Where did Landscape Fountains Come From?
Where did Landscape Fountains Come From? The dramatic or ornamental effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, in addition to supplying drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.From the onset, outdoor fountains were soley there to serve as functional elements. Water fountains were connected to a spring or aqueduct to provide drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Used until the 19th century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from gravity. Acting as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water.
The main components used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. To replicate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. To demonstrate his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Urban fountains made at the end of the 19th century served only as decorative and celebratory adornments since indoor plumbing provided the necessary drinking water. The creation of unique water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by replacing gravity with mechanical pumps.
Nowadays, fountains adorn public spaces and are used to honor individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
The Godfather Of Rome's Water Features
The Godfather Of Rome's Water Features
In Rome’s city center, there are countless celebrated water features. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the finest sculptors and artists of the 17th century planned, conceptualized and built virtually all of them. He was furthermore a city designer, in addition to his abilities as a fountain engineer, and traces of his life's work are noticeable all through the avenues of Rome. Bernini's father, a recognized Florentine sculptor, guided his young son, and they eventually moved in Rome, to fully express their artwork in the form of public water features and water features. An exemplary worker, Bernin earned praise and the patronage of popes and well known painters. Originally he was celebrated for his sculpting skills. Most notably in the Vatican, he used a base of knowledge in historical Greek architecture and melded it effortlessly with Roman marble. Though he was influenced by many, Michelangelo had the most serious impact on him, both personally and professionally.