Water-raising System by Camillo Agrippa

Although the machine developed by Agrippa for moving water earned the esteem of Andrea Bacci in 1588, it appeared to disappear not long thereafter. It may be that in 1592 when Rome’s most recent waterway, the Acqua Felice, started providing the Villa Medici, there was simply no longer very much need for the device. In reality it was probably simply disused when Ferdinando went back to Florence in 1588 after the demise of his brother, Francesco di Medici, leading Ferdinando to give up his cardinalship pondless waterfall in order to lock in his place as the next Grand Duke of Tuscany. There may have been different impressive water-related works in Renaissance gardens in the later part of the sixteenth century, just like fountains which played music, water caprices (or giochi d’acqua) and even scenographic water demonstrations, but nothing was powered by water which defied gravitation.