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 first wellheads were created for shallow wells in the Lido that used the Lido's natural sand dunes to filter rainwater. The first cistern wellheads in the city of Venice were created in the eleventh century. As the cistern system developed, more wells and wellheads were created, with eventually more than 6,000 wellheads in use in the 19th century. When the Venetian aqueduct was constructed in 1884, the wellheads fell out of use and the city of Venice began sealing them up. By 1930, all wellheads in Venice were sealed, destroyed, or removed. For more information see Wellheads.
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 [1] . 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 Marble or White Verona Marble. To see the percentage of wells made of each stone, see Wellheads. Up until the 13th century, Venetians primarily constructed the wellheads with Aurisina limestone. Aurisina is a limestone that usually has a grayish color and granular appearance. It stopped appearing in wellheads around the end of the 13th century, when Istria Stone caused it to become obsolete. There are very few remaining wellheads made of Aurisina. Towards the end of the 13th century, carvers began using Istria limestone and Verona stone[2]. Istrian stone makes up a majority of wellheads in Venice and is a type of limestone: gray-green or yellow in color [3]. Exposure to the atmosphere for long periods causes Istrian stone to become whitish in color through a process called “whitewashing”[4]. This makes Istrian Stone susceptible to exfoliation, a process where thin layers peel off from the stone’s surface, like sheets, weakening the structural integrity of the material[5]. Verona Stone, another common material Venetians used to construct wellheads and fountains, is a sedimentary rock containing limestone and various fossils [6]. It can have a reddish or whitish hue, depending on the carbon compounds it contains[7]. Red Verona Stone noticeably differs from Istrian Stone due to its red color. White Verona Stone, while similar in appearance to Istrian Stone, is distinguishable by its heterogeneous appearance, or variation within the stone[8].
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A wellhead made of Istrian Stone -
A wellhead made of Red Verona Marble -
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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