The Original Outdoor Water Feature Artists
The Original Outdoor Water Feature Artists Often serving as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one, from the 16th to the later part of the 18th century, fountain designers were multi-talented people, Leonardo da Vinci, a Renaissance artist, was renowned as an creative master, inventor and scientific virtuoso. He methodically noted his experiences in his currently renowned notebooks, after his mind boggling fascination in the forces of nature guided him to research the attributes and mobility of water.
Coupling imaginativeness with hydraulic and gardening talent, early Italian water fountain engineers modified private villa settings into innovative water exhibits full of emblematic meaning and natural wonder. Known for his incredible skill in archeology, architecture and garden creations, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, provided the vision behind the wonders in Tivoli. Masterminding the excellent water marbles, water attributes and water antics for the numerous properties near Florence, other fountain creators were well versed in humanistic themes and ancient scientific texts.
The Source of Today's Outdoor Fountains
The Source of Today's Outdoor Fountains Himself a learned man, Pope Nicholas V led the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 till 1455 and was responsible for the translation of scores of age-old texts from their original Greek into Latin. Beautifying Rome and making it the worthy capital of the Christian world was at the core of his ambitions. In 1453 the Pope instigated the rebuilding 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 Trevi Fountain now occupies the area formerly filled with a wall fountain built by Leon Battista Albert, an architect employed by the Pope. The Trevi Fountain as well as the renowned baroque fountains located in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona were eventually supplied with water from the modified aqueduct he had reconstructed.Modern Garden Decor: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings
Modern Garden Decor: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings The dramatic or ornamental effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, as well as providing drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.Originally, fountains only served a functional purpose. Water fountains were connected to a spring or aqueduct to provide potable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Up until the 19th century, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water source, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to benefit from gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were an excellent source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and celebrate the designer. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were frequently seen on Roman fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to re-create the gardens of paradise. Fountains played a considerable 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 extol their positions by including beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the norm of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.
These days, fountains decorate public areas and are used to pay tribute to individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
A Brief History of Early Outdoor Water Fountains
A Brief History of Early Outdoor Water Fountains As originally conceived, water fountains were crafted to be practical, directing water from creeks or aqueducts to the inhabitants of cities and villages, where the water could be utilized for cooking food, washing, and drinking. The force of gravity was the power source of water fountains up until the conclusion of the nineteenth century, using the forceful power of water traveling down hill from a spring or brook to force the water through valves or other outlets. Frequently used as memorials and commemorative structures, water fountains have impressed travelers from all over the world throughout the centuries.
Rough in design, the 1st water fountains didn't appear much like contemporary fountains. A natural stone basin, crafted from rock, was the first fountain, utilized for holding water for drinking and religious functions. Natural stone basins as fountains have been recovered from 2000 B.C.. The first fountains put to use in ancient civilizations depended on gravity to control the circulation of water through the fountain. The placement of the fountains was influenced by the water source, which is why you’ll normally find them along aqueducts, waterways, or streams. Fountains with ornate decoration began to appear in Rome in about 6 B.C., commonly gods and animals, made with stone or bronze. Water for the open fountains of Rome was brought to the city via a intricate system of water aqueducts.