Outdoor Fountain Engineers Through History

Outdoor Fountain Engineers Through History Often serving as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one, from the 16th to the late 18th century, fountain designers were multi-faceted people, Leonardo da Vinci as a creative master, inventor and scientific expert exemplified this Renaissance master. He systematically registered his findings in his now celebrated notebooks about his studies into the forces of nature and the properties and movement of water. Early Italian water feature designers changed private villa settings into innovative water showcases complete with emblematic meaning and natural charm by coupling creativity with hydraulic and horticultural expertise. The humanist Pirro Ligorio, distinguished for his virtuosity in archeology, architecture and garden design, provided the vision behind the wonders in Tivoli. Well versed in humanist themes and established scientific texts, some other fountain designers were masterminding the excellent water marbles, water functions and water antics for the various mansions near Florence.

Public Garden Fountains Lost to History

Public Garden Fountains Lost History 629807447.jpg

Public Garden Fountains Lost to History Water fountains were originally practical in function, used to deliver water from canals or creeks to cities and hamlets, providing the inhabitants with fresh water to drink, bathe, and cook with. To make water flow through a fountain until the later part of the 1800’s, and produce a jet of water, required the force of gravity and a water source such as a spring or lake, situated higher than the fountain. The elegance and wonder of fountains make them appropriate for historic memorials. If you saw the earliest fountains, you probably would not recognize them as fountains. A natural stone basin, carved from rock, was the first fountain, utilized for containing water for drinking and ceremonial purposes. The initial stone basins are believed to be from around 2000 BC. Early fountains used in ancient civilizations relied on gravity to control the movement 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. The Romans began building decorative fountains in 6 BC, most of which were bronze or stone masks of creatures and mythological characters. A well-engineered system of reservoirs and aqueducts kept Rome's public water fountains supplied with fresh water.

When and Where Did Water Fountains Originate?

When and Where Did Water Fountains Originate? Himself a highly educated man, Pope Nicholas V headed the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 till 1455 and was responsible for the translation of hundreds of ancient texts from their original Greek into Latin. Embellishing Rome and making it the worthy capital of the Christian world was at the center of his objectives. Water Fountains Originate? 37652388176081.jpg

Water Fountains Originate? 37652388176081.jpg

In 1453 the Pope instigated the rebuilding of the Aqua Vergine, an historic Roman aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away. A mostra, a monumental commemorative fountain constructed by ancient Romans to mark the point of entry of an aqueduct, was a tradition which was revived by Nicholas V. The Trevi Fountain now occupies the space formerly filled with a wall fountain built by Leon Battista Albert, an architect employed by the Pope. The Trevi Fountain as well as the well-known baroque fountains found in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona were eventually supplied with water from the altered aqueduct he had reconstructed.