Bernini's First Showpieces
Bernini's First Showpieces One can find Bernini's very first masterpiece, the Barcaccia water fountain, at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. This area continues to be filled with Roman locals and tourists who like to exchanging gossip or going over the day's news. Bernini would without a doubt have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's most fashionable areas, that around his amazing water fountain. Dating back to around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII commissioned what was to be the earliest water fountain of the master's career. People can now see the fountain as an illustration of a great ship gradually sinking into the Mediterranean. Period reports dating back to the 16th century show that the fountain was built as a monument to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's one-and-only extended journey outside of Italy.
Aqueducts: The Solution to Rome's Water Problems
Aqueducts: The Solution to Rome's Water Problems Previous to 273, when the 1st elevated aqueduct, Aqua Anio Vetus, was built in Rome, inhabitants who resided on hillsides had to journey even further down to collect their water from natural sources. When aqueducts or springs weren’t available, people living at raised elevations turned to water taken from underground or rainwater, which was made available by wells and cisterns. To supply water to Pincian Hill in the early 16th century, they utilized the brand-new tactic of redirecting the flow from the Acqua Vergine aqueduct’s underground channel.
As originally constructed, the aqueduct was provided along the length of its channel with pozzi (manholes) constructed at regular intervals. During the roughly 9 years he owned the residential property, from 1543 to 1552, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi employed these manholes to take water from the channel in buckets, though they were previously established for the objective of cleaning and servicing the aqueduct. Despite the fact that the cardinal also had a cistern to get rainwater, it didn’t produce enough water. Fortunately, the aqueduct sat below his residence, and he had a shaft opened to give him accessibility.
Where did Large Garden Fountains Begin?
Where did Large Garden Fountains Begin? 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. From the onset, outdoor fountains were simply meant to serve as functional elements. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Up to the late 19th century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move downwards or jet high into the air. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the designer who created it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times used by Romans to beautify their fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to mimic the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to extol their positions by adding decorative baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
The end of the nineteenth century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Contemporary fountains are used to embellish community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.