Contemporary Garden Decor: Outdoor Fountains and their Beginnings
Contemporary Garden Decor: 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 enhance your home. Pure functionality was the original role of fountains. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs in the area. 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 shoot high into the air. Acting as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times used by Romans to beautify their fountains. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. Fountains enjoyed a considerable role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exert his power over nature. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains made to mark the arrival points of Roman aqueducts.
Since indoor plumbing became the norm of the day for clean, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. The creation of special water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by replacing gravity with mechanical pumps.
Decorating city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the uses of modern-day fountains.
Builders of the First Fountains
Builders of the First Fountains Often serving as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one, from the 16th to the late 18th century, fountain designers were multi-talented individuals, Leonardo da Vinci as a creative master, inventor and scientific virtuoso exemplified this Renaissance master. The forces of nature inspired him to research the qualities and motion of water, and due to his fascination, he methodically documented his ideas in his now celebrated notebooks. Modifying private villa settings into ingenious water exhibits complete of symbolic significance and natural beauty, early Italian water feature engineers combined curiosity with hydraulic and gardening abilities. The humanist Pirro Ligorio, renowned for his virtuosity in archeology, architecture and garden design, offered the vision behind the wonders in Tivoli. For the assorted mansions in the vicinity of Florence, other water fountain creators were well versed in humanistic topics and ancient scientific texts, masterminding the excellent water marbles, water highlights and water antics.The Myriad Reasons to Add a Water Feature
The Myriad Reasons to Add a Water Feature A great way to enhance the appeal of your outdoor living area is to add a wall fountain or an exterior garden fountain to your landscaping or garden design. Modern-day designers and fountain builders alike use historic fountains and water features to shape their creations. As such, the impact of integrating one of these to your home decor bridges it to past times. 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 benefits of including one of these beautiful water features. For example, birds attracted by a fountain or birdbath can be useful because they fend off annoying flying insects.Putting in a wall water feature is your best option for a little patio area because a spouting or cascading fountain takes up too much space. Either a stand-alone fountain with an even back and an attached basin set against a fence or a wall, or a wall-mounted style which is self-contained and hangs on a wall, are some of the possibilities from which you can choose. Make certain to include a fountain mask to an existing wall and a basin to collect the water at the base if you want to add a fountain to your living area. It is best not to undertake this job on your own as skilled plumbers and masons are best suited to do this kind of work.