Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Begin?
Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Begin? The amazing or ornamental effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, as well as supplying drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.Pure functionality was the original role of fountains. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to provide them with drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using the force of gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a source of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain.
Serving as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times utilized by Romans to decorate their fountains. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. King Louis XIV of France wanted to illustrate his dominion over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the standard 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 amazing water displays.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and enhance entertainment and recreational gatherings.
The Outdoor Fountains
The Outdoor Fountains
As initially developed, fountains were designed to be practical, directing water from streams or reservoirs to the residents of cities and villages, where the water could be used for cooking food, washing, and drinking. To produce water flow through a fountain until the later part of the 1800’s, and create a jet of water, required gravity and a water source such as a creek or lake, situated higher than the fountain. The beauty and wonder of fountains make them ideal for historical memorials. If you saw the very first fountains, you would not recognize them as fountains. Simple stone basins crafted from local rock were the original fountains, used for spiritual functions and drinking water. 2000 BC is when the oldest identified stone fountain basins were originally used. Early fountains used in ancient civilizations depended on gravity to regulate the flow of water through the fountain. The location of the fountains was driven by the water source, which is why you’ll normally find them along aqueducts, waterways, or streams. The people of Rome began constructing elaborate fountains in 6 BC, most of which were bronze or stone masks of wildlife and mythological representations. A well-engineered system of reservoirs and aqueducts kept Rome's public water fountains supplied with fresh water.
Archaic Greek Artwork: Garden Statuary
Archaic Greek Artwork: Garden Statuary The Archaic Greeks built the very first freestanding statuary, an impressive achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars.
Kouros figures, statues of adolescent, good-looking male or female (kore) Greeks, made up the majority of the sculptures. The kouroi were believed by the Greeks to embody beauty and were sculpted with one foot leading and an uncompromising rigidity to their forward-facing poses; the male statues were always strapping, brawny, and nude. Life-sized versions of the kouroi appeared beginning in 650 BC. The Archaic period was an incredible point of change for the Greeks as they grew into new modes of government, produced unique expressions of art, and attained insights of the men and women and cultures outside of Greece. The Arcadian battles, the Spartan penetration of Samos, and other wars between city-states are instances of the kinds of clashes that arose commonly, which is consistent with other times of historical transformation.