Creators of the First Water Fountains
Creators of the First Water Fountains
Fountain designers were multi-talented individuals from the 16th to the late 18th century, often working as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one person. Leonardo da Vinci as a innovative genius, inventor and scientific virtuoso exemplified this Renaissance creator. He systematically documented his findings in his now renowned notebooks, after his mind boggling curiosity in the forces of nature led him to explore the characteristics and motion of water. Early Italian fountain builders changed private villa settings into ingenious water exhibits complete of symbolic meaning and natural beauty by coupling imagination with hydraulic and horticultural expertise. The humanist Pirro Ligorio offered the vision behind the wonders in Tivoli and was renowned for his skill in archeology, architecture and garden design. Well versed in humanist topics as well as classical scientific readings, other water fountain creators were masterminding the extraordinary water marbles, water features and water antics for the numerous mansions near Florence.
Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Come From?
Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Come From? 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.The primary purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. 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 flow downwards or jet high into the air.
Designers thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and celebrate the designer responsible for creating it. The main materials used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. Fountains played a considerable role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exert his power over nature. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to exalt 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 purely decorative elements. Amazing water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
These days, fountains adorn public spaces and are used to honor individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.