Bernini's Earliest Showpieces
Bernini's Earliest Showpieces
The Barcaccia, a stunning fountain built at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna, was Bernini's earliest water fountain. To this day, you will see Roman residents and vacation goers filling this space to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. Bernini would undoubtedly have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's most fashionable areas, that around his amazing water fountain. The master's very first fountain of his professional life was built at around 1630 at the request of Pope Urbano VIII. People can now see the fountain as an illustration of a great ship gradually sinking into the Mediterranean. According to 16th century reports, a great flood of the Tevere covered the entire area in water, an event which was commemorated by the eye-catching fountain. Absenting himself from Italy only once in his life for a lengthy period of time, in 1665 Bernini voyaged to France.
Modern Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Roots
Modern Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Roots The incredible construction 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 complement your home.Pure functionality was the original role 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.
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. Acting as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. King Louis XIV of France wanted to demonstrate his superiority over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. To mark the entryway of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern fountains are used to adorn community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.