How Mechanical Designs of Fountains Spread
How Mechanical Designs of Fountains Spread
Throughout the European countries, the chief means of dissiminating practical hydraulic facts and fountain design suggestions were the published pamphlets and illustrated publications of the time, which added to the evolution of scientific innovation. An unnamed French water fountain designer became an globally celebrated hydraulic innovator in the late 1500's. His know-how in designing landscapes and grottoes with integrated and imaginative water fountains began in Italy and with commissions in Brussels, London and Germany. The book, “The Principles of Moving Forces,” penned towards the end of his life in France, became the fundamental writing on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. Explaining contemporary hydraulic systems, the book also modernized critical hydraulic discoveries of classical antiquity. As a mechanical method to move water, Archimedes made the water screw, key among vital hydraulic breakthroughs. Sunlight heating up water in a couple of vessels hidden in a room next to an decorative fountain was presented in one illustration. The end result: the water feature is activated by the hot liquid expanding and ascending up the conduits. Concepts for pumps, water wheels, water features and outdoor ponds are also covered in the publication.
Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Begin?
Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Begin? A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to supply drinkable water, as well as for decorative purposes.Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose.
Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their origin of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from gravity. Designers thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and honor the artist responsible for creating it. The main materials used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. Throughout the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create mini variations of the gardens of paradise. Fountains played a considerable role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exercise his power over nature. To mark the entryway of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Indoor plumbing became the key source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby limiting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains serve mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational events.