xxxn 



ORNAMENTAL WELLS AND WELL 

 HOUSES 



MANY ARE PURELY DECORATIVE, OTHERS COM- 

 BINE THEIR BEAUTY WITH UTILITY 



THE majority of the unique well heads in Italian 

 pottery and rare types in costly marbles, found in 

 American gardens, appear as an absurdity, as they 

 have no connection with any form of water supply. 

 Others are connected by piping from some natural 

 or artificial source, brought to the spot where it is 

 desirable to display the importation. Again, there 

 are wonderfully beautiful well heads and well curbs 

 standing several feet in height, and formed of splen- 

 didly carved marble, connected with wells of pure 

 water. Delicate iron work supports the carrier, of 

 true "old oaken bucket " type, and the well that gives 

 the appearance of merely an excessively costly bit of 

 garden decoration serves its useful purpose in pro- 

 viding an abundance of good water. 



It is only during recent years that Italian types 

 of decorative garden well heads, in connection with 

 unique forms of Florentine oil jars and similar 

 forms of garden pottery, began to be widely dis- 

 tributed. 



306 



