Bernini: The Master of Italy's Most Impressive Water Fountains
Bernini: The Master of Italy's Most Impressive Water Fountains The Barcaccia, a beautiful water fountain constructed at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna, was Bernini's earliest water fountain. This area continues to be filled with Roman locals and visitors who enjoy 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 trendiest areas, that around his amazing water fountain. In around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII helped Bernini launch his career with the construction of his very first fountain. The fountain’s central motif is based on a massive ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean. The great flooding of the Tevere that covered the whole region with water in the 16th was commemorated by this momentous fountain as recorded by documents dating back to this time. In what became his only extended absence from Italy, Bernini {journeyed | traveled] to France in 1665.The Origins of Contemporary Wall Fountains
The Origins of Contemporary Wall Fountains The translation of hundreds of classical Greek texts into Latin was commissioned by the learned Pope Nicholas V who led the Church in Rome from 1397 till 1455. In order to make Rome deserving of being the capital of the Christian world, the Pope decided to enhance the beauty of the city. In 1453 the Pope instigated the rebuilding of the Aqua Vergine, an ancient Roman aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away. Building a mostra, an imposing celebratory fountain built by ancient Romans to memorialize the entry point of an aqueduct, was a custom revived by Nicholas V. At the bidding of the Pope, architect Leon Battista Alberti began the construction of a wall fountain in the spot where we now find the Trevi Fountain. Modifications and extensions, included in the repaired aqueduct, eventually supplied the Trevi Fountain and the well-known baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona with the necessary water supply.
Where did Large Garden Fountains Come From?
Where did Large Garden Fountains Come From? A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinkable water, as well as for decorative purposes.The main purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to provide them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Used until the nineteenth 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 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. Bronze or stone masks of wildlife and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. To depict the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages added fountains to their designs. Fountains enjoyed a significant role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exert his power over nature. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to exalt their positions by including beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
The end of the nineteenth century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Amazing water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Nowadays, fountains decorate public areas and are used to pay tribute to individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.