Anglo-Saxon Gardens at the Time of the Norman Conquest

Anglo-Saxon Gardens Time Norman Conquest 37836996701.jpg

Anglo-Saxon Gardens at the Time of the Norman Conquest The Anglo-Saxon way of life was drastically changed by the arrival of the Normans in the later eleventh century. Engineering and gardening were attributes that the Normans excelled in, trumping that of the Anglo-Saxons at the time of the occupation. However the Normans had to pacify the entire territory before they could focus on home life, domestic architecture, and decoration. Castles were more standard constructions and often erected on blustery hills, where their people spent both time and space to practicing offense and defense, while monasteries were major stone buildings, mostly positioned in the widest, most fertile hollows. The barren fortresses did not provide for the quiet avocation of horticulture. The finest specimen of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture existent presently is Berkeley Castle. The keep is said to date from the time of William the Conqueror. As a technique of deterring assailants from tunneling within the walls, an immense terrace encompasses the building. A scenic bowling green, covered in grass and enclosed by battlements clipped out of an ancient yew hedge, creates one of the terraces.

Rome, Gian Bernini, And Fountains

Rome, Gian Bernini, And Fountains There are lots of famous Roman water features in its city center. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the greatest sculptors and artists of the 17th century designed, conceptualized and built nearly all of them. Also a city builder, he had abilities as a fountain designer, and traces of his life's work are obvious throughout the avenues of Rome. Bernini's father, a celebrated Florentine sculptor, guided his young son, and they eventually moved in Rome, to fully express their artwork in the form of public water fountains and water features. The young Bernini was an exemplary employee and earned encouragement and patronage of important painters as well as popes. He was initially celebrated for his sculpture. An expert in ancient Greek engineering, he utilized this knowledge as a base and melded it seamlessly with Roman marble, most notably in the Vatican. He was influenced by many a great artists, however, Michelangelo had the biggest effect on his work.