The Many Reasons to Add a Water Feature
The Many Reasons to Add a Water Feature The area outside your home can be polished up by adding a wall or a garden fountain to your landscaping or garden project. Historical fountains and water features have stirred the notice of contemporary designers as well as fountain designers. As such, integrating one of these to your home design is a superb way to connect it to the past. Among the many properties of these beautiful garden fountains is the water and moisture they release into the air which attracts birds and other wild life as well as helps to balance the ecosystem. For example, birds attracted by a fountain or birdbath can be useful because they fend off annoying flying insects.
Wall fountains are a good choice if your yard is small because they do not require much space as compared to a spouting or cascading fountain. Two possibilities to choose from include either a freestanding type with an even back set against a fence or wall in your garden, or a wall-mounted, self-contained type which is suspended on a wall. A water feature can be added to an existing wall if you include some sort of fountain mask as well as a basin to gather the water below. Be sure to hire a professional for this type of job since it is better not to do it yourself due to the intricate plumbing and masonry work required.
The Origins of Contemporary Wall Fountains
The Origins of Contemporary Wall Fountains Hundreds of ancient Greek texts were translated into Latin under the auspices of the scholarly Pope Nicholas V, who led the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455. It was important for him to beautify the city of Rome to make it worthy of being known as the capital of the Christian world. Restoration of the Acqua Vergine, a desolate Roman aqueduct which had transported fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away, began in 1453 at the bidding of the Pope. The ancient Roman tradition of building an awe-inspiring commemorative fountain at the location where an aqueduct arrived, also known as a mostra, was resurrected by Nicholas V. At the behest of the Pope, architect Leon Battista Alberti began the construction of a wall fountain in the spot where we now find the Trevi Fountain. 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.Where did Landscape Fountains Originate from?
Where did Landscape Fountains Originate 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 an extraordinary effect.From the beginning, outdoor fountains were simply meant to serve as functional elements. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, via aqueducts or springs in the area. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their origin of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from gravity. Fountains were not only used as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the artist who created it. The main components used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. 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. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to extol their positions by adding beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the norm of the day for clean, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. The introduction of unique water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains serve mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational gatherings.