Bernini’s Early Italian Fountains

Bernini’s Early Italian Fountains One can see Bernini's earliest masterpiece, the Barcaccia fountain, at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, you will see Roman residents and vacation goers occupying this space to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. One of the city’s most stylish gathering spots are the streets surrounding Bernini's fountain, which would certainly have brought a smile to the great Bernini. In around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII helped Bernini start off his career with the construction of his very first water fountain. The fountain’s central motif is based on an enormous vessel slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. The great 16th century flooding of the Tevere, which left the entire region inundated with water, was memorialized by the water fountain according to writings from the period. Absenting himself from Italy only once in his life for a prolonged time period, in 1665 Bernini traveled to France.

Outdoor Fountains Found in Historical Documents

Outdoor Fountains Found in Historical Documents The water from creeks and other sources was initially provided to the citizens of nearby communities and cities through water fountains, whose design was mainly practical, not aesthetic. In the years before electrical power, the spray of fountains was driven by gravity exclusively, often using an aqueduct or water supply located far away in the nearby mountains. Typically used as monuments and commemorative edifices, water fountains have impressed travelers from all over the world throughout the ages. When you see a fountain at present, that is not what the very first water fountains looked like. The first accepted water fountain was a stone basin created that served as a receptacle for drinking water and ceremonial functions. Pure stone basins as fountains have been found from 2000 B.C.. The first fountains used in ancient civilizations relied on gravity to regulate the flow of water through the fountain. The location of the fountains was driven by the water source, which is why you’ll commonly find them along reservoirs, waterways, or rivers. The people of Rome began building elaborate fountains in 6 BC, most of which were bronze or natural stone masks of animals and mythological heroes. The people of Rome had an intricate system of aqueducts that furnished the water for the countless fountains that were placed throughout the urban center.