Gian Bernini's Garden Fountains

Gian Bernini's Garden Fountains There are countless renowned water features in the city center of Rome. Nearly all of them were planned, conceived and constructed by one of the greatest sculptors and artists of the 17th century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Marks of his life's work are obvious all through the avenues of Rome simply because, in addition to his abilities as a fountain builder, he was also a city builder. Bernini's father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, mentored his young son, and they ultimately moved to Rome, in order to fully express their art, primarily in the form of public water fountains and water features. The juvenile Bernini was an exceptional worker and attained compliments and patronage of important artists as well as popes. Initially he was recognized for his sculpting skills. An expert in historical Greek architecture, he used this knowledge as a foundation and melded it seamlessly with Roman marble, most notably in the Vatican. Although many artists had an impact on his work, Michelangelo had the most profound effect.

The Distribution of Garden Water Fountains Engineering Knowledge in Europe

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The Distribution of Garden Water Fountains Engineering Knowledge in Europe Instrumental to the advancement of scientific technology were the printed papers and illustrated books of the time. They were also the main method of transmitting useful hydraulic ideas and water fountain design ideas throughout Europe. A globally celebrated innovator in hydraulics in the later part of the 1500's was a French fountain engineer, whose name has been lost to history. His experience in making landscapes and grottoes with integrated and imaginative water fountains began in Italy and with mandates in Brussels, London and Germany. “The Principles of Moving Forces”, a guide which became the fundamental book on hydraulic mechanics and engineering, was composed by him toward the end of his lifetime in France. The publication updated key hydraulic discoveries since classical antiquity as well as describing modern day hydraulic technologies. The water screw, a mechanical way to move water, and devised by Archimedes, was highlighted in the book. Two hidden vessels heated by the sun's rays in an room adjacent to the creative fountain were shown in an illustration. The hot water expands and then rises and closes the water pipes thereby triggering the water feature. Models for pumps, water wheels, water attributes and outdoor ponds are also mentioned in the publication.

The Public Fountains

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The Public Fountains As originally developed, water fountains were crafted to be functional, directing water from streams or aqueducts to the residents of cities and villages, where the water could be utilized for cooking food, cleaning, and drinking. A supply of water higher in elevation than the fountain was required to pressurize the movement and send water squirting from the fountain's spout, a technology without equal until the late nineteenth century. The beauty and spectacle of fountains make them appropriate for traditional memorials. The common fountains of modern times bear little resemblance to the very first water fountains. A natural stone basin, carved from rock, was the 1st fountain, utilized for holding water for drinking and ceremonial functions. The earliest stone basins are suspected to be from about 2000 B.C.. The very first civilizations that made use of fountains relied on gravity to drive water through spigots. These historic water fountains were built to be functional, often situated along reservoirs, streams and rivers to furnish drinking water. Fountains with ornamental Gods, mythological monsters, and creatures began to show up in Rome in about 6 BC, made from stone and bronze. Water for the communal fountains of Rome was delivered to the city via a intricate system of water aqueducts.

"Old School" Water Fountain Designers

"Old School" Water Fountain Designers Often working as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and highly educated scholars all in one, from the 16th to the later part of the 18th century, fountain designers were multi-talented individuals, During the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci illustrated the creator as an imaginative wizard, inventor and scientific virtuoso. The forces of nature guided him to analyze the qualities and motion of water, and due to his fascination, he systematically documented his experiences in his now renowned notebooks.

Brilliant water exhibits packed of symbolic meaning and natural grace converted private villa settings when early Italian fountain designers combined imagination with hydraulic and gardening skill. The brilliance in Tivoli were created by the humanist Pirro Ligorio, who was famed for his capabilities in archeology, architecture and garden design. Well versed in humanist subject areas as well as classical technical readings, some other water feature makers were masterminding the excellent water marbles, water features and water antics for the numerous mansions around Florence.