The Genesis Of Garden Fountains
The Genesis Of Garden Fountains A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinkable water, as well as for decorative purposes. Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs in the vicinity. Up to the late nineteenth century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and higher than the fountain so that gravity could make the water flow downwards or shoot high into the air. Fountains were not only used as a water source for drinking water, but also to decorate homes and celebrate the designer who created it. Bronze or stone masks of wildlife and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. To replicate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. King Louis XIV of France wanted to demonstrate his superiority over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
The end of the 19th century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to purely decorative elements. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for community spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational events.
Characteristics of Garden Statuary in Archaic Greece
Characteristics of Garden Statuary in Archaic Greece Archaic Greeks were well known for creating the first freestanding statuary; up till then, most carvings were made out of walls and pillars as reliefs. Younger, appealing male or female (kore) Greeks were the subject matter of most of the sculptures, or kouros figures. Considered by Greeks to embody splendour, the kouroi were formed into inflexible, forward facing positions with one foot outstretched, and the male statues were always nude, well-developed, and athletic. Around 650 BC, life-sized variations of the kouroi began to be observed. During the Archaic period, a big time of changes, the Greeks were evolving new types of government, expressions of art, and a larger comprehension of people and cultures outside Greece. But in spite of the disputes, the Greek civilization went on to advance, unabated.The Root of Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains
The Root of Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains Himself a learned man, Pope Nicholas V led the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 till 1455 and was responsible for the translation of scores of ancient documents from their original Greek into Latin. In order to make Rome worthy of being the capital of the Christian world, the Pope decided to enhance the beauty of the city. At the behest of the Pope, the Aqua Vergine, a damaged aqueduct which had transported clean drinking water into Rome from eight miles away, was restored starting in 1453.
A mostra, a monumental celebratory fountain built by ancient Romans to mark the point of arrival of an aqueduct, was a custom which was restored by Nicholas V. The present-day location of the Trevi Fountain was once occupied by a wall fountain commissioned by the Pope and constructed by the architect Leon Battista Alberti. The aqueduct he had reconditioned included modifications and extensions which eventually allowed it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the renowned baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.