Wellhead
This page contains information about a typical Venetian wellhead. For information on wellheads as a whole, see Wellheads
A wellhead, vera da pozzo in italian, is the only exposed component of the Venetian well system. Some local names include anello, corona, sponda, cinta, parapetto, spalletta or bocca di pozzo. The wellhead served as a cap on the well to prevent debris from falling in and contaminating the fresh water supply. As the well system is no longer a source of fresh water for Venetians, the Venetian Wellhead is now considered public art and an aspect of the city's historical and artistic value. See Public art preservation.
History
History of Water Provision in Venice
The term ‘vera da pozzo’ has been in use since as early as the eleventh century [1] . As a centerpiece of many public squares in Venice, “They were always at the center of socialization and interactivity among Venetians” [2] .
Before the introduction of the cistern system of Venice, the lagoon city relied on barges of water from the mainland to supply the people of the city with water. In the 11th century, the construction of the cistern system allowed the people of Venice to gather water without the need for people to deliver water from the mainland to the city [3] . While the government of Venice created enough public wells for the population, wealthy venetians would commission their own private cisterns so that they could separate themselves from the rest of the population. The cistern system works by capturing rainwater through gully grates made from Istrain stone. These grates had holes allowing for water to fall through. The captured water would then collect in underground tanks called galleries made from brick, cassone. A large area about 3-4 meters deep filled with sand, spongia, and lined with impermeable clay would filter the water as it moved to the center of the cistern. In the center of the cistern was a well shaft, canna, made from a semipermeable brick called pazzoli and semipermeable mortar. This is where the water accumulates and people can bring up the water from the wellhead. Access to a well meant Venetians did not need to pay for barges of water. This, however, did not eliminate the need for the barges as they had the job of topping off the wells when they began to run dry. Well water was also very clean for the time as filtered rainwater is usually safe to drink. The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use so it did not cost the population anything to acquire water. Access to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. If one were wealthy enough to afford it, one could build their own private well, giving that person complete control over the water from that well, barring certain people from drawing water from the well. While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades to complete their construction, meaning the only people capable of building private wells were the wealthy. There are also many private wellheads located in wealthy and religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads; they were the only ones who had keys for these structures and limited accessibility to them a couple of times per day[4]. Some believe that this system allowed Venice to grow and thrive for many centuries, others believe that this system created social boundaries and that “water followed the spatial divide between rich and poor areas” [5].
Retrieving Water
Churches were once responsible for locking and unlocking the well at certain times of the day. This was to prevent just anyone from retrieving water from the well at any given time. In order to retrieve water from the well, Venetians typically used ropes to haul buckets of water over the lip of the wellhead. These ropes left grooves in the material of the wellhead as seen below. Some private wellheads had a pulley system installed to retrieve water without damaging the wellhead.
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The mark resulted from retrieving water with a rope
IMAGE OF WELL WITH PULLEY SYSTEM ON LID
Design
A typical wellhead has a platform, main body and lid. The platforms are usually short, but can be set higher above ground level in order to prevent salt water from contaminating the well during tidal flooding [6] . A typical wellhead has an overall cylindrical or square shape. Often the shape of the base and the shape of the rim are different. The shape of the base is consistently circular while the shape of the rim varies between circular, square, hexagonal and octagonal. The typical wellhead features inscriptions and carvings of saints or family crests. The artistic and structural design of each wellhead is indicative of the art period it was built in.
Material
A Wellhead is traditionally constructed with either Istria stone, Red Verona or White Verona. To see the percentage of wells made of each stone, see Wellheads . Istria stone is a type of limestone that has a gray-green or yellowish color. Lengthy exposure to the atmosphere causes the stone to obtain a whitish appearance through a process called “whitewashing.” Unfortunately, this also makes Istria stone a prime candidate for exfoliation. Verona marble is a sedimentary rock composed of organic limestone and fossils. It has either a reddish or whitish color depending on the carbon compounds it contains. Some wellheads were made out of brick, but brick wellheads deteriorate faster, so no original wellheads in Venice are still made of brick.
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A wellhead made of Istrian Stone -
A wellhead made of Red Verona Stone -
A wellhead made of White Verona Stone
Styles
Decorations on wellheads range through the Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque eras.
The Byzantine style, based on Christianity, typically emphasized elaborate design rather than naturalistic depictions. The Venetian Republic had close contact with the Byzantine Empire during this period from the eleventh to the thirteenth century. Wellheads built during this time reflect this style and often displayed twisted columns and animals (Venetian Wells, n.d.). Fountains built during the Byzantine era, modeled wellheads at the time.
INCLUDE IMAGE OF BYZANTINE STYLE WELL
The Gothic style dominated Venetian art from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries. Characterized by a pointed and intricate design in arches and on each side, wellheads built during this time period reflect the Gothic style
INCLUDE IMAGE OF GOTHIC STYLE WELL
The Renaissance style originated in Italy, characterized by a renewed interest in classical art; it was used primarily in the fourteenth and sixteenth century. Within this style, wellheads have more naturalistic elements including flowers and leaves
INCLUDE IMAGE OF RENAISSANCE STYLE WELL
The Baroque style was slightly different from that of the Renaissance style. Wellheads at this time were simpler, few decorations and emphasis on heavy spaces. Wellheads built during this time lacked a sort of relevance due to the decline of the Venetian republic during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
INCLUDE IMAGE OF BAROQUE STYLE WELL
Wellheads built during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are often significantly larger or smaller than those built during any of the aforementioned era. Many wellheads across time may include inscriptions within their decorations that refer to the family or donors who helped build the well.
Lid
The Lid of a wellhead is almost always circular in shape and either flat or convex on the top. The most common material for lids is iron, but stone, wood, and bronze lids also exist. Some wellheads have lost their lids, and many have been filled in with concrete.
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A wellhead that has a metal lid -
A wellhead with no lid that has been filled in with concrete -
A wellhead in Chioggia that has a statue as the lid
Serving Nature
In the past, these wellheads served as access points to fresh water for not only the human population of Venice, but the animals as well. Small, bowl-shaped indentations were made in the platforms of some wellheads. These indentations served as a source of fresh drinking water and as baths for the local wild life.
See also
References
Bibliography
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