Ancient Fountain Designers

Ancient Fountain Designers Multi-talented people, fountain designers from the 16th to the late 18th century typically worked as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one. Leonardo da Vinci as a imaginative genius, inventor and scientific virtuoso exemplified this Renaissance master. He methodically annotated his examinations in his now famed notebooks about his investigations into the forces of nature and the properties and mobility of water. Combining imagination with hydraulic and gardening talent, early Italian fountain designers transformed private villa settings into amazing water displays loaded with emblematic implications and natural charm. The splendors in Tivoli were created by the humanist Pirro Ligorio, who was celebrated for his skill in archeology, engineering and garden design. For the assorted estates near Florence, other water feature developers were well versed in humanistic themes as well as classical technical texts, masterminding the extraordinary water marbles, water attributes and water jokes.

The Genesis Of Outdoor Fountains

Genesis Outdoor Fountains 109990949681.jpg The Genesis Of Outdoor Fountains A fountain, an amazing piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also launch water high into the air for an extraordinary effect.

Pure functionality was the original purpose of fountains. Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to provide drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Up to the late 19th century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water flow down or shoot high into the air. Fountains were an optimal source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and memorialize the designer. The main materials used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to mimic the gardens of paradise. To show his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains built to mark the place of entry of Roman aqueducts.

Indoor plumbing became the key source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby limiting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.

These days, fountains decorate public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.

Archaic Greek Art: Garden Statuary The primitive Greeks manufactured the very first freestanding statuary, an amazing achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars.... read more


Beautiful Wall Elements Make a positive impression on your loved ones by including a wall fountain in your interior design.Having a wall water feature in your daily life not only stimulates the eyes with its loveliness but also your ears with the gentle background sounds it produces.... read more


The One Cleaning Solution to NEVER Use On Your Outdoor Water fountains Water fountains will last a very long time with regular cleaning and maintenance.It is easy for foreign items to find their way into outside fountains, so keeping it clean is essential.... read more


Contemporary Statuary in Historic Greece Even though most sculptors were paid by the temples to embellish the detailed columns and archways with renderings of the gods of old, as the time period came to a close, it became more common for sculptors to depict average people as well because many of Greeks had started to think of their religion as superstitious rather than sacred.... read more


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