A nymphaeum (Latin : nymphaea) or nymphaion (), in ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, was a monument sanctuary to the , especially those of springs.
These monuments were originally natural , which tradition assigned as habitations to the local nymphs. They were sometimes so arranged as to furnish a supply of water, as at Pamphylian Side. A nymphaeum dedicated to a local water nymph, Coventina, was built along Hadrian's Wall, in the northernmost reach of the Roman Empire. Subsequently, artificial grottoes took the place of natural ones.
Roman period
The nymphaea of the Roman period extended the sacral use to recreational aims.
[A. R. A. van Aken, "Some Aspects of Nymphaea in Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia" Mnemosyne, Fourth Series, 4.3/4 (1951:272–284), p. 272.] They were borrowed from the constructions of the
Hellenistic east. At a minimum, Roman nymphaea may be no more than a niche set into a garden wall.
[Gardens of the Roman World. Patrick Bowe. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. pp 24-25] But many larger buildings are known. Most were rotundas, and were adorned with statues and paintings. They served the threefold purpose of
sanctuary, reservoirs and assembly-rooms. A special feature was their use for the celebration of marriages. Such nymphaea existed in
Corinth,
Antioch and
Constantinople; the remains of some twenty have been found in Rome and many in
Africa. The so-called exedra of
Herodes Atticus (which corresponds in all respects to a nymphaeum in the Roman style), the nymphaeum in the palace of
Domitian and those in Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli (
Tibur)—five in number—may be specially mentioned. The nymphaeum in
Jerash, Jordan (
illustration), was constructed in 191 AD. The fountain was originally embellished with marble facing on the lower level, painted plaster on the upper level, and topped with a half-dome roof, forming a giant niche. Water cascaded through seven carved lion's heads into small basins on the sidewalk.
Nymphaea may be artificial grottoes, large-scale stonework to create or enhance a resemblance to a natural cave. Deliberately rough stones might be used—Pliny the Elder noted that pumice was often used to give the appearance of a cave.[CHAP. 42.—PUMICE; NINE REMEDIES. The Natural History. Pliny the Elder. John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S. H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A. London. Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. 1855. Perseus Digital Library] Water was a much-desired feature; at least a trickle, often flowing over the rocks to make them glisten.[Gardens of the Roman World. Patrick Bowe. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. pp 24-25]
Mosaics
Nymphaea were important in the architectural movement of
mosaic from floor to walls and ceiling vaults in the 1st century. Initially they were often decorated with geometrical mosaics often incorporating shells, but by the end of the century could contain ambitious figure subjects.
[ Mosaics of the Greek and Roman world, pp. 236–50, Katherine M. D. Dunbabin, Cambridge University Press, 1999, , , Google books]
Later periods
The term
nymphaeum was also applied to the fountains of water in the atrium of the
Christianity basilica, which according to
Eusebius were symbols of purification. Phiale is an equivalent Greek term.
A nymphaeum for al fresco summer dining featuring artificial grottoes with waterflows was designed by Bartolomeo Ammanati (1550–1553), and was reintroduced at the Villa Giulia, Rome.[John Coolidge, "The Villa Giulia: A Study of Central Italian Architecture in the Mid-Sixteenth Century" The Art Bulletin 25.3 (September 1943:177–225).]
Gallery
File:Nymphenbad 1.JPG|The Nymphenbad of the Zwinger palace in Dresden, Germany
File:Villa Giulia (13).jpg|Nymphaeum of the Villa Giulia in Rome
File:Villa Barbaro Maser ninfeo 2009-07-18 f01.jpg|The nymphaeum at Villa Barbaro in Maser, Veneto, Italy
File:Nymphaeum Hotel de Besenval Paris.jpg|The remains of the nymphaeum in the basement of the Hôtel de Besenval in Paris
See also
Notes
External links
