The Origins Of Outdoor Fountains

The Origins Of Outdoor Fountains The dramatic or decorative 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.

The primary purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical. Inhabitants of urban areas, townships and small towns used them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains needed to be connected to nearby aqueduct or spring. Until the late 19th, 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. Fountains were not only used as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the designer who created it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times utilized by Romans to beautify their fountains. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. The fountains found in the Gardens of Versailles were intended to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. 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 key source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby restricting urban fountains to mere decorative elements.Origins Outdoor Fountains 59123463634267059.jpg Amazing water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.

Contemporary fountains are used to adorn public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.

The First Water Fountains

The First Water Fountains Water fountains were originally practical in function, used to bring water from rivers or springs to towns and villages, supplying the inhabitants with fresh water to drink, wash, and cook with. In the days before electrical power, the spray of fountains was driven by gravity only, usually using an aqueduct or water supply located far away in the nearby mountains. Inspirational and impressive, big water fountains have been crafted as monuments in many civilizations. If you saw the earliest fountains, you probably would not recognize them as fountains. Crafted for drinking water and ceremonial purposes, the 1st fountains were very simple carved stone basins.First Water Fountains 51272634462579.jpg Natural stone basins as fountains have been found from 2,000 BC. The spraying of water appearing from small jets was pushed by gravity, the sole power source creators had in those days. Located near aqueducts or springs, the functional public water fountains supplied the local residents with fresh drinking water. The people of Rome began creating elaborate fountains in 6 B.C., most of which were bronze or natural stone masks of creatures and mythological heroes. Water for the communal fountains of Rome was delivered to the city via a complicated system of water aqueducts.

The Wide Range of Wall Fountains

The Wide Range of Wall Fountains Placing a wall fountain in your yard or patio is perfect when you want to unwind. You can have one custom-built to fit your specifications even if you have a small amount of space. Both the stand alone and fitted versions must have a spout, a water basin, internal tubing, and a pump. Traditional, contemporary, classic, and Asian are just a few of the styles from which you can choose.

With its basin placed on the ground, freestanding wall fountains, or floor fountains, are normally quite large in size.Wide Range Wall Fountains 833927650571.jpg

On the other hand, a water feature attached to a wall can be added onto an existing wall or built into a new wall. The look of your landscape will seem more cohesive instead of disjointed when you install this style of water feature.

Back Story of Outdoor Fountains

Back Story of Outdoor Fountains Hundreds of classic Greek documents were translated into Latin under the auspices of the scholarly Pope Nicholas V, who ruled the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455. It was imperative for him to embellish the city of Rome to make it worthy of being called the capital of the Christian world. At the behest of the Pope, the Aqua Vergine, a damaged aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into Rome from eight miles away, was reconditioned starting in 1453. Building a mostra, a grandiose commemorative fountain built by ancient Romans to memorialize the entry point of an aqueduct, was a tradition revived by Nicholas V. At the bidding of the Pope, architect Leon Battista Alberti began the construction of a wall fountain in the place where we now find the Trevi Fountain. The aqueduct he had reconditioned included modifications and extensions which eventually enabled it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the famed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.
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