When and Where Did Water Features Originate?
When and Where Did Water Features Originate? Pope Nicholas V, himself a learned man, reigned the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of old classic Greek texts into Latin. Embellishing Rome and making it the worthy capital of the Christian world was at the center of his objectives.
In 1453 the Pope instigated the reconstruction of the Aqua Vergine, an historic Roman aqueduct which had carried fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away. Building a mostra, a grandiose celebratory fountain built by ancient Romans to memorialize the entry point of an aqueduct, was a custom revived by Nicholas V. The present-day site of the Trevi Fountain was formerly occupied by a wall fountain commissioned by the Pope and constructed by the architect Leon Battista Alberti. The aqueduct he had refurbished included modifications and extensions which eventually allowed it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the famed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.
Where did Large Garden Fountains Originate from?
Where did Large Garden Fountains Originate from? The amazing or decorative effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, in addition to providing drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.The main purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to supply potable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages.
Used until the 19th century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from the power of gravity. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the designer who created it. The main components used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create smaller depictions of the gardens of paradise. To show his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to laud their positions by adding decorative baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
The end of the nineteenth century saw the increase in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity allowed fountains to provide recycled water into living spaces as well as create unique water effects.
These days, fountains adorn public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.