Ancient Greece: The Inception of Garden Statue Design
Ancient Greece: The Inception of Garden Statue Design
Creators of the First Water Features
Creators of the First Water Features Water feature designers were multi-talented individuals from the 16th to the late 18th century, often serving as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and highly educated scholars all in one person. Leonardo da Vinci, a Renaissance artist, was notable as a imaginative genius, inventor and scientific virtuoso. He carefully documented his observations in his now recognized notebooks, following his enormous curiosity in the forces of nature inspired him to explore the characteristics and motion of water. Early Italian water fountain designers altered private villa settings into ingenious water showcases full with symbolic meaning and natural beauty by coupling imagination with hydraulic and horticultural expertise. The humanist Pirro Ligorio, distinguished for his virtuosity in archeology, architecture and garden design, offered the vision behind the wonders in Tivoli. Masterminding the extraordinary water marbles, water attributes and water jokes for the various mansions in the vicinity of Florence, some other fountain builders were well versed in humanistic issues as well as ancient technical texts.The Origins Of Garden Fountains

Pure functionality was the original role of fountains. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Up to the late nineteenth century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and higher than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move downwards or jet high into the air. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to decorate homes and celebrate the artist who created it. Roman fountains often depicted imagery of animals or heroes made of metal or stone masks. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages added fountains to their designs. King Louis XIV of France wanted to demonstrate his superiority over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to laud their positions by adding beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
Urban fountains created at the end of the nineteenth functioned only as decorative and celebratory ornaments since indoor plumbing provided the necessary drinking water. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to enable fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational events.