Bernini's Earliest Masterpieces

Bernini's Earliest Masterpieces The Barcaccia, a beautiful fountain constructed at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna, was Bernini's earliest fountain. To this day, you will find Roman residents and vacation goers filling this spot to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. One of the city’s most stylish meeting places are the streets surrounding Bernini's fountain, which would undoubtedly have brought a smile to the great Bernini. The master's very first water fountain of his career was built at around 1630 at the request of Pope Urbano VIII. People can now see the fountain as a depiction of a commanding ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean. Period reports dating back to the 16th century show that the fountain was constructed as a monument to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's only extended journey outside of Italy.

The Outdoor Water Fountains

The Outdoor Water Fountains Outdoor Water Fountains 006875680317487.jpg

Towns and communities relied on functional water fountains to conduct water for cooking, washing, and cleaning up from nearby sources like ponds, streams, or creeks. A source of water higher in elevation than the fountain was necessary to pressurize the movement and send water squirting from the fountain's nozzle, a technology without equal until the later half of the 19th century. The appeal and wonder of fountains make them appropriate for historic monuments. The contemporary fountains of today bear little similarity to the first water fountains. Basic stone basins sculpted from local material were the very first fountains, used for religious ceremonies and drinking water. 2000 BC is when the oldest known stone fountain basins were used. The first fountains put to use in ancient civilizations depended on gravity to regulate the movement of water through the fountain. Drinking water was supplied by public fountains, long before fountains became elaborate public monuments, as attractive as they are practical. The people of Rome began building elaborate fountains in 6 BC, most of which were bronze or natural stone masks of creatures and mythological representations. Water for the public fountains of Rome was delivered to the city via a intricate system of water aqueducts.