Where did Garden Water Fountains Come From?
Where did Garden Water Fountains Come From?
The incredible construction 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 complete your home. The primary 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, via aqueducts or springs nearby. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a source of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Acting as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also supplied clean, fresh drinking water. Roman fountains often depicted images of animals or heroes made of metal or stone masks. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. To show his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. To mark the entrance 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. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to enable fountains to bring in clean water and allow for amazing water displays.
Contemporary fountains are used to adorn public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.
The Dispersion of Fountain Design Knowledge
The Dispersion of Fountain Design Knowledge Instrumental to the development of scientific technology were the published papers and illustrated publications of the day. They were also the main means of transmitting practical hydraulic facts and fountain design suggestions all through Europe. An unnamed French water feature designer came to be an internationally celebrated hydraulic pioneer in the late 1500's. By designing landscapes and grottoes with built-in and amazing water attributes, he started off his occupation in Italy by getting Royal commissions in Brussels, London and Germany. In France, near the end of his lifetime, he wrote “The Principle of Moving Forces”, a publication which turned into the fundamental text on hydraulic technology and engineering. Explaining contemporary hydraulic technologies, the publication also updated key hydraulic advancements of classical antiquity. Dominant among these works were those of Archimedes, the inventor of the water screw, a mechanical method of moving water. Sunlight heating water in a couple of containers unseen in a room next to an ornamental water fountain was displayed in one illustration. The end result: the water fountain is triggered by the heated water expanding and ascending up the pipes. Concepts for pumps, water wheels, water features and outdoor ponds are also covered in the publication.