Exterior Wall Fountains: The Many Styles on the Market
Exterior Wall Fountains: The Many Styles on the Market If you want to create a place to relax and add some pizzazz to a small area such as a patio or courtyard, wall fountains are ideal because they do not take up much space. Traditional, antique, modern, or Asian are just a few of the designs you can choose from when looking for an outdoor wall fountain to your liking. Your tastes determine the type you buy so while there may not be a prefabricated fountain to suit you, you do have the option of having a customized one.The two kinds of water features available to you are mounted and stand-alone models. Mounted wall fountains are small and self-contained versions which can be hung on a wall.
Fountains of this type need to be light, therefore, they are typically fabricated from resin (resembling stone) or fiberglass. Large-sized free-standing wall fountains, commonly referred to as floor fountains, have their basins positioned on the floor and a flat side leaning on a wall. Typically made of cast stone, these water features have no weight restrictions.
It is a good idea to incorporate a custom-made fountain into a new or existing wall, something often recommended by landscape professionals. The basin and all the necessary plumbing are best installed by a trained mason. The wall will have to have a spout or fountain mask built into it. A custom-made wall fountain blends into the landscape instead of standing out because it was a later addition, which contributes to a cohesive appearance.
The First Modern Outdoor Wall Fountains
The First Modern Outdoor Wall Fountains
Pope Nicholas V, himself a well educated man, reigned the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of old classical Greek documents into Latin. It was important for him to embellish the city of Rome to make it worthy of being known as the capital of the Christian world. Beginning in 1453, the ruined ancient Roman aqueduct known as the Aqua Vergine which had brought fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away, underwent restoration at the behest of the Pope. A mostra, a monumental celebratory fountain built by ancient Romans to mark the point of arrival of an aqueduct, was a practice which was revived by Nicholas V. The architect Leon Battista Alberti was directed by the Pope to construct a wall fountain where we now see the Trevi Fountain. The water which eventually furnished the Trevi Fountain as well as the renown baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona flowed from the modified aqueduct which he had renovated.