Bernini's Fountains
Bernini's Fountains There are countless famous fountains in Rome’s city center. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the greatest sculptors and artists of the 17th century planned, conceived and produced nearly all of them. He was also a urban architect, in addition to his expertise as a water fountain engineer, and remnants of his life's work are noticeable all through the streets of Rome. Bernini's father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, mentored his young son, and they ultimately moved to Rome, in order to fully express their art, primarily in the form of public water fountains and water features. An exemplary employee, Bernin earned encouragement and the the backing of popes and important artists. He was originally recognized for his sculpture. He made use of his expertise and melded it gracefully with Roman marble, most significantly in the Vatican. Although many artists impacted his artistic endeavors, Michelangelo inspired him the most.Where did Garden Water Fountains Come From?
Where did Garden Water Fountains Come From? A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to supply drinkable water, as well as for decorative purposes.The main purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs nearby. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from gravity.
Artists thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and celebrate the artist responsible for creating it. Bronze or stone masks of wildlife and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. The fountains found in the Gardens of Versailles were meant to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to glorify the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
The end of the 19th century saw the increase in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.
Modern fountains are used to embellish community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.
How Mechanical Designs of Outdoor Spread
How Mechanical Designs of Outdoor Spread The circulated documents and illustrated pamphlets of the day contributed to the development of scientific technology, and were the chief means of spreading practical hydraulic information and fountain suggestions all through Europe. An internationally renowned pioneer in hydraulics in the later part of the 1500's was a French water fountain engineer, whose name has been lost to history. With imperial commissions in Brussels, London and Germany, he began his work in Italy, developing expertise in garden design and grottoes with integrated and ingenious water features. In France, near the closure of his lifetime, he penned “The Principle of Moving Forces”, a book that became the fundamental text on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. Describing the latest hydraulic technologies, the book also updated critical hydraulic discoveries of classical antiquity. Archimedes, the inventor of the water screw, had his work featured and these included a mechanical means to move water. Sunlight warming liquid in a couple of vessels concealed in a room next to an decorative water fountain was displayed in one illustration. Actuating the fountain is heated water which expands and rises to seal up the pipes. Concepts for pumps, water wheels, water features and garden ponds are also mentioned in the guide.