The Source of Today's Garden Fountains

The Source of Today's Garden Fountains Himself a highly educated man, Pope Nicholas V headed the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 till 1455 and was responsible for the translation of hundreds of ancient texts from their original Greek into Latin. Beautifying Rome and making it the worthy capital of the Christian world was at the center of his ambitions. In 1453 the Pope instigated the reconstruction of the Aqua Vergine, an historic Roman aqueduct which had carried fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away. Source Today's Garden Fountains 5073434887469397658.jpg

Source Today's Garden Fountains 5073434887469397658.jpg

The historical Roman custom of marking the arrival point of an aqueduct with an magnificent celebratory fountain, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The architect Leon Battista Alberti was commissioned by the Pope to construct a wall fountain where we now find the Trevi Fountain. The water which eventually furnished the Trevi Fountain as well as the renown baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona came from the modified aqueduct which he had renovated.

Bernini’s First Italian Water Fountains

Bernini’s First Italian Water Fountains The Barcaccia, a beautiful water fountain constructed at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna, was Bernini's earliest fountain. To this day, you will see Roman locals and vacation goers occupying this spot to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. The streets neighboring his fountain have come to be one of the city’s most stylish gathering places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. In around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII helped Bernini start off his career with the construction of his first water fountain. Depicted in the fountain's design is a great ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. According to 16th century documents, a great flood of the Tevere covered the entire area in water, an event which was commemorated by the eye-catching fountain. Bernini’s First Italian Water Fountains 988502755.jpg

Absenting himself from Italy only once in his life for a prolonged period of time, in 1665 Bernini traveled to France.

The Distribution of Water Fountain Industrial Knowledge in Europe

The Distribution of Water Fountain Industrial Knowledge in Europe Contributing to the advancement of scientific technology were the published letters and illustrated books of the time. They were also the main means of transmitting useful hydraulic facts and water fountain design ideas all through Europe. An unnamed French fountain designer came to be an globally renowned hydraulic leader in the late 1500's. His experience in developing landscapes and grottoes with incorporated and brilliant water features began in Italy and with commissions in Brussels, London and Germany. In France, towards the closure of his lifetime, he published “The Principle of Moving Forces”, a book that turned into the fundamental text on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. Explaining the latest hydraulic technologies, the book also modified critical hydraulic breakthroughs of classical antiquity. Archimedes, the inventor of the water screw, had his work highlighted and these included a mechanical way to move water. Natural light heated the water in a pair of undetectable vessels adjacent to the ornamental fountain were shown in an illustration. What occurs is the heated water expanded, rises and locks up the pipes leading to the fountain, consequently leading to activation. Models for pumps, water wheels, water attributes and garden ponds are also included in the publication.