The First Documented Water Features of History

The First Documented Water Features of History Water fountains were initially practical in purpose, used to bring water from canals or springs to cities and villages, providing the inhabitants with fresh water to drink, bathe, and cook with. To generate water flow through a fountain until the later part of the 1800’s, and generate a jet of water, demanded gravity and a water source such as a spring or lake, positioned higher than the fountain. Typically used as memorials and commemorative structures, water fountains have influenced travelers from all over the planet throughout the ages. When you enjoy a fountain today, that is not what the very first water fountains looked like. The first recognized water fountain was a natural stone basin carved that was used as a container for drinking water and ceremonial functions. The earliest stone basins are believed to be from around 2000 BC. Early fountains put to use in ancient civilizations depended on gravity to control the flow of water through the fountain. Drinking water was provided by public fountains, long before fountains became decorative public monuments, as beautiful as they are practical. Fountains with flowery decoration started to appear in Rome in approximately 6 B.C., usually gods and wildlife, made with natural stone or copper-base alloy. A well-engineered system of reservoirs and aqueducts kept Rome's public fountains supplied with fresh water.

"Old School" Fountain Creative Designers

Frequently working as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars, all in one, fountain creators were multi-talented individuals from the 16th to the later part of the 18th century. Exemplifying the Renaissance artist as a innovative master, Leonardo da Vinci worked as an inventor and scientific specialist. He systematically documented his ideas in his currently recognized notebooks, following his tremendous interest in the forces of nature led him to examine the qualities and mobility of water. Early Italian fountain builders transformed private villa settings into ingenious water showcases complete of emblematic meaning and natural elegance by combining creativity with hydraulic and gardening talent. Known for his incredible skill in archeology, design and garden creations, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, delivered the vision behind the magnificence in Tivoli. Masterminding the extraordinary water marbles, water features and water jokes for the assorted mansions in the vicinity of Florence, other fountain engineers were well versed in humanist issues as well as ancient technical texts.