The First Public Garden Fountains

The First Public Garden Fountains First Public Garden Fountains 56081174409573504215.jpg

Water fountains were at first practical in purpose, used to convey water from canals or creeks to cities and villages, providing the residents with fresh water to drink, bathe, and cook with. A source of water higher in elevation than the fountain was needed to pressurize the movement and send water squirting from the fountain's spout, a system without equal until the later part of the 19th century. Fountains spanning history have been designed as memorials, impressing local citizens and visitors alike. The contemporary fountains of today bear little resemblance to the first water fountains. The first accepted water fountain was a natural stone basin created that was used as a container for drinking water and ceremonial functions. Rock basins as fountains have been found from 2,000 B.C.. The earliest civilizations that utilized fountains relied on gravity to drive water through spigots. The placement of the fountains was determined by the water source, which is why you’ll usually find them along aqueducts, waterways, or rivers. Fountains with embellished Gods, mythological monsters, and creatures began to appear in Rome in about 6 B.C., crafted from stone and bronze. Water for the public fountains of Rome arrived to the city via a complex system of water aqueducts.

The Beautiful First Masterpieces by Bernini

The Beautiful First Masterpieces by Bernini Bernini's earliest water fountain, named Barcaccia, is a masterful work of art found at the foot of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. Roman locals and site seers who enjoy conversation as well as being the company of others still go to this spot. The streets neighboring his fountain have come to be one of the city’s most trendy gathering places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. In around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII helped Bernini launch his career with the construction of his very first fountain. People can now see the fountain as an illustration of a great ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. Period writings dating back to the 16th century show that the fountain was constructed as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. In 1665 Bernini traveled to France, in what was to be his sole extended absence from Italy.

From Where Did Water Features Originate?

From Where Did Water Features Originate? Pope Nicholas V, himself a learned man, reigned the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of old classic Greek texts into Latin. Water Features Originate? 52482356.jpg

Beautifying Rome and making it the worthy capital of the Christian world was at the core of his ambitions. Reconstruction of the Acqua Vergine, a ruined Roman aqueduct which had transported fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away, began in 1453 at the behest of the Pope. The historical Roman custom of marking the entry point of an aqueduct with an imposing celebratory fountain, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The present-day location of the Trevi Fountain was previously occupied by a wall fountain commissioned by the Pope and constructed by the architect Leon Battista Alberti. Changes and extensions, included in the repaired aqueduct, eventually provided the Trevi Fountain and the well-known baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona with the necessary water supply.