The Dispersion of Water Fountain Design Technology
The Dispersion of Water Fountain Design Technology Throughout the European countries, the chief means of dissiminating practical hydraulic information and fountain design suggestions were the circulated papers and illustrated publications of the day, which contributed to the evolution of scientific technology. An unnamed French water fountain designer came to be an internationally celebrated hydraulic pioneer in the later part of the 1500's. By creating gardens and grottoes with incorporated and amazing water attributes, he started off his profession in Italy by receiving imperial commissions in Brussels, London and Germany. “The Principles of Moving Forces”, a publication that turned into the fundamental book on hydraulic technology and engineering, was authored by him toward the end of his lifetime in France. Modernizing key hydraulic advancements of classical antiquity, the publication also explains contemporary hydraulic technologies. The water screw, a technical method to move water, and invented by Archimedes, was featured in the book. Sunlight heated the water in a pair of concealed containers next to the decorative fountain were displayed in an illustration. What occurs is the hot liquid expanded, rises and closes up the conduits heading to the water feature, consequently leading to stimulation. Models for pumps, water wheels, water attributes and outdoor ponds are also mentioned in the guide.Modern Garden Decor: Fountains and their Beginnings
Modern Garden Decor: Fountains and their Beginnings
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. Pure practicality was the original purpose of fountains. Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to supply drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Until the late nineteenth, century most water fountains operated 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 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 animals and heroes were frequently seen on Roman fountains. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. King Louis XIV of France wanted to demonstrate his superiority over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created 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 norm of the day for clean, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. The introduction of special water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational events.
Bernini’s First Italian Water Fountains
Bernini’s First Italian Water Fountains
One can see Bernini's very first masterpiece, the Barcaccia fountain, at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, you will find Roman residents and vacation goers occupying this area to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. One of the city’s most stylish meeting places are the streets surrounding Bernini's fountain, which would undoubtedly have brought a smile to the great Bernini. In about 1630, the great artist built the first fountain of his career at the behest of Pope Ubano VIII. People can now see the fountain as a depiction of a commanding ship gradually sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. The great 16th century flood of the Tevere, which left the entire region inundated with water, was memorialized by the water fountain according to writings from the period. In 1665 Bernini traveled to France, in what was to be his sole prolonged absence from Italy.