Exterior Wall Fountains: The Numerous Designs on the Market
Exterior Wall Fountains: The Numerous Designs on the Market
If you want to have a place to relax and add some pizzazz to a small area such as a patio or courtyard, wall fountains are ideal because they do not occupy much space. Conventional, antique, contemporary, or Asian are just some of the styles you can pick from when looking for an outdoor wall fountain to your liking. Your tastes dictate the type you buy so while there may not be a prefabricated fountain to satisfy you, you do have the option of having a customized one. Depending on your requirements, you can choose from mounted or freestanding types. Mounted wall fountains are small and self-contained versions which can be placed on a wall. Wall fountains made of resin (resembling stone) or fiberglass are typically light so they can be easily hung. Floor fountains are freestanding, large, and also have a basin on the ground as well as a flat side against the wall. Normally made of cast stone, these water features have no weight constraints.
It is a good idea to integrate a customized fountain into a new or existing wall, something often recommended by landscape experts. Employing an expert mason is your best option to build the basin and install the required plumbing. The wall will need to have a spout or fountain mask incorporated into it. The cohesive look produced by customized wall fountains make them appear to be part of the scenery instead of an afterthought.
Creators of the First Water Fountains
Creators of the First Water Fountains Water fountain designers were multi-talented people from the 16th to the late 18th century, often serving as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one. Leonardo da Vinci as a imaginative intellect, inventor and scientific virtuoso exemplified this Renaissance artist. He carefully annotated his findings in his now famed notebooks about his research into the forces of nature and the qualities and mobility of water. Early Italian water feature builders altered private villa configurations into ingenious water exhibits full of emblematic meaning and natural beauty by coupling creativity with hydraulic and gardening experience.
Known for his virtuosity in archeology, architecture and garden creations, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, offered the vision behind the magnificence in Tivoli. Well versed in humanistic topics as well as ancient scientific texts, some other fountain creators were masterminding the excellent water marbles, water features and water pranks for the various properties around Florence.
Where did Fountains Come From?
Where did Fountains Come From?
A fountain, an amazing piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also launch water high into the air for a noteworthy effect. The primary purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical. Residents of urban areas, townships and small towns utilized them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains had to be connected to nearby aqueduct or spring. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to decorate homes and celebrate the artist who created it. Roman fountains usually depicted images of animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks. 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 illustrate his dominion over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
The end of the nineteenth century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to purely decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to bring recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and enhance entertainment and recreational gatherings.