Renaissance Water Fountains of Tuscany

Two broad types of Tuscan water fountains widely known in the fifteenth century were the freestanding or "isolated" type, designed for the middle of a piazza, court or garden; and the "engaged" or wall water feature, set onto a wall at the end of a square or plaza. The Florentine wall fountain was the primary example from this period and is the handsome design of pietra serena in the courtyard of the Palazzo Orlandini, today the residential property of the Banca del Monte dei Paschi. The water sliding from an decorative opening within the recess into a basin placed at its base includes click spigot of a single niche crowned by an arc and framed by classic pilasters. Lavabos are constructs equivalent to wall fountains and are plentiful in Florentine places of worship and priories. Not genuine fountains, these structures, though equipped with flowing water are operated by a faucet and are turned on solely whenever needed and not utilized for prolonged showing. A lavatory, otherwise known as the lavabo, was a place where the celebrant washed his hands prior to glorifying the host. As a result the basin was positioned substantially higher than in a true wall fountain. In the acquaio, or lavatory of the exclusive castle, the lavabo had its secular similitude.