The Beautiful First Wonders by Bernini
The Beautiful First Wonders by Bernini The Barcaccia, a stunning fountain built at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna, was Bernini's earliest fountain. To this day, you will see Roman residents and vacation goers occupying this spot to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. The streets surrounding his fountain have come to be one of the city’s most stylish gathering places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. In about 1630, the great master designed the very first water fountain of his career at the behest of Pope Ubano VIII. Depicted in the fountain's design is a great ship gradually sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. According to 16th century reports, a great flood of the Tevere covered the entire area in water, an event which was commemorated by the eye-catching fountain. Absenting himself from Italy only once in his life for a lengthy period of time, in 1665 Bernini traveled to France.
Where did Fountains Begin?
Where did Fountains Begin? The amazing or ornamental effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, as well as delivering drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.Pure practicality 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 nineteenth, century most water fountains functioned using 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. Designers thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and honor the artist responsible for building it. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. To show his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Indoor plumbing became the main source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby limiting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity helped fountains to provide recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Nowadays, fountains decorate public spaces and are used to pay tribute to individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.