Bernini’s First Italian Fountains

Bernini’s First Italian Fountains Bernini's earliest water fountain, named Barcaccia, is a breath taking work of art found at the bottom 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. Bernini would without a doubt have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's trendiest areas, that around his amazing fountain. Dating back to around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII commissioned what was to be the very first fountain of the master's career. Illustrated in the fountain's design is a large ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. Period reports dating back to the 16th century show that the fountain was built as a monument 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 only lengthy absence from Italy.

Early Water Delivery Solutions in The City Of Rome

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Early Water Delivery Solutions in The City Of Rome Aqua Anio Vetus, the first raised aqueduct assembled in Rome, started off supplying the people living in the hills with water in 273 BC, even though they had counted on natural springs up until then. When aqueducts or springs weren’t available, people living at greater elevations turned to water removed from underground or rainwater, which was made available by wells and cisterns. In the early 16th century, the city began to make use of the water that flowed below the ground through Acqua Vergine to deliver drinking water to Pincian Hill. As originally constructed, the aqueduct was provided along the length of its channel with pozzi (manholes) constructed at regular intervals. Although they were originally planned to make it possible to support the aqueduct, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi began using the manholes to get water from the channel, opening when he purchased the property in 1543. It seems that, the rainwater cistern on his property wasn’t sufficient to fulfill his needs. Through an opening to the aqueduct that ran below his property, he was set to satisfy his water demands.

Garden Fountain Builders Through History

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Fountain designers were multi-talented individuals from the 16th to the later part of the 18th century, often working as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and highly educated scholars all in one. Leonardo da Vinci, a Renaissance artist, was renowned as a ingenious intellect, inventor and scientific virtuoso. With his tremendous curiosity concerning the forces of nature, he researched the characteristics and mobility of water and also systematically recorded his examinations in his now celebrated notebooks. Early Italian water feature builders converted private villa configurations into inventive water exhibits complete of symbolic meaning and natural elegance by combining creativity with hydraulic and horticultural talent. Known for his incredible skill in archeology, architecture and garden design, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, provided the vision behind the splendors in Tivoli. Well versed in humanistic topics as well as classical scientific texts, other fountain designers were masterminding the excellent water marbles, water functions and water pranks for the numerous properties around Florence.

Statuary As a Staple of Vintage Art in Historic Greece

Statuary As a Staple of Vintage Art in Historic Greece The primitive Greeks built the 1st freestanding statuary, an awesome achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars. Youthful, ideal male or female (kore) Greeks were the subject matter of most of the statues, or kouros figures. Representing beauty to the Greeks, the kouroi were made to appear stiff and commonly had foot forward; the males were vigorous, powerful, and naked. In about 650 BC, the differences of the kouroi became life-sized. During the Archaic time, a great time of changes, the Greeks were developing new forms of government, expressions of art, and a greater comprehension of people and cultures outside Greece. Similar to many other periods of historical conflict, conflicts were commonplace, and there were battles between city-states like The Arcadian wars, the Spartan invasion of Samos.