterns. These included cone-like and U-shaped clay pipes that were unique to the Minoans. The water availability at Knossos Palace was handled with a system of clay pipes that was placed below the floor, at depths varying from a couple of centimeters to many meters. The pipelines also had other functions including gathering water and conveying it to a primary location for storing. These terracotta pipelines were required to perform: Underground Water Transportation: At first this system appears to have been created not quite for ease but rather to supply water for certain individuals or rituals without it being observed. Quality Water Transportation: Bearing in mind the data, a number of scholars suggest that these conduits were not connected to the popular water allocation process, providing the palace with water from a different source.
Contemporary Garden Decor: Fountains and their Beginnings
Contemporary Garden Decor: Fountains and their Beginnings The amazing or ornamental 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 onset, outdoor fountains were simply 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. Up until the nineteenth, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water supply, including aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were not only used as a water source for drinking water, but also to decorate homes and celebrate the artist who created it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often utilized by Romans to beautify their fountains. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to exalt their positions by adding decorative baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for clean, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely decorative. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Nowadays, fountains adorn public areas and are used to honor individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
The Positive Benefits of installing a Fountain in Your Living Space
The Positive Benefits of installing a Fountain in Your Living Space The area outside your residence can be enhanced by adding a wall or a garden fountain to your landscaping or garden project. A myriad of present-day designers and fountain craftsmen have found ideas in the fountains and water features of the past. As such, introducing one of these to your interior is a superb way to connect it to the past. The water and moisture garden fountains release into the atmosphere draws birds and other creatures, and also balances the ecosystem, all of which add to the advantages of having one of these beautiful water features. Birds drawn to a fountain or bird bath often scare away irritating flying invaders, for instance.
Putting in a wall water feature is your best solution for a little patio area because a spouting or cascading fountain takes up too much space. Either a freestanding fountain with an even back and an attached basin set against a fence or a wall, or a wall-mounted style which is self-contained and hangs on a wall, are some of the possibilities from which you can choose. Make certain to include a fountain mask to an existing wall and a basin to collect the water at the bottom if you wish to put in a fountain to your living area. It is best not to undertake this job on your own as skilled plumbers and masons are best suited to do this kind of work.
The Father Of Roman Public Fountain Design
The Father Of Roman Public Fountain Design
There are countless celebrated water features in Rome’s city center. One of the best ever sculptors and artists of the 17th century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini fashioned, created and built nearly all of them. Also a city architect, he had capabilities as a fountain designer, and records of his life's work are apparent throughout the streets of Rome. Bernini's father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, mentored his young son, and they eventually transferred in Rome, to fully exhibit their art in the form of public water fountains and water features. An diligent employee, the young Bernini received praise and patronage of various popes and important designers. His sculpture was originally his claim to fame. An expert in classic Greek architecture, he utilized this knowledge as a starting point and melded it gracefully with Roman marble, most notably in the Vatican. Although a variety of artists impacted his artistic endeavors, Michelangelo influenced him the most.