Bernini’s Very First Italian Fountains

Bernini’s Very First Italian Fountains Bernini's earliest water fountain, named Barcaccia, is a masterful work of art seen at the foot of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. Bernini’s First Italian Fountains 04130973.jpg

Bernini’s First Italian Fountains 04130973.jpg

Roman locals and site seers who enjoy conversation as well as being the company of others still go to this spot. Bernini would undoubtedly have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's trendiest areas, that surrounding his amazing water fountain. In about 1630, the great artist built the very first water fountain of his career at the behest of Pope Ubano VIII. People can now see the fountain as an illustration of a great ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. The great 16th century flooding of the Tevere, which left the entire region inundated with water, was memorialized by the fountain according to documents from the period. In 1665 Bernini traveled to France, in what was to be his only lengthy absence from Italy.

The Dissemination of Outdoor Fountain Design Innovation

The Dissemination of Outdoor Fountain Design Innovation Spreading practical hydraulic information and fountain design ideas throughout Europe was accomplished with the written documents and illustrated books of the time. An internationally recognized leader in hydraulics in the late 1500's was a French fountain designer, whose name has been lost to history. By creating gardens and grottoes with integrated and clever water attributes, he started off his occupation in Italy by receiving imperial commissions in Brussels, London and Germany. Dissemination Outdoor Fountain Design Innovation 79911253056157.jpg

Dissemination Outdoor Fountain Design Innovation 79911253056157.jpg

In France, near the closure of his lifetime, he penned “The Principle of Moving Forces”, a publication that became the essential text on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. The book modified key hydraulic breakthroughs since classical antiquity as well as detailing contemporary hydraulic technologies. As a mechanized means to push water, Archimedes devised the water screw, chief among crucial hydraulic advancements. Sunlight heating up water in a couple of vessels unseen in a room adjacent to an beautiful water fountain was displayed in one illustration. The heated water expands and then rises and shuts the pipes thereby activating the water fountain. The publication additionally mentions garden ponds, water wheels, water feature designs.

The Garden Water Features

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The Garden Water Features The water from rivers and other sources was originally provided to the inhabitants of nearby towns and municipalities through water fountains, whose design was largely practical, not aesthetic. To make water flow through a fountain until the late 1800’s, and produce a jet of water, required the force of gravity and a water source such as a creek or reservoir, located higher than the fountain. Fountains all through history have been designed as monuments, impressing hometown citizens and travelers alike. If you saw the first fountains, you probably would not recognize them as fountains. A natural stone basin, crafted from rock, was the very first fountain, used for containing water for drinking and ceremonial purposes. The initial stone basins are suspected to be from around 2000 BC. The spraying of water appearing from small spouts was pushed by gravity, the sole power source builders had in those days. The location of the fountains was determined by the water source, which is why you’ll usually find them along aqueducts, canals, or rivers. The people of Rome began creating elaborate fountains in 6 B.C., most of which were metallic or natural stone masks of creatures and mythological heroes. A well-engineered collection of reservoirs and aqueducts kept Rome's public fountains supplied with fresh water.