The Origins Of Outdoor Fountains
The Origins Of Outdoor Fountains The incredible architecture of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to enhance your home.From the beginning, outdoor fountains were soley there to serve as functional elements. Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to provide drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from the power of gravity. Artists 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 wildlife and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to re-create the gardens of paradise. The fountains seen in the Gardens of Versailles were meant to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. 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 location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
The end of the 19th century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. 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 serve mostly as decoration for community spaces, to honor individuals or events, and enhance entertainment and recreational activities.
Ancient Water Fountain Artists
Ancient Water Fountain Artists Fountain designers were multi-talented individuals from the 16th to the later part of the 18th century, often working as architects, sculptors, artisans, engineers and highly educated scholars all in one. Leonardo da Vinci as a innovative genius, inventor and scientific expert exemplified this Renaissance artist. He methodically documented his ideas in his currently famed notebooks, after his immense fascination in the forces of nature guided him to explore the characteristics and motion of water. Converting private villa settings into imaginative water exhibits packed with symbolic interpretation and natural wonder, early Italian water feature engineers fused curiosity with hydraulic and horticultural ability. The brilliance in Tivoli were created by the humanist Pirro Ligorio, who was famed for his capabilities in archeology, engineering and garden design. Masterminding the extraordinary water marbles, water attributes and water jokes for the numerous properties near Florence, some other water feature builders were well versed in humanistic topics as well as classical technical texts.Your Patio: A Great Spot for a Fountain
Your Patio: A Great Spot for a Fountain The area outside your home can be enhanced by including a wall or a garden fountain to your landscaping or garden project. Many current designers and artisans have been inspired by historical fountains and water features. You can also strengthen the connection to the past by incorporating one of these to your home's interior design. The advantage of having a garden fountain goes beyond its beauty as it also attracts birds and other wildlife, in addition to harmonizing the ecosystem with the water and moisture it emits into the atmosphere. Flying, bothersome insects, for instance, are scared away by the birds congregating near the fountain or birdbath.Spouting or cascading fountains are not the best option for a small garden since they need a great deal of space. Two possibilities to pick from include either a freestanding type with an even back set against a fence or wall in your backyard, or a wall-mounted, self-contained type which is suspended on a wall. A water feature can be added to an existing wall if you include some kind of fountain mask as well as a basin to gather the water below. Be sure to employ a professional for this type of job since it is better not to do it yourself due to the intricate plumbing and masonry work needed.