How Mechanical Concepts of Fountains Spread
How Mechanical Concepts of Fountains Spread Throughout the European countries, the chief means of spreading practical hydraulic understanding and fountain design ideas were the published pamphlets and illustrated books of the time, which added to the evolution of scientific technology. A globally celebrated leader in hydraulics in the late 1500's was a French water fountain engineer, whose name has been lost to history. With imperial commissions in Brussels, London and Germany, he started his work in Italy, building know-how in garden design and grottoes with integrated and clever water hydraulics. In France, near the end of his lifetime, he penned “The Principle of Moving Forces”, a book that became the primary text on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. Detailing modern hydraulic technologies, the publication also modernized critical hydraulic discoveries of classical antiquity. The water screw, a mechanical means to move water, and devised by Archimedes, was highlighted in the book. Natural light heated the water in a pair of hidden vessels adjacent to the decorative water feature were shown in an illustration. The heated liquid expands and then rises and shuts the pipes consequently activating the water feature. The book furthermore covers garden ponds, water wheels, water feature concepts.The Origins Of Wall Fountains
The Origins Of Wall Fountains 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.The main purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical.
People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs in the area. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Fountains were not only used as a water source for drinking water, but also to decorate homes and celebrate the artist who created it. The main materials used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. 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 extolled with baroque style fountains made to mark the arrival points of Roman aqueducts.
The end of the nineteenth century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Amazing water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Decorating city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the uses of modern-day fountains.