Where did Landscape Fountains Originate from?
Where did Landscape Fountains Originate from? The incredible architecture of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to complement your home. From the beginning, outdoor fountains were simply meant to serve as functional elements. Inhabitants of cities, townships and small towns used them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains needed to be connected to nearby aqueduct or spring. Up until the 19th century, fountains had to be higher and closer to a water supply, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to benefit from gravity which fed the fountains. Serving as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also supplied clean, fresh drinking water. The main components used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. To replicate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages added fountains to their designs. The fountains found in the Gardens of Versailles were intended to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to extol their positions by including decorative baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
Indoor plumbing became the key source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby restricting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. The introduction of special water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by replacing gravity with mechanical pumps.
Contemporary fountains are used to embellish community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enhance recreational and entertainment events.
Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Most Impressive Fountains
Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Most Impressive Fountains The Barcaccia, a beautiful water fountain built at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna, was Bernini's earliest water fountain. This spot is still filled with Roman locals and tourists who like to exchanging gossip or going over the day's news. Bernini would without a doubt have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's most fashionable areas, that surrounding his amazing fountain. The master's very first water fountain of his career was built at around 1630 at the behest of Pope Urbano VIII.
Illustrated in the fountain's design is a great vessel slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. Period writings dating back to the 16th century show that the fountain was constructed as a monument to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. Absenting himself from Italy only once in his life for a lengthy period of time, in 1665 Bernini voyaged to France.