STRUCTURES IN LANDSCAPE 2^5 



at Tivoli, at the Villa Farnese, at Caprarola, and at the Villa Lante, 

 and in many other places, especially in Italy. 



The free-standing fountain of superposed basins, often decorated Free-standing 

 with a statue, with the water proceeding from a central jet, or perhaps fountains 

 from a series of jets arranged about the lower basin, is the most or- 

 dinary fountain with which we are familiar. Its form is dominantly 

 architectural or sculptural, and the water plays a subordinate part. 

 If it is to be a fountain at all, however, it should be sufficiently supplied 

 with water so that the rising and converging misty jets or the clean 

 curving, falling film should bear a designated part in the designed form 

 of the whole feature. There is no limit to the form of free-standing 

 fountains except the limit to man's ingenuity. Turtles, dolphins, sea- 

 horses, Tritons, Nereids, any of the race of water-dwelling creatures, 

 natural and mythological, may decorate a fountain basin or spout 

 water across it. In the great basin at Wilhelmshohe, there is a single 

 magnificent shaft of water which rises some two hundred feet above 

 the surface of the basin. A fountain in the Fountain Court at Hampton 

 Court consists of a series of interwoven jets making a basket of crystal. 

 A small fountain in a sequestered place might consist of a simple cir- 

 cular pool in the midst of which, on a block of stone, was set a great 

 graceful blown-glass vase, like an Italian fiasco, constantly brimming 

 with clear water and overflowing in a thin film clothing the outside of 

 the glass and dripping into the pool ; or in a similar situation, there 

 might be, supported on a slender shaft eighteen inches or so above the 

 surface of a little pool, a bronze water-lily on a leaf from under the edge 

 of which, through an annular opening, a thin unbroken sheet of water 

 would fall like a quivering hemispherical bubble into the pool below. 



Besides using in design the life and dash and sparkle of running Pools and 

 water, the landscape architect may also turn to his purposes the calm Basins 

 of the standing pool, with its interwoven reflections. A pool may be 

 designed like a low flower bed or a grass panel, as a portion of the sur- 

 face-treatment of a parterre or garden. Usually such a pool will be made 

 a part of the foreground of some important object so that its power of 

 reflection may be made the most of in duplicating and enhancing some- 

 thing of particular beauty. When a pool is so used, it should usually 

 be designed to be brimming full of water, and generally its long di- 



