. Italian gardens. asins to a belvedere, which dominates the cascade, andbeneath which a stream of water gushes from the mouth of a hugegrotesque mask, almost hidden beneath a wealth of maidenhair whichtakes complete possession of the damp and open-grained stone. The ground on each side of the cascade—in fact, the whole summit ofthe hill—is clothed with a dense growth of evergreen-oak. A narrowpassage only is left for the cascade, high above which the trees , the trees open out, and encircle the great fountain, in its presentstate perhaps the most beautiful feature in all these Fra
. Italian gardens. asins to a belvedere, which dominates the cascade, andbeneath which a stream of water gushes from the mouth of a hugegrotesque mask, almost hidden beneath a wealth of maidenhair whichtakes complete possession of the damp and open-grained stone. The ground on each side of the cascade—in fact, the whole summit ofthe hill—is clothed with a dense growth of evergreen-oak. A narrowpassage only is left for the cascade, high above which the trees , the trees open out, and encircle the great fountain, in its presentstate perhaps the most beautiful feature in all these Frascati villas. Twopictures are devoted to this fountain, but it is on so large a scale thatportions only of it can be satisfactorily shown. Its total width is about thirty-five yards, and it may roughly bedescribed as having four great lobes or semicircles, the segments ofwhich are united by two short angle-pieces. It is surrounded by arichly carved balustrade, raised on a wide step; facing the water, each of 68. the numerous piers carries a fountain-mask, in carving which the artisthas shown endless invention, and above each pier shallow moulded foun-tain basins are provided. The centre-piece is a six-foot basin raised upon a foundation of rock-work, which appears to be of much later date than its surroundings. Itthrows a powerful jet of water twenty to twenty-five feet above thebasin, though during a storm the jet will occasionally rise to double thisheight. The mouldings and other detail of the stone-work, as well as thegeneral proportions of this fountain, are eminently satisfactory, and froma pictorial point of view its beauty is enhanced not a little by thecharming growth of every sort of limestone-loving weed too numerousto mention. Faldas engraving of the fountain shows it enclosed by a tall hedge ofclipped evergreen, above which the natural trees appear. He also showsa much larger centre-piece than the present one, and this is supplementedby four other jets rising f
Size: 1288px × 1940px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidcu3192, booksubjectgardens
