The Magificent Early Wonders by Bernini
The Magificent Early Wonders by Bernini
The Barcaccia, Bernini's first fountain, is a magnificent chef d'oeuvre built at the foot of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. Roman residents and site seers who appreciate verbal exchanges as well as being the company of others still go to this spot. The streets neighboring his water fountain have come to be one of the city’s most stylish gathering places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. The master's very first fountain of his professional life was built at around 1630 at the request of Pope Urbano VIII. Illustrated in the fountain's design is a great ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. The great flooding of the Tevere that blanketed the whole region with water in the 16th was memorialized by this momentous fountain as recorded by reports dating back to this period. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's only prolonged voyage outside of Italy.
Modern Garden Decor: Fountains and their Beginnings
Modern Garden Decor: 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 complement your home.The main purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to provide them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Used until the 19th century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their origin of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from the power of gravity. Serving as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also generated clean, fresh drinking water. The main components used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create smaller depictions of the gardens of paradise. King Louis XIV of France wanted to illustrate his superiority over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. To mark the entryway of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Indoor plumbing became the main source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby limiting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational activities.