Contemporary Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Beginnings
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Beginnings The incredible architecture of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to complete your home.
Pure functionality was the original purpose of fountains. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs nearby. Up to the late 19th century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and higher than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move down or shoot high into the air. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the artist who created it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often used by Romans to beautify their fountains. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. To show his dominance 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 beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity helped fountains to bring recycled water into living spaces as well as create unique water effects.
These days, fountains adorn public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
Your Patio: An Ideal Spot for a Wall Fountain
Your Patio: An Ideal Spot for a Wall Fountain The area outside your residence can be polished up by including a wall or a garden fountain to your landscaping or garden project. Any number of current designers and fountain craftsmen have found inspiration in the fountains and water features of the past.
Therefore, in order to connect your home to earlier times, include one these in your home decor. The water and moisture garden fountains release into the environment draws birds and other creatures, and also balances the ecosystem, all of which add to the advantages of having one of these beautiful water features. For example, birds lured by a fountain or birdbath can be useful because they fend off annoying flying insects. Wall fountains are a good choice if your yard is small because they do not require much space in comparison to a spouting or cascading fountain. There are two types of fountains to choose from including the freestanding version with a flat back and an attached basin set up against a fence or a wall in your yard, or the wall-mounted, self-contained version which is suspended directly on a wall. A fountain can be added to an existing wall if you include some sort of fountain mask as well as a basin to collect the water at the bottom. The plumbing and masonry work necessary for this type of job requires know-how, so it is best to employ a skilled person rather than go at it yourself.
The History of Outdoor Garden Fountains
The History of Outdoor Garden Fountains Pope Nicholas V, himself a learned man, ruled the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of ancient classic Greek texts into Latin. It was important for him to beautify the city of Rome to make it worthy of being known as the capital of the Christian world. In 1453 the Pope instigated the rebuilding of the Aqua Vergine, an ancient Roman aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away. Building a mostra, an imposing commemorative fountain built by ancient Romans to memorialize the entry point of an aqueduct, was a tradition revived by Nicholas V. The present-day site of the Trevi Fountain was once occupied by a wall fountain commissioned by the Pope and constructed by the architect Leon Battista Alberti.
The Trevi Fountain as well as the renowned baroque fountains found in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona were eventually supplied with water from the modified aqueduct he had reconstructed.
Choose from Many Outdoor Wall Fountain Designs
Choose from Many Outdoor Wall Fountain Designs You can create a place to relax as well as add a touch of style to your porch or yard with a wall fountain since they are great adornments to fit into small space. Traditional, antique, modern, or Asian are just some of the styles you can pick from when looking for an outdoor wall fountain to your liking. If you are looking for a distinctive design, a custom-built one can be specially made to meet your specifications.Mounted and stand-alone water features are obtainable on the market. Small, self-contained versions can be placed on a wall are called mounted wall fountains.
Fountains of this kind need to be light, therefore, they are usually fabricated from resin (resembling stone) or fiberglass. Sizable free-standing wall fountains, commonly referred to as floor fountains, have their basins located on the floor and a smooth side leaning on a wall. Water features such as these are usually manufactured of cast stone and have no weight restrictions.
Many qualified landscapers favor custom-built fountains which can be incorporated into a brand-new wall or an existing one. A expert mason is necessary to install the water basin against the wall and properly install all the plumbing inside or behind the wall. A fountain mask or a spout also needs to be integrated into the wall. The cohesive look provided by custom-made wall fountains make them appear to be part of the scenery instead of an afterthought.