The Source of Modern Fountains
The Source of Modern Fountains Hundreds of classic Greek texts were translated into Latin under the auspices of the scholarly Pope Nicholas V, who ruled the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455. It was imperative for him to embellish the city of Rome to make it worthy of being called the capital of the Christian world. Starting in 1453, the ruined ancient Roman aqueduct known as the Aqua Vergine which had brought fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away, underwent repair at the behest of the Pope. A mostra, a monumental dedicatory fountain built by ancient Romans to mark the point of arrival of an aqueduct, was a practice which was revived by Nicholas V. The present-day site of the Trevi Fountain was formerly occupied by a wall fountain commissioned by the Pope and built by the architect Leon Battista Alberti. Adjustments and extensions, included in the restored aqueduct, eventually provided the Trevi Fountain and the well-known baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona with the necessary water supply."Primitive" Greek Artistry: Garden Statuary
"Primitive" Greek Artistry: Garden Statuary The primitive Greeks built the first freestanding statuary, an impressive achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars.