Where did Fountains Come From?
Where did Fountains Come From?
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 complete your home. Originally, fountains only served a functional purpose. Inhabitants of cities, townships and small towns used them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash up, which meant that fountains had to be linked to nearby aqueduct or spring. Up until the 19th century, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water supply, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to decorate homes and celebrate the designer who created it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often used by Romans to decorate their fountains. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. Fountains played a significant role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exert his power over nature. To mark the entrance 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
Indoor plumbing became the main source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby restricting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
These days, fountains adorn public areas and are used to pay tribute to individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
The Original Water Fountains of History
The Original Water Fountains of History
The water from rivers and other sources was initially delivered to the citizens of nearby towns and cities through water fountains, whose design was primarily practical, not aesthetic. To produce water flow through a fountain until the late 1800’s, and produce a jet of water, required the force of gravity and a water source such as a spring or reservoir, located higher than the fountain. Fountains spanning history have been created as memorials, impressing hometown citizens and travelers alike. The common fountains of modern times bear little similarity to the very first water fountains. The first recognized water fountain was a natural stone basin carved that was used as a container for drinking water and ceremonial purposes. Rock basins as fountains have been recovered from 2000 B.C.. The very first civilizations that used fountains depended on gravity to push water through spigots. Drinking water was provided by public fountains, long before fountains became decorative public monuments, as pretty as they are practical. The Romans began creating ornate fountains in 6 BC, most of which were metallic or natural stone masks of wildlife and mythological representations. A well-designed system of reservoirs and aqueducts kept Rome's public water fountains supplied with fresh water.
Bernini’s First Italian Fountains
Bernini’s First Italian Fountains The Barcaccia, Bernini's very first water fountain, is a striking chef d'oeuvre built at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna.
To this day, you will find Roman residents and vacation goers occupying this space to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. One of the city’s most stylish meeting spots are the streets surrounding Bernini's fountain, which would certainly have brought a smile to the great Bernini. The master's very first water fountain of his professional life was built at around 1630 at the request of Pope Urbano VIII. Depicted in the fountain's design is a large vessel gradually sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. Period reports dating back to the 16th century indicate that the fountain was built as a monument to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. In 1665 Bernini journeyed to France, in what was to be his only extended absence from Italy.
The Main Characteristics of Ancient Greek Statues
The Main Characteristics of Ancient Greek Statues The Archaic Greeks developed the 1st freestanding statuary, an amazing achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars. Most of these freestanding sculptures were what is known as kouros figures, statues of young, attractive male or female (kore) Greeks.
Regarded as by Greeks to characterize splendour, the kouroi were formed into stiff, forward facing poses with one foot outstretched, and the male statues were usually nude, muscular, and athletic. Life-sized versions of the kouroi appeared beginning in 650 BC. Throughout the Archaic time, a great time of change, the Greeks were evolving new types of government, expressions of art, and a greater understanding of people and cultures outside Greece. Throughout this time and other periods of historical tumult, encounters often took place, including wars fought between city-states such as the Arcadian wars and the Spartan infiltration of Samos.