Outdoor Garden Fountain Builders Through History
Outdoor Garden Fountain Builders Through History Often working as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one, from the 16th to the later part of the 18th century, fountain designers were multi-talented individuals, During the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci exemplified the artist as an creative genius, inventor and scientific virtuoso. With his tremendous curiosity regarding the forces of nature, he examined the qualities and mobility of water and also systematically recorded his observations in his now recognized notebooks. Early Italian water fountain engineers altered private villa configurations into innovative water displays full of emblematic meaning and natural beauty by combining imagination with hydraulic and horticultural talent. Known for his virtuosity in archeology, architecture and garden design, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, delivered the vision behind the splendors in Tivoli. Well versed in humanist topics as well as classic scientific readings, other water fountain makers were masterminding the extraordinary water marbles, water attributes and water antics for the various mansions around Florence.Modern Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Roots
Modern Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Roots
A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to supply drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes. From the beginning, outdoor fountains were simply meant 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. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using 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. Serving as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also supplied clean, fresh drinking water. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were frequently seen on Roman fountains. To depict 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. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
The end of the 19th century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to deliver recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Contemporary fountains are used to embellish community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.