Where did Fountains Come From?
Where did Fountains Come From? The amazing or decorative 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.The primary 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 operated 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. Serving as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also supplied clean, fresh drinking water. The main materials used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to re-create the gardens of paradise. The fountains seen in the Gardens of Versailles were intended to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Since indoor plumbing became the norm 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 ornamental.
Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity allowed fountains to bring recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Embellishing city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the purposes of modern-day fountains.
Gian Bernini's Public Fountains
Gian Bernini's Public Fountains There are countless renowned fountains in Rome’s city center.
One of the greatest sculptors and designers of the 17th century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini fashioned, conceived and built almost all of them. Also a city builder, he had abilities as a fountain developer, and traces of his life's work are noticeable throughout the streets of Rome. A celebrated Florentine sculptor, Bernini's father guided his young son, and they eventually moved to Rome to totally exhibit their artwork, chiefly in the form of community water fountains and water features. The juvenile Bernini was an exceptional worker and earned compliments and patronage of important painters as well as popes. Originally he was renowned for his sculpting skills. An expert in historical Greek architecture, he utilized this knowledge as a platform and melded it flawlessly with Roman marble, most famously in the Vatican. Although many artists had an impact on his work, Michelangelo had the most profound effect.