Contemporary Garden Decoration: Garden Fountains and their Roots
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Garden Fountains and their Roots The incredible architecture 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 complement your home.Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose. Water fountains were connected to a spring or aqueduct to supply drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using the force of 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 used as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the artist who created it. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. To show his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden 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 increase in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for amazing water displays.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for open spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational activities.
Outdoor Fountains And Their Use In Ancient Minoa
Outdoor Fountains And Their Use In Ancient Minoa Fountains and Water and the Minoan Civilization These provided water and extracted it, including water from waste and storms. Rock and clay were the materials of choice for these conduits. Anytime terracotta was used, it was normally for waterways as well as pipes which came in rectangle-shaped or spherical shapes. Amidst these were clay piping that were U shaped or a shorter, cone-like shape which have exclusively appeared in Minoan civilization. Knossos Palace had an state-of-the-art plumbing network made of terracotta conduits which ran up to three meters below ground.