Did You Know How Mechanical Designs of Fountains Became Known?
Did You Know How Mechanical Designs of Fountains Became Known? Instrumental to the development of scientific technology were the published papers and illustrated books of the time. They were also the primary means of transferring practical hydraulic facts and water fountain design suggestions throughout Europe. An unnamed French water fountain designer came to be an globally renowned hydraulic pioneer in the late 1500's. By designing landscapes and grottoes with integrated and clever water attributes, he started off his occupation in Italy by getting imperial mandates in Brussels, London and Germany.
Aqueducts: The Solution to Rome's Water Troubles
Aqueducts: The Solution to Rome's Water Troubles Aqua Anio Vetus, the first raised aqueduct founded in Rome, started off delivering the people living in the hills with water in 273 BC, although they had relied on natural springs up till then. When aqueducts or springs weren’t easily accessible, people dwelling at higher elevations turned to water removed from underground or rainwater, which was made available by wells and cisterns. Beginning in the sixteenth century, a unique method was introduced, using Acqua Vergine’s subterranean sections to supply water to Pincian Hill.
Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Begin?
Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Begin? A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes.
From the beginning, outdoor fountains were soley meant to serve as functional elements. Water fountains were connected to a spring or aqueduct to supply drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using the force of gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Fountains were an optimal source of water, and also served to decorate living areas and celebrate the designer. The main materials used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create smaller depictions 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 nineteenth century saw the increase in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to purely decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to provide recycled water into living spaces as well as create unique water effects.
Embellishing city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the purposes of modern-day fountains.