The Father Of Rome's Water Fountain Design

The Father Of Rome's Water Fountain Design There are countless renowned Roman fountains in its city center. One of the greatest sculptors and designers of the 17th century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed, conceptualized and constructed almost all of them. Also a city designer, he had abilities as a water feature designer, and remnants of his life's work are noticeable throughout the roads of Rome. Bernini's father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, mentored his young son, and they ultimately moved to Rome, in order to fully express their art, primarily in the form of public water fountains and water features. The young Bernini earned compliments from Popes and influential artists alike, and was an diligent worker. At the start he was known for his sculptural expertise. Working effortlessly with Roman marble, he utilized a base of expertise in the ancient Greek architecture, most famously in the Vatican. He was influenced by many great artists, however, Michelangelo had the biggest effect on his work.

The Beginnings of Modern Wall Fountains

The Beginnings of Modern Wall Fountains The translation of hundreds of classic Greek documents into Latin was commissioned by the scholarly Pope Nicholas V who ruled the Church in Rome from 1397 until 1455. In order to make Rome worthy of being the capital of the Christian world, the Pope decided to embellish the beauty of the city. At the behest of the Pope, the Aqua Vergine, a damaged aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into Rome from eight miles away, was renovated starting in 1453. The historical Roman custom of marking the arrival point of an aqueduct with an magnificent celebratory fountain, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The Trevi Fountain now occupies the space previously filled with a wall fountain crafted by Leon Battista Albert, an architect employed by the Pope. The water which eventually furnished the Trevi Fountain as well as the acclaimed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona came from the modified aqueduct which he had renovated.

How Technical Designs of Water Fountains Spread

Technical Designs Water Fountains Spread 098493112157352.jpg

How Technical Designs of Water Fountains Spread Throughout Europe, the primary means of dissiminating practical hydraulic information and fountain design suggestions were the published pamphlets and illustrated books of the time, which contributed to the evolution of scientific innovation. A globally recognized innovator in hydraulics in the late 1500's was a French fountain designer, whose name has been lost to history. His know-how in developing gardens and grottoes with built-in and imaginative water features began in Italy and with commissions in Brussels, London and Germany. The text, “The Principles of Moving Forces,” authored near the end of his life in France, became the fundamental text on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. The book updated crucial hydraulic advancements since classical antiquity as well as describing contemporary hydraulic technologies. Dominant among these works were those of Archimedes, the creator of the water screw, a mechanical means of transferring water. Sunlight warming liquid in a pair of vessels hidden in a room next to an beautiful fountain was presented in one illustration. The heated water expands and subsequently ascends and shuts the water pipes thereby activating the fountain. Yard ponds as well as pumps, water wheels, and water feature designs are incorporated in the publication.