The Genesis Of Fountains
The Genesis Of Fountains 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 enhance your home.From the beginning, outdoor fountains were soley there to serve as functional elements. Water fountains were connected to a spring or aqueduct to provide drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Up until the nineteenth, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water source, including aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to benefit from 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 artist who created it. Bronze or stone masks of wildlife and heroes were frequently seen on Roman fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create mini variations of the gardens of paradise. Fountains enjoyed a significant role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exert his power over nature. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to extol their positions by including decorative baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into 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 purely decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to provide recycled water into living spaces as well as create unique water effects.
Modern fountains are used to adorn public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.
From Where Did Water Fountains Originate?
From Where Did Water Fountains Originate?
Himself a learned man, Pope Nicholas V headed the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 till 1455 and was responsible for the translation of scores of age-old documents from their original Greek into Latin. Beautifying Rome and making it the worthy capital of the Christian world was at the center of his objectives. In 1453 the Pope commissioned the rebuilding of the Aqua Vergine, an ancient Roman aqueduct which had carried fresh 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 restored by Nicholas V. At the bidding of the Pope, architect Leon Battista Alberti began the construction of a wall fountain in the spot where we now find the Trevi Fountain. The aqueduct he had reconditioned included modifications and extensions which eventually allowed it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the famed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.
The Outdoor Public Fountains
The Outdoor Public Fountains
Water fountains were at first practical in purpose, used to convey water from rivers or springs to cities and hamlets, providing the residents with fresh water to drink, bathe, and cook with. The force of gravity was the power source of water fountains up until the close of the nineteenth century, using the potent power of water traveling downhill from a spring or brook to squeeze the water through valves or other outlets. Fountains throughout history have been created as memorials, impressing hometown citizens and travelers alike. The contemporary fountains of modern times bear little resemblance to the first water fountains. A stone basin, carved from rock, was the very first fountain, utilized for containing water for drinking and ceremonial purposes. The initial stone basins are suspected to be from around 2000 B.C.. The first civilizations that used fountains relied on gravity to push water through spigots. The placement of the fountains was determined by the water source, which is why you’ll commonly find them along reservoirs, waterways, or rivers. Beasts, Gods, and Spiritual figures dominated the initial decorative Roman fountains, starting to show up in about 6 BC. Water for the public fountains of Rome was delivered to the city via a intricate system of water aqueducts.