1

BOMARZO HYDROLOGY: PART II

DRAFT

Pipes, valves, sediment, measurement, pressure, flow control and cost:

At this point the cultivated, garden-informed readers eyes may glaze over and a will to live

feeling, or lack thereof, may develop. Notwithstanding, the next section is unavoidable.

Tivoli, Caprarola, Bagnaia - none of these glorious works of water-animated genius would be

possible without pipes, valves, sediment management, water volume/ flow control and so on.

Exceptional skills and technology were enhanced and integrated in a mere century sufficient to

produce technological mastery which, with human creativity, made possible artistic genius in

water animated gardens. Reminiscent of Islamic and Roman achievements, humankind has

never again reached such perfection: we will find it hard to surpass it in the future, however

creative we are and however diverting our technology.

In Roman times the standardisation of pipe-sizes- up to fifteen- had been described by Sextus

Julius Frontinus in his De Aquis Urbis Romae of 97 CE [55]. With the recovery of Frontinus'

manuscript from the library at Monte Cassino in 1425, effected by the tireless humanist Poggio

Bracciolini, details of the construction and maintenance of the Roman aqueduct system became

available once more, just as Renaissance Rome began to revive and require a dependable source

of pure water.

By the 1550s this text was widely distributed among professional engineers who faced identical

problems in restoration, or new work on urban and other hydrological systems. Frontinus

stressed issues such as correct mapping and planning; maintenance of pipes with concerns such

as sedimentation, settling tanks, ruptures and tree roots discussed; different water qualities and

their uses and so on. He did not deal in detail with water pressure- as far as we know- but

handled this and related issues through pipe constriction. [56]

As well as this and other historic sources engineers wrote their own manuscript descriptions of

technology and practice [57]. Many items are shown in the Florence Museums traveling exhibit

with manuscripts dating from as early as the fourteenth century. These MSS were copied by

apprentices and assistants and the knowledge and techniques contained slowly spread among

practitioners. By the late 1560s Parco Demidoff at Pratolino, the famous Medici garden near

2

Florence was underway with its water animated elements appearing by the late 1570s. It was

part of a wave of similar gardens noted in Part I above, of which the Sacro Bosco appears to be

in the vanguard by at least eight years.

At Bomarzo, town and Sacro Bosco, the various uses to which water was put- drinking (public

and private), washing (public and private), bathing (public and private), sewerage (public and

private), fish ponds, open cisterns for events, the lake, fountains, automata, jets, and other

maintenance functions- all required different systems, settling tanks/turbidity reduction, purity,

clarity, pressure and control mechanisms. At present the precise mechanisms for achieving all

this are open to discussion and more comprehensive site research.

In terms of pipes Orsinis engineers had four basic choices: elm for major trunk lines and,

possibly, ceramic; for smaller trunk lines and lesser branches, usually ceramic; ductile lead for

major and minor, bent or angled lines; local lead quills for distribution into fountains and

automata; and ductile copper which could be soldered.

Elm tree boring and the machines to do so are illustrated in de Caus various editions [58] - elm

has the great advantage of not rotting if it sits below ground, in mud, or in a water-logged

environment. For this reason it was a precious commodity and elm trees with specific qualities

were propagated, grown and cropped. Large, straight trunks were especially prized since they

could be cut into significant lengths. The longer the tube or pipe, the fewer the joints and the

less risk there was of rupture or leakage. Elm pipes were shaped like modern pencils, without a

graphite insert, designed to fit sharpened end into receiving, funnel- shaped rear end. Each joint

had to be sealed with specialist glue or mortar. This presented significant technical challenges. A

ruptured seal could be disastrous.

Occasionally oak was utilised but it does not appear to have lasted as long before rotting. [59]

Special lead or mortar joint-sleeves/seals were used for high pressure ceramic lines. [60]

Lead quills- smaller sub-lines- were used to link trunk and sub-trunk lines with end uses in

automata and other machinery.

A modern version of a traditional terracotta ceramic system was photographed at the UNESCO

funded museum at Agrigento in Sicily.

The one pictured below is a downpipe from the gutter system, not designed to take great water

pressure. Its terracotta is relatively weak and would burst under even moderate loading.

Although fired it is fragile and non-ductile. If used horizontally, or on a sloping site, these

terracotta pipes must be sealed with mortar or lead.

3

(Fig: 24 Agrigento Museum. It is a pipe system which fits end into end; June, 2014)

4

Another type of white ceramic pipe was photographed in Bomarzo in 2006 in a newly exposed

location downstream from the external dam/bridge point pictured above. This white ceramic

pipe is similar to the one shown as the input flow pipe at the larger tank/Naumachia above:

(Fig: 25- white ceramic pipe, near dam, lying in silt; May, 2006)

The location of this pipe suggests that the idea of the dam supplying the Barcaccia, a fountain or

two, and the Natatio has credibility. The pipe is much stronger than terracotta examples seen

elsewhere on site and in Agrigento. It is of a white clay base and fired at a significantly higher

temperature than terracotta. It would have been more expensive, probably have been made in

longer sections and would require a stronger mortar/glue/lead jointing material especially if it

had a higher internal pressure. Carrying such heavy, yet brittle material was difficult: most pipe

of this type was made locally. These pipes are less porous than terracotta, an added advantage.

A simpler terracotta pipe system was used throughout the Sacro Bosco where unpressured

drainage was required from behind walls and other structures. Drainage is important in gardens

with retaining walls since the sub-soil can carry large quantities of water and unplanned springs

can cause erosion behind the stone facilitating collapse under conditions of sustained, extreme

rainfall events. This is particularly relevant where heavy peperino rocks lie on plastic or soft

clay and soil substrate [61]. Two elliptical profile terracotta lengths are interred one half above

the other providing a channel through which water can escape:

5

(Fig: 26- Terracotta half-piping visible in a wall in the lower level at Sacro Bosco near to the

Pegasus fountain, June 2014)

Recent archaeological work into a late sixteenth, early seventeenth century watergarden at

Hanwell Park in Oxfordshire, England, by Stephen Wass (Teamleader) has required site research

in Italy on comparable gardens. The following pictures are taken from the work-in-progress

website. [62]

6

(Fig: 27: Tuscan terracotta drainpipe- probably mid-to-late sixteenth, early seventeenth century-

photo taken June, 2014 by Mr Wass team member)

Mr Wass visited sites around Lucca and Florence to investigate details of Cinquecento and later

animated water gardens, still partially, or wholly extant, for comparative technical data to help

illuminate the contemporaneously famous water garden of Sir Anthony Cope, his eponymous

son, and their descendants. The photographic data is supportive and helpful for this article. All

the photos from villas, excluding those from Bomarzo, are from Mr Wass 2014 expedition. The

next photographs are of excavated sixteenth century pipes:

7

(Fig: 28- Conservation project, Castello, June 2014, Wass)

The trunk lines appear to be ceramic or terracotta; there is a box junction, with a massive

structure, suggesting these were high pressure; from them come smaller lines; the whole

infrastructure appears to have been covered with a deep layer of reinforcing cement or

composite. The pipes and junction box rest on terracotta tiles which provide a level surface area,

like a building foundation, to reduce subsidence and cracking. Similar tiles were used as roofing

for control booths at Bomarzo[63]. The joints appear to be every 1.2 metres apart,

approximately, whose tightness was secured by means of a swelling mortar of sand, silt and

clay. Interposed underneath the external lead collars [64]. All joints were usually supported on

flat, terracotta or stone plates- previously and at this time. Broken and leaking joints were the

engineers nightmare- how to find them and fix them quickly enough?

The next photograph is of the smaller, feeder lines which run in parallel to numerous outlets

further out from the main trunk line. These probably ran into lead quills as they approached the

water emitting features; from their appearance, and that of the holes and gaps, they appear to

be both of lead and ceramic:

8

(Fig: 29- Ibid- the holes in pipes shown indicate they may be made of metal, not ceramic or

terracotta)

The two photographs above were taken at a current conservation project (2014) at the early

Medicean garden at Castello a few kilometres north-west of the city centre of Florence.

Developed from 1537 onwards by Cosimo I it may well have been known by Orsini who had to

travel through or close to Florence when heading north to Germany, or even to France if he

went by land, especially since he knew the Medici clan. The developments at Pratolino and

Castello, among others including the Boboli Gardens in Florence, could well have acted as a

catalyst for him in his different, somewhat idiosyncratic creation at Bomarzo. Castello designed

by Varchi, Tribolo and then Buontalenti, also had two rectangular pools at the beginning, and a

famous profusion of fruit trees, and was perhaps by shared by Vicino on a smaller scale at the

Sacro Bosco.

The following picture is of complex lead quill engineering at the back and base of a water

animated feature:

9

(Fig 30: This arrangement is from Villa Torrigiani di Camigliano; June, 2014, Wass)

Lead piping was the preferred material for situations where high water pressure was linked to

angled, curved or bent fitting requirements. Against the tufa or peperino rock in the Sacro Bosco

lead also has the advantage of being similar in colour. Lead, however, was expensive and highly

desirable since it could be used for many industrial purposes- including pewter and bronze

manufacture- might be recycled as pipe and also for military uses such as bullets, cannon balls

and lead shot. In Bomarzo there are many examples of grooves or rock chasings where it is

almost certain lead was used for surface-visible piping:

10

(Fig 31: Major grooves cut into rock above water control booths 1, Plan 1, adjacent to caverns

housing automata, next to main road into site, below main cistern, Sacro Bosco, May 2006).

Of lead, a recent book on Englands seventeenth century exports and trade reports:

Apart from its military uses, lead was also required in the production of pewter and in building

workThe quantities of lead needed to make tiles or water-pipes was disproportionately large: more

than 50 kilograms of refined lead were needed for 1.5 metres of piping; a ton of lead covered less than 6

square metres of roof.

Much lead was exported from England to Italy. [65]

Lead piping also had an advantage in that it could be of a very heavy thickness and could be given a

thread on which nuts that joined two pipes, or a bronze control valve, might be screwed.

11

(Fig 32: Lead pipe with thread, Parc Demidoff at Pratolino; June 2014, Wass.)

Apart from ceramic piping no remnants of other pipes made from lead, copper or wood are visible at

Bomarzo. Given the massive Cinquecento expansion of public water systems recyclable piping was a

valuable commodity wherever it was easily accessed. What could not be retrieved without undue effort,

after the Sacro Boscos proud owner died, probably still remains underground.

Controlling water pressure and flow are critical to gravity powered, water animated gardens. Too much

pressure and joints rupture, wasting water, causing erosion and damaging infrastructure. Insufficient

pressure and features do not function. As the itinerant host and guests passed by and through various

parts and features of the Sacro Bosco the water branches and automata had to be turned on, and off. If

the patron lingered somewhere, water-flow in other parts would generally have been stopped and, if

possible, extra water supply would have been diverted to that zone. Regular flowing features like the

dam sluices, stream and some basic fountains would have continued unless the whole system, or major

parts of it, needed recharging or there were adequate back up tanks which could be called on to

recharge the front line cisterns and then be slowly recharged themselves over a matter of days.

Valves were key to the whole operation. No valves from the period have been located through research

as yet, but those from Roman times are readily available for study. The range of Roman valves is

12

remarkable and modern valves strongly resemble them. It is likely that the Cinquecento saw the use of

many devices to control water flow and pressure similar to the following:

(Fig 33: These are all Roman valves in the Collection of the National Archaeological Museum,

Naples; referenced [66)

Based on metallurgical studies, the materials used for the casting of Roman bronze valves were:

73% Copper; 19% Lead; 8% Tin. Cinquecento valves were probably made from similar metal

ratios.

The Roman water valve design fitted well with the water pressure design of their lead piping.

The normal lead piping was designed for low water pressure applications (with a few rare

exceptions where lead piping was used as an inverted siphon). As an example, an American

expert has studied the water distribution system in Pompeii. There, water was delivered

through a system of water towers that maintained water pressures at approximately 8-9 psi (18-

20 feet). Although this water pressure is much less than modern urban design parameters, it

was sufficient for water distribution in Roman cities and towns to public fountains, water stands

and for other regular uses. The water flow in the distribution system was controlled by

constricting the pipe (with a calix) or by valves. These were key to the conservation and proper

use of the supply.

At Bomarzo there were similar needs but also high pressure parameters for the Meta Sudans

and the mechanical automata which almost certainly required a significantly higher pressure.

Exactly which type of piping- lead and/or copper and/or ceramic- was used for these high

pressure purposes is not known. Nor which solders, mortar mixes and glues to guarantee

connections. However there can be no doubt those challenges had been met in fourteenth

century Hesdin and there is no reason to doubt they were not overcome by Orsinis experienced

engineers. If, however, these automata existed, and there is significant evidence adduced later

to that effect then, in its unique characteristics, the hydrological complexity and design

13

parameters at the Sacro Bosco far outdistanced those at Lante and Caprarola and, in a different

way with different parameters, came close to those at Tivoli.

The common tap was also an essential piece of kit. At Pratolino, recent conservation work on

the Giant of the Apennines has revealed one such Cinquecento bronze tap- remarkably similar

to those used in Roman times and today:

(Fig: 34- Park Demidoff, below statue of Giant of Apennines; June, 2014, Wass)

Sedimentation was another key issue: all water has a degree of turbidity at times. How did the

sixteenth century fontinieri and hydrologists solve this problem? Fountains and automata easily

clog up, and silt and sand are the enemy of gravity-fed fountain systems. Even the cleanest

14

water over time leaves calcific and silt-based deposits. To minimise maintenance the cleanest,

non-mineralogically affected water must be employed. In this regard settlement and

sedimentation tanks are essential and near-point-of-use sediment settling techniques also

unavoidable. Francesco di Giorgios manuscripts show several such mechanisms. As we shall see

spaces next to caverns at the Sacro Bosco, which contained automata, may have housed

sedimentation units, whether these or other mechanisms; the high pressure for automata

demanded earlier, in-line sediment removal and probably sealed units, also, to maintain

pressure:

(Fig: 35- FRANCESCO DI GIORGIO - Triple-compartment water-purification filter for a fountain)

Florence Exhibition website

(Fig: 36- FRANCESCO DI GIORGIO - Gravel and sand filters to be placed near a fountain)

Florence exhibition website

Once again, Pratolino has a fine example of unpressurised, vertical sediment traps below the

Giant of the Apennines statue:

15

(Fig: 37- Parc Demidoff, below sculpture of Apennines; June 2014, Wass)

The best way to minimise turbidity and fine silt settlement is to remove as much as possible as

early as possible in the transmission process. This is why it appears from the Google satellite

images that Orsinis system in the south-south east quadrant may be much more extensive than

visible road-adjacent data reveals, see Plan 1, possible water tanks 6, 7 and 8.

Another aspect of hydrology on a large scale is the need for subterranean tunnels and culverts.

There is no evidence, as yet, that these existed in the Sacro Bosco except one unexplored tunnel

noted by Darnall [67] near the Pegasus fountain. The sediment trap space above shows an

16

example of one subterranean space at Pratolino. Another can be seen in the next photo from

Pratolino:

(Fig: 38- Park Demidoff, Pratolino, entrance to subterranean water supply cavern and tunnels;

June 2014, Wass)

If this is accurate and the remnant system reveals Orsinis full infrastructure, design quality and

investment thereby, it may also reveal that the Sacro Boscos hydrological system could have

been a world leader at the time. Keeping in mind the loss of Roman knowledge in the field, with

its enormous practical mastery evaporated, it may well be that, in Europe, Bomarzos

infrastructure was a peak-quality achievement then and for centuries later. Or not. Only

immediate preservation, conservation, research and publication of results will ascertain if Vicino

is a technical, as well as cultural hero of Italys Cinquecento. Unless something is done to

establish the facts of the historical case Italy may lose a gem of world historical importance as

this system is degraded by unaware municipal development and general, often private,

misunderstanding and underestimation.

Finally, for this tedious, technical, empiric stage, we come to cost. Not simply that there needs

to be a detailed, factual and site-focused research programme to validate the ideas expressed in

this article, or improve on them and countervail them. Which will have a cost in stages.

17

Rather- how much did this all cost him and how could Orsini afford it? One of the issues is that

currency and value statements from different countries and within countries are notoriously

fugitive. Any attempt to compare costs across borders is almost impossible since coinage used

was so variable and subject to debasement. The same is partly true for different regions inside a

single country. Equally, inflation in parts of Europe was significant, but unequal. What seems

expensive in Lazio may not be so in Lisbon or London, or vice-versa.

Facts relating to these basic questions of cost are not easily established. Unlike a few of the

projects undertaken by Salomon de Caus fifty years later, for which we have some manuscript

accounts information [68], there is apparently no precise data available or known about the

Sacro Boscos expenses, either capital or operational. Lantes hydrological system was reputed

to have cost 75,000 livres, or more, while the enormous cost of Tivolis massive hydrological

system could well have been at least three or four times greater. Only dEstes remarkable

wealth permitted him to create on such a scale. The relative value of a livre is hard to

determine. The issue of cost was in Orsinis mind at all stages of the development but he

thought it worthwhile. If only an estate account book could be located or further references in

as yet undiscovered letters.

At the end of the Renaissance the Italian Papal States were undergoing a slow, relatively gentle

economic decline which favoured landowners more generally over labourers. In this context

Vicino was presumably fairly well placed, although specialised mechanics, fontinieri and

hydrological engineers were in demand and would probably have commanded respectable fees.

The less skilled labourers would have swapped into garden or park maintenance from other

agrarian functions, while sculptors of any notable quality mainly completing whole statues or

finishing faces, hands and other detailed limb elements such as mermaids tails- were also

appropriately remunerated. Basic stoneworkers for cisterns, walls and working structures were

almost certainly local trades people from Bomarzo and the Viterbo region and may have been

required by Orsini to contribute time in lieu of land rental payments. Some of them may have

roughed out the basic forms, required for sculptures, to be finished later by more skilled

practitioners.

Whatever the mode or extent of payment, a large system with hundreds of metres of intricate

piping, valves, control buildings, at least five or six main cisterns, and other infrastructure inside

the Sacro Bosco spread throughout an area in excess of 3.5 hectares supplied by trunk lines

exceeding several kilometres, would have been very expensive in investment and maintenance

terms, over three and a half decades. Peak expenditures occurred in four or five phases

between 1547 and the late 1570s, while his ransom after Hesdin would have added to the

familys financial burden in 1555. He was also upgrading the family Palazzo in Bomarzo town

throughout this period. Inheriting from his brother in the early 1570s helped- it was then he

probably began to develop the recently uncovered zones to the south and west of the rear

wall, since he appears to have filled the rest of the Park up by this stage [69]. The fact that he

18

both wanted to expand the Parks footprint then, and could afford to do so, is interesting, as is

the lower quality of sculpting and the fact the items were obviously water animated:

(Fig 39: Probably later works, outside Formal Park wall to the south of the main road in; large,

roughly sculpted, turtle shaped peperino rock, with carved elements. Water cistern below,

part of sculpture, photographed on private property; Plan 1, possible automaton 4; June,

2014)

The lower quality of sculpting implies that, toward the end of his life, Vicino lacked easy

access to expert sculptors who provided the finishing touches to many of the earlier works,

including faces, heads, mermaids tails, hands, feet and some entire sculptures. The presence

of grooves, cisterns, slots and holes in the twenty or so sculpted boulders here indicates he

was capable of having automata devised, installed and maintained, so there had to be a

19

dedicated team of engineers and tradesmen still employed on a regular basis. His passion to

create, operate and interpret was still there.

(Fig 40: large sculpted bowl, possibly sediment trap as at Pratolino, outside Bosco wall; June,

2014)

The issue of financial resourcing and cost to Vicino over forty years needs much better sources

and data than appear to be available at present. Hopefully, researchers will locate more data in

the manuscript sources in Naples, Viterbo, Rome, Florence and Los Angeles and provide more

information which may illuminate this core question.

Method, means and opportunity: Orsini had to be comparatively wealthy to sustain such a

large creative project over so many years. In this regard he was outshone by dEste, Gambara

and Farnese but his investment was less in ordered architecture and more in experiential

effects. We will now look at the implications of such a large hydrological infrastructure and then

at those possible effects and how they were achieved.

Does a hydrological system matter?

What are the implications?

20

If Orsini operated the Sacro Bosco along lines so far suggested the facility, towards the end of

his life, would have been sophisticated and complex on both a cultural and a technological level.

To make it work like a well-oiled theatrical presentation required meticulous operational

planning and maintenance. As impresario and lead player Vicino needed a host of supporting,

but unseen cast members- his engineers and groundsmen. The guests, whether in groups or

singly were to be amazed [70], delighted, informed and engaged rather as if watching an early

opera while moving around the set. At some point they, too, might become participants and

players. At the very least they would have been an active audience whose responses and body

language would guide the walking player. This activity is somewhat reminiscent of visitors to

Hesdins Gallery of Earthly Delights.

Required practical elements for Sacro Bosco as an animated garden would include:

Outstanding surveying and engineering

A substantial hydrological infrastructure, technical skills and investment on a grand scale.

Access to key raw materials

Multiple copies of plans; and machinery and plant descriptions.

A dedicated, skilled, local workforce.

A dedicated, skilled, wealthy and creative patron.

Available expert consultants and trades people.

Available skilled sculptors and artists

A massive hydrological reserve for recharging in times of elongated visits and low rainfall.

A complex, sophisticated and technically competent control system.

Ways of reducing stagnant and mosquito infected water.

A sophisticated system of signalling, command and control.

A network of control structures to house valves and manage pipes, above and below ground.

Sundry maintenance and operational engineers, in hidden but communicable locations.

Grounds staff for cleaning, tidying, and grounds maintenance.

Emergency planning and training for ruptures, leaks, break-downs and extreme weather events.

Emergency materials and parts close-by for rapid repair and amelioration.

Painstaking maintenance programs in winter and summer.

Readily available supplies of spare parts for piping, valves and machinery as they wear out.

Available places for food preparation, chilling and heating.

Toilets for guests and staff.

Changing areas and dry clothing stores close to bathing areas.

Structures to shield horses and carriages in the summer heat.

Buildings for parts storage, maintenance and workshops.

21

In line with the most likely types of groups and guests, Vicino would potentially have favoured

six different pathways and types of experience- or possibly more- depending on who was visiting

and under what circumstances:

The respectable: pageant and public celebration of wit, comfort, wealth and culture:

impressing the cognoscenti and neighbours like Gambara and Madruzzo.

The virtuous progression (via the back gate to the Temple dedicated to Julia); and

historical/Etruscan elements including the Mask of Madness walkway.

The family outing with partners, children and family friends- light, fun with a gregarious pater

familias.

The philosophical and cultural: Vicino as intellectual and family historian/thinker.

The sensuous and profane group revels: private group dynamics and bathing.

The intensely private and personal- singular dining, imbibing, poetry, romance and sex.

It is possible that a tour and presentation may occasionally have evolved from one type into

another. It is also likely that during some tours the lower levels were closed off to more

restrained or innocent visitors, especially the Nymphaeum, Barcaccia, Love Theatre, Lascivious

sculpture and Natatio area.

No wonder his inheritors lacked his passion for the Sacro Bosco when fully developed. It was a

complicated set of systems which were literally fitted to his character, knowledge, physical traits

and preferences. His engineers were personally chosen and they trained and worked with

Vicino. His esoteric cultural knowledge would have been of an earlier, more liberal period.

Mannerism was waning as religious mores strengthened and taste evolved- all of which would

have been daunting to his family. The cost of maintenance and operation was high. After his

death, cash became increasingly short and the old protectors- Cardinals mainly- of this

somewhat louche facility died. The Sacro Boscos reputation may well have threatened the

family as the Churchs grip tightened. The materials which kept it going and the emplaced

infrastructure were financially valuable. They would have been stripped out first. The family sold

the place by 1645 and only one element- a stone seat- was added after Orsinis death.

Automata: Hesdin and Europe:

Hesdin Castle was one of the favoured locations beloved of the Burgundian leaders from the

thirteenth century onwards. In 1299 by the time of Mahaut, Countess of Artois, these engiens

22

desbattement were clearly extant in her account books. She probably inherited them from her

father, Count Robert of Artois.

In various entries between 1299 and 1344, significant payments were recorded for a number of

repairs and enhancements of mechanical monkeys, soldering on engiens de Pavillion out in the

Park, repairs to machines ejecting water, which had broken or been damaged in a rebellion, and

a new engien which was placed in the Gloriette: a tree covered with leaves among which

carved and painted birds were perched. Lead pipes carried water to the birds, which spouted

like fountains. In 1477 Hesdins remarkable qualities were noted by Caxton in: History of Jason

[71].

A long description was produced in 1432 providing details of these marvels and their

maintenance. By then the engiens had existed for about sixty years and required constant

repairs by a specialist family of tradesmen originally from Boulogne- father to son. This detailed

account was translated from the French by Mirriam Sherman (published in 1947), and later

summarised by Jesse Hurlbut in 1992:

A second product of Burgundian culture worth investigation in a study of PLAY was the ducal palace at Hesdin. We know

little about this castle, built in a small town between Arras and Boulogne-sur-Mer, yet, which was one of the most popular

residences of Duke Philip and his family. It was demolished in the 16th century at the order of Charles Quint. The best

description of the castle is in an accounting record of payment made to one Colard le Voleur for certain enhancements to some

already existing fixtures in the interior of the castle.

From this document, we learn that there was a large gallery painted with the arms and mottoes of the duke. An impressive

fountain that could be switched on and off was, at first glimpse, the main attraction. At the entrance to the gallery, however,

there were paintings of three people which squirted water to anyone passing by. The account reveals, in addition, a distorted

mirror, and a machine that would slap the visitor in the face and dump soot or flour on them. Another machine splashed water "pour

mouiller les dames par dessoubz." On the way out of the gallery, one received several blows to the head and shoulders.

The next room could produce rain, thunder and snow. A hermit, made of wood, conversed with visitors. A false floor was

put in so that anyone trying to get out of the rain would fall through into a sack of feathers. Elsewhere, another trap door

was installed, this time on a bridge over water. In many other places, water was dumped, splashed or squirted at the touch of

special buttons devised for that purpose. Anyone trying to open a particular window was hosed down by an automaton who closed the

window after them. A book of ballads on a lectern may have looked inviting, but touching it caused one to be covered in soot

and then sprayed with water. Flour was dumped on anyone trying to see themselves in a mirror.

Another automaton was programed to enter the room and order everyone out by the command of the Duke himself. That meant

running the gauntlet past gigantic statues of fools ("sots et sottes"). Anyone resisting would get completely drenched. An

23

owl, perched on a window responded to the questions of visitors.

Additional references make it clear that these were luxurious chambers with ceilings painted in azure with golden

stars. The walls were covered with elaborate historiated murals and faux-tapestries. Understandably, an oil-based paint was used

throughout. [72]

So, among the many materials used in repair, construction and operation are listed: oil paints,

lumber, mirrors, lead, carpenters and masons supplies, soot, water, gold, nails, glass, horns,

feathers, quick-silver, furs and skins, sacking, metals and, by implication, wrought iron, cogs,

weights, springs and other machinery. A listing of sundry technical tradesmen with a variety of

skills is mentioned also.

The engiens in this list include:

Various machines and methods of squirting water at, on, under, up and on top of guests from

paintings, android figures, birds, a window with an android figure operating the drenching and

closing the window

A talking and walking android representing the Duke

Giant figures of fools

A distorting mirror, in which the full text notes: one sees many deceptions

An engien which strikes visitors in the face - full text- when its knobs are touched covering

them in black and white

A fountain full text- in which water will flow at will and always return whence it came

A machine which cuffs visitors on their heads and shoulders

A room which makes rain, thunder, snow and full text- makes [it] lighten...as if one were

looking at the sky

A wooden hermit figure that speaks to people as they come into the room

A bridge which-full text- at will one makes those who walk on it fall in the water

A lectern with a book of ballads- visitors who opened it were drenched- and another where they

were besmirched with black- probably soot

24

A person made of wood that appears above a bench in the middle of a gallery and fools visitors

and full text- speaking by a trick, cries out on behalf of the [host] that all of them should leave

the gallery

Android figures with rods who force visitors to fall in the water

An owl, contained in a box, suspended in air inside a window, capable of making faces, which

answers all questions from visitors

Some of these features resonate with some of the known, extant sculptural and structural items

at the Sacro Bosco.

It appears from the account book entry which has been quoted, with its bureaucratic

enumeration of costed work done by various master tradesmen, that by the mid fourteenth

century Hesdin had a wide range of active machinery powered by water and internal enginery,

operated by hidden facilitators or interacting with the visitors themselves as they moved

through the various chambers and touched or opened things. These engiens were often

connected by lead pipes carrying water under pressure from cisterns or other machinery. They

could also be animated by spring powered or weight powered machinery and aided by sound,

words and, if this is what tricks meant, by hidden humans who spoke through pipes in response

to questions.

Whatever the Dukes motivation, he went to a great deal of trouble and expense to have these

automata created and maintained and it appears that this tradition continued on into the late

fifteenth century and beyond. It was this facility and its tradition of automata, famous

throughout Europe among the aristocracy, which Vicino must have experienced before, during

or after the siege of Hesdin. [73] As another authority on automata stated:

At the close of the thirteenth century a particularly famous set of such watery toy s was built for [the] Count of Artois [Including]

quite a large number of animated apes covered with real hair and sufficiently complicated to need frequent repair. This pleasure

garden in all its extravagant bad taste, became the talk of the civilised world and was probably the ancestor of those famous and

somewhat more decorous French and English fountains and waterworks of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

For Orsini, Hesdin was not the only potential source of information about technologies which

might animate androids, musical tableaux, water organs and other automata. Merriam

Sherwood states that Heros works were known in Europe as early as the mid-thirteenth century

along with European works by authors from Germany, and elsewhere, such as Jordanus on

staticks and mechanics. This reinforces earlier commentary and is generally supported with

various details in later authorities. The advantage at Hesdin, however, was that here Vicino

could see the effects and the enginery which caused them. He could absorb the technical

intricacies and understand their causation and effect, plus get an idea of complexity,

maintenance and cost. Even if waiting to be besieged, or after surrender, the hands-on and

eyes-on experience would be invaluable. It would also stimulate his imagination, especially

25

since by 1553 to 1555 he was already six years into development of his park. Added to which

was the fact that he did not have much to do as a parolee of aristocratic origin. Finally there may

well have been printed and manuscript materials available for him to study in the libraries at the

castle and in Namur, even works by Hero and others.

There were also other types of material available to make figurative sculptures apart from

stone, wood and painted textiles such as canvas. Stephen Wass has identified several with his

team at Pratolino and elsewhere. For example there was the modelled material which

constituted the Giant of the Apennines- a skeletal armature, covered with bronze mesh and

then covered with a matrix of a composite of ground stone and especially hard mortar. A broken

piece of a similar type was photographed at Villa Torrigiani di Camigliano:

(Fig: 41- Villa Torrigiani, entry to the Nymphaeum of the winds looking south with a close up of

the pipework and bronze wire mesh inside the decaying head of a hydra; June 2014, Wass)

Altogether, Vicino had a wide range of literature, models, comparators, prompts, skills and

materials from which to draw inspiration and practical examples in addition to the

multitudinous cultural and literary references which have been explored so fulsomely over the

26

past sixty years by the Bomarzo academic industry.

Bomarzo, water features and automata:

There is so much evidence of absence in Bomarzo at present that it is not practicable to

analyse all the photographs and likely points of installation in this article. Some additional,

unexplored photographs which appear to support this thesis will be included as an appendix

however. It is also the case that more data needs to be collected, and more detailed

measurements to be taken, along with the necessary surveying and mapping of the hydrological

systems. The following is therefore a survey of the more salient and obvious locations and

physical elements where Orsinis engineers and tradesmen created settings, with some initial

suggestions as to what cultural content these installations may have contained.

The first major installation we have already glimpsed in the illustration of pipe grooves cut in the

rock. Re-examined and rephotographed six years later in 2014, this installation appears to have

required two tile-roofed control stations/booths, and a cave, which fed three automata,

requiring a massive inward bound lead pipe feeding a multitude of quills into the settling

tanks/filters and thence the automata. See Plan 1, automata numbers 1, 2 ,3 and water control

booths number 1.

The following photographs show these installations progressively. They are set back in an angled

line starting about twelve metres to the east of the main entrance road converging, at the

second element, by the side of the road itself. This was the initial part of an

Arrival/decompression/reception progression created to flag up first impression messages to

visitors.

27

(Fig: 42- Road entrance to Sacro Bosco; June, 2014)

This is the current gateway entrance into the open approach areas of the Park. Almost certainly

it closely recreates what Orsini laid down as he developed the site. To the right, towering over

the scene is Bomarzo Town and the northern facade of Orsinis Palazzo. A large peperino rock

can be viewed further down the modern road- it is the second installation groups base rock. To

the right of the second tree can just be glimpsed a grey rock set back approximately twelve to

fifteen metres from the road. This is the edge of the facility shown in the next picture:

28

(Fig: 43- Photographed outside Sacro Bosco, June, 2014; Plan 1, water control booths, 1)

This classic water control facility has escaped all comment by scholars describing the Parks

elements, yet it is obvious to any visitor today. Although it may have been hidden by bushes or

small fruit trees in Vicinos time, the next photograph shows the installation whose automata

were fed by this combination of control booth and massive inbound pipeline. This feature plus

the horizontal shelf above, which permitted a pipe junction (one lying flat and passing to the

left/north and the other going vertically down the groove into the control station), illustrates a

sophisticated, high pressure system utilising lead pipes for large sub-trunk line. Another cavern,

large enough to accommodate pipe-work, valves and an operator, has been cut into the rock by

the side of the booth. Note the other smaller grooves coming down the face of the upper rock.

The purpose of these is unknown. To the north and west of this installation, a separate peperino

boulder closer to the road has been massively carved and gouged, creating two substantial

caverns. Note the wall constructed to the right/east of the boulders face and that the fascia

itself is flat with numerous smaller holes and scars which are not natural.

29

(Fig: 44-Sacro Bosco, east side of entrance road; June, 2014)

To the left/west of the flat fascia a large, squared off face has been cut, probably to permit a

major element to rest against it. The rectangular cave to the left with pipe hole beneath was a

pressure sedimentation unit/space. The right cavern held enginery. A cross-shaped scar above

was an anchor point for an iron element which held an automaton facade to the rock. Lead

pipes came over the top of this massive peperino boulder. The semi-circular cavern to the right

has two smaller caverns cut below which suggest they housed stone or metal feet to rest the

facade upon. To the right can just be made out a lower wall, above which is the set-back wall of

the third water control station. The whole facility is in direct line-of-sight to the largest cistern

(Plan 1, Main Tank, number 1) in the east south east quadrant described above. It can also be

seen from Orsinis Palazzo. This was a huge installation at the beginning of the Bosco

experience, requiring complex hydrological design and execution. It was expensive to create and

operate and it provided a spectacular first message. The next picture, with holes for fittings

perhaps seven metres above the lower caverns, suggests the automaton could have been

enormous and in several parts. Grooves indicate a number of pipes for high pressure water

sources. Some lead appears still to adhere to flat surfaces:

30

(Fig: 45- June 2014, carved/engineered peperino boulder at start of the Bosco experience)

31

What could the messaging have been? Any notion at this stage needs to be generic.

As suggested it is placed outside the walled Park itself, and it was therefore unlikely to have

been risky in religious or social terms. Orsini may have used the installation to impress visitors

with the cultural creativity of the park, and with his social status, suggesting deep historic roots

going back to ancient times and a standing now of superiority and excellence. Perhaps family

insignia- elements waving or moving- and an historic face moving/speaking above? The next

installation is by the side of the road:

(Fig: 46-Sacro Bosco ADROIT experience; June 2014; Plan 1, possible automaton 2)

The placement of the huge stone elements are as Orsini found them. They are too big to move

and their relative location was helpful in terms of cultural message and technical requirements.

This second installation has a large cavern with, at the front, a squared top and right edge

carved out of the rock. There are man-made holes on the right (western) side of the boulder and

the lower lip has been smoothed, possibly to accommodate a large pipe and fittings, to the

lower right. To the left is a concealment wall. Connection to the main system would have been

in below-ground ceramic pipes. It seems as if subsidiary lead quills came over the top, following

grooves, and down into the cavern. Intriguingly, there is a substantial pool of water lying at the

base of the cavern. Could some marginally active pipes be attached? Again, there is no question

32

that this intervention could be natural, yet no other author except one has commented on it.

This aspect is puzzling. Why have these major elements attracted almost zero comment? The

last major element, another altered boulder, is thirty metres further along the road:

(Fig: 47- June, 2014; Plan 1, possible automaton number 3, entrance road)

Looking back the previous installation (2) can be seen, as can Orsinis Palazzo, again in direct line

of sight. On-site and later photographic analysis shows that a wide, curving shelf has been

carved into this boulder stretching from the deep left (south west) side, around the front of the

peperino rock, then back to the south and east. Numerous small round holes have been cut into

the surrounding rock faces. There is a significant, yet smaller cavern cut into the rock

somewhere near the middle of the front part of the shelf. There appear to be a number of

grooves which could have supported small lead quills. Perhaps a large five to six metres long-

reclining figure (or figures)was placed on this uneven shelf which would lend itself to such a

form, leaning with its head on one elbow; or perhaps a sea serpent? Perhaps both? It may have

had less moving armature or features since the supply pipes and machinery cavern are

comparatively minimal. Perhaps only water gushed out of an aperture.

What cultural messaging can be suggested for this pair of features? If Installation 1 flagged up

family history and status, perhaps Installation 2 acted as a welcome to sundry visitors? If so,

33

what could that have been? Orsini was fond of inscriptions- all of the installations may have had

some kind of written message, in Italian or Latin- yet perhaps this element may have had an

alternating message allied to a major figure opening its arms in welcome, or waving a welcome?

The machinery cavern is a large cubic volume, down low at the base of the rock. Large enough

to have a sealed sedimentation tank with enginery on top, which might animate a herm,

somewhat like those found now repaired and located below the Leaning House in the Sacro

Bosco and in the exquisite upper garden at Caprarola. This could have been an evolution of the

wooden hermit figure from Hesdin mentioned previously. Or it could have been a figure like a

bear such as the sculpture from the Sacro Bosco below:

(Fig: 48- June, 2014- an ursino- little bear- with decorative arms and emblem of the Orsini)

The closest form to fit this situation is illustrated in Heros forty ninth example:

49. A Trumpet, in the hands of an Automaton, sounded by compressed Air

Here, a vertical figure holds a trumpet whose note is created by a person blowing air into a tube

which, with an ingenious two-way valve, causes the water to create a trumpet blast. Such a

figure would signal arrival. Orsini or his engineers would have known this automaton. [74] The

second form on automaton 3 was possibly a reclining figure, not unlike the figure of

Lasciviousness down near the lower area of Nymphaeum and Barcaccia, but less languorous and

suggestive. De Caus shows a reclining rustic figure [75] with a large flow of water from a jar on

which his left arm rests. His right arm could be made to move. Or possibly a culturally renowned

34

figure such as Diana, or an Etruscan style, single tailed Mermaid, a sea serpent or a tomb figure

or figures could have been selected.

(Fig: 49- source: https: www.museumsinflorence.com1000 632Search by image:

Etruscan polychrome sarcophagus of Letitia Saeianti. Found in Chiusi, from 3rd century BC) [76]

(Fig: 50- Etruscan statuette -VIIth century B.C.E? - From the necropolis of Strozzacapponi- Antiquarium of Corciano, Perugia, Italy)]

35

(Source:https://www.google.com/search?q=Etruscan+mermaid&client=gmail&rls=aso&tbm=isc

h&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Zf0oVJDYJs)

The shelf is large enough for a grouping of figures or a lengthy mermaid or serpent, in which the

mermaid tail moved, or the serpents head was capable of moving.

(Fig: 51-U of Penn Museum image: Source: Sarcophagus Object Number: MS3488A/ Etruscan

/Italy Gallery Italy/Civita Musarna/ Locus: near Viterbo/ Date Made: 299-200 bce/Materials:

Tufa/ Technique: Carved, Painted/Iconography: Sea Serpent, Man, Mirror?)

We do not know precisely what was exhibited but the caverns, grooves and rock shapes at least

permit a reasonable supposition to be made at this exploratory stage. We also know that this

was part of the general introduction to the Sacro Bosco and would have met the values of visit

type 1, mentioned previously: The respectable: pageant and public celebration of wit, comfort,

wealth and culture: impressing the cognoscenti and neighbours like Gambara and Madruzzo. In

concluding this section it might be worth suggesting that perhaps the first installation (Plan 1,

automaton 1) was simply an enormous family crest focused on Vicinos name, such as that seen

on the wall above the front gate to Bomarzo Town, with some kind of animated element- to a

height of seven metres or so:

36

(Fig: 52- Heraldic crest over entrance gate into Bomarzo town; June, 2014)

37

One thing is clear: the first two caverns of automaton I are not untouched Etruscan burial places

as suggested by Coty.

If that was their origin it is certain they were re-engineered.

After the guests on horseback, carriage or litter were deposited at the entrance set-down they

walked towards and down the shallow staircase between the fish pond- to the left (south) and

Naumachia (right/north) discussed above. Fish ponds were almost always part of the topos of

gardens in the Cinquecento and, combined with a Naumachia, a most respectable introduction

to Orsinis park.

The photograph of the fish-pond shown above illustrates a classic version of a rectangular

servatorium, or holding pond; the free-form lake would have served as a vivarium, or breeding

pond. The construction of both this pond and the Naumachia would have been similar.

On some days there may have been sufficient here for guests to enjoy a special Naumachia

presentation and a fine, alfresco meal under awnings on boats or on the shore with no call to

proceed into the Sacro Bosco itself. The steps down into the Naumachia indicate guests

sometimes went into barges or boats to become part of the spectacle, eat while boating on the

water or just to enjoy being afloat:

38

(Fig: 53- Steps down to Naumachia, Sacro Bosco; June, 2014)

For location of Fish Pond and Naumachia see Plan 1, water bodies 4 and 5.

At that time Naumachia were popular among the aristocracy and the cognoscenti. The most famous

later example was the flooding of the Pitti Palace in 1589 which marked the apogee of such lavish

displays. [77]

This followed a growing trend of which the Naumachia at the Boboli Gardens in Florence, in 1550, was a

prominent example. Orsini would definitely have known about this through word of mouth and

epistolary friends and, on a smaller scale but still at great expense and technical effort, he created a

venue for such performances:

39

(Fig: 54-North and east end of Naumachia; Sacro Bosco, June, 2014)

Naumachia, essentially a derivative from Roman extravaganzas, featured mock battles and famous naval

and mythological events from history. They became the vogue among wealthy and demonstrative

Cinquecento patrons who wished to entertain other members of their class- the great and the good. A

suite of storylines personalised to suit the occasion would have intrigued Orsini as a master story-teller

until, perhaps, his son died at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

The later, famous event inside the Pitti Palace celebrating the marriage of Grand Duke Ferdinand I of

Tuscany in 1589, while much larger and grander than anything Vicino could achieve, gives at least some

notion of the range of possibilities:

40

(Fig : 55- Source: Orazio Scarabelli | : Naumachia in the Courtyard of the Palazzo Pitti | Collection | The National

Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, collection.nmwa.go.jp )

Apparently this moving tableau showed eighteen galleys storming a Turkish fortress. [78].

Vicino was unlikely to choose many martial scenes- he had a strong distaste for war after his military

career- so he may well have gone for themes similar to the following:

Bayonne magnificence, 1565: Catherine de Medicis Festival. The drawing illustrates its main

component points: an attack on a whaleNeptune on a chariotsix tritons on the back of a marine

tortoiseArion on a dolphinand three sirenson the island shepherds and shepherdesses dance and,

41

in the middle distance stands a banqueting hall. [79]

(Fig; 56)

[Source:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Antoine_Caron,_Water_Festival_at_Ba

yonne,_drawing.jpg]

If, after this exegesis, it is suggested that Orsinis two rectangular enclosures were not for water

containment and aquatic enjoyment the following picture, where leaves frame a large inward water

pipe, suggests such criticism may be misplaced:

42

(Fig: 57- Water pipe into Naumachia, Sacro Bosco; June, 2014)This pipe probably emanated from the

pipe leading from water tank 3 and adjacent tank, Plan 1, noted above and the water would have been

reticulated onwards to the main trunk line intersection and junction box mentioned above- see Plan 1,

dotted lines. Construction of both the Naumachia and the fish pond would have required identical

structural technologies and materials. Generally, mediaeval aquaculture utilised similar procedures and

structures- often incorporated into the properties of religious orders throughout Europe: fish spawned

and grew in the vivarium, a large damned feature with extensive underwater natural feeding available;

and then there was the servatorium, or holding pond, where they were fed for as long as it took for

them to proceed to the kitchen. The vivarium was regularly drained so that fish could be sorted into

those which were ready for eating and those which were returned to the lake for further growing and

breeding, although nets were also used in a halfway drained situation. Most mediaeval practice followed

Roman design and operational precepts, which had traditionally passed on from generation to

generation in secular communities, while religious orders adopted these and helped maintain practice

and knowledge. [80]

In the Sacro Boscos case Orsinis decorative lake had at least two utilitarian purposes- water supply and

fish rearing. It was this, as well as the need to be able to drain it and clear out weed, snagging branches

and useful sediment (for gardening) which made sluice design so critical, along with the minimisation of

43

stagnancy, with its attendant mosquito risks. It is important to remember, for example, that Ninfa, the

mediaeval town which was deserted and became a modern garden, along with various Lazio lakes, were

notorious for the hordes of voracious and highly infectious mosquitos, plus there was the Cinquecento

fear of miasmatic infection by plague. As always, fish stocks ate the mosquito larvae and helped reduce

infestation while fattening up- a double benefit.

All this required a mastery of lake and servatorium design and construction.

It also required major work and expenditure- in the instance of Orsinis Bosco he had to have a dam

constructed, pipes laid, side walls of stone built to retain the high water, clay floor and special sealant

put in, and sluices constructed and emplaced; for the servatorium and Naumachia two substantial pits

had to be dug, pipes laid in and out, special clay floor and sealant laid down, side walls with clay and

sealant built and, most probably, a settlement tank which could be cleaned out easily located close by.

Fish excreta, flowing into fountain or bath, did not bode well for each with its specific purpose. This

structure, a settlement tank, would have to be between the two rectangular tanks and their next stage

of water use and requires detailed site investigation and analysis.

Servatoria were usually rectangular or square in shape and approximately no more than 1.75 metres

deep. Ideal size for a servatorium was approximately 10 metres by 15 metres- that at Vicinos entrance

area is larger, but not by so much. Both vivaria and servatoria needed the water bodies floor and sides

to be water tight using at least 35 cm of clay, mixed sometimes with crushed chalk, on the bottom,

pounded tightly, with an appropriate mixture of clay in layers of 15-20 cm a time, behind the stone walls

or turf, which came down into the water. Hundreds of tons of clay were needed for his lake and two

rectangular ponds. Sometimes slaked lime was spread over the surfaces between layers to stop worms

burrowing through and breaching the lining. Trees were not recommended nearby as their roots could

be extremely damaging. Sediment was a major curse if the water supply was from a normal creek or

river and not a spring through pipes.

Inspecting Orsinis remaining facilities and remnant dam and lake walls outside the Park one is struck by

the scale of works and the maintenance required to make it all function effectively.

It was a massive infrastructure.

Once again the puzzle remains as to why so much has been written about the sculptures inside, yet so

little has been written about this infrastructure and its remnants outside. Buildings for water control,

walls, gateways, settlement tanks, rock caverns, grooves, and massive cisterns have all escaped

attention even though they are littered over surrounding areas.

Italian expertise in garden conservation, archaeological exploration and appropriate restoration is world

class so, hopefully, the Sacro Bosco will soon receive serious consideration from these experts.

44

(Fig: 58-Remnant walls on western side of lake area now dry; June, 2014)

On days when Orsini decided not to have an event on the water, or to include that with a visit to the

more respectable parts of his garden- say to the Mask of Madness, followed by a visit to the faux

Etruscan tomb, the Hippodrome and the Temple- he would lead his guests over to what is now the main

entrance to the Sacro Bosco. Much debate has occurred about whether this was used as an entrance,

but common sense tells us the existing gateway with Cinquecento water control structure behind the

gate, and other elements on the way to this bridge [81], confirm it was used in this way during the

gardens heyday. Else why would Orsini go to the length of constructing the gateway at quite significant

expense? Even if there was no bridge there necessarily had to be an elegant way to reach this entrance

by the side of the lake. Brederkamp shows a decorative element in the middle of the lake which lies

between the Naumachia and the gateway, the Temple-Grab. He does not show a wooden bridge. He

also does not show the gateway and control structure. As the photograph demonstrates these are

Cinquecento in design and construction, just as the back gateway (in the western wall) is also. These

entrances are definitely not from the mid-twentieth century. Only archaeological investigation can

demonstrate this proposals accuracy; if Orsini had created liminal experiences, including a cultural

element, using a wooden bridge as the link with a feature half way would have made design sense. See

45

Plan 1, Lake.

46

(Fig: 59-Boulders on the way to the lake site- trench cut in middle, ledges to left; June, 2014).Elements

suggest that installations on the way to the bridge, while now remnant, definitely existed and are

perhaps more significant if seen as orientational signage and experiential automata. As the visitor walks

along the path up towards the earlier lakes east shore large peperino rocks lie to the left on the gentle

rise. For these three automata sites external to the Bosco walled area see Plan 2, Automata 1, 2 and

3.The first rock, now under tree canopy, has a significant cut or gap between the two parts and several

grooves on its surface which are human made, not natural. Later on there are more weathered grooves:

(Fig: 60-Grooves for pipework cut in peperino boulder on left of path to lake and gateway; June, 2014)

These are almost certainly weathered channels cut to carry lead quills to automata and water features

by the left side of the path, located on the boulders and originally in the open, leading towards the

gateway into the Sacro Bosco. In addition there are cut, weathered ledges on a peperino boulder before

the lake edge was reached:

47

48

(Fig: 61- Weather-worn peperino cut ledges, on boulder prior to lake edge; June, 2014)

Before investigating the gateway and control booth behind it is worth looking at more remnants which

are on the way to the dam wall. As Vicino led his more intimate guest(s) towards the lower area, down

stairs, past the Struggling Giants and Pegasus sculptures followed by the Nymphaeum and so on, on a

Type V or Type VI visit, he had them pass the pictured major carved boulder, which has a cut culvert

emerging between parts of the boulder from its back to the north west, a quill gouged line coming in

over its top and another exit line coming from its right- east- side also out backwards towards the lower,

northern area. A human-carved post hole, or foundation point, is close to the quill line:

(Fig: 62- Carved boulder, flat floor, quill line and post hole/foundation point; May 2006)

There can be no doubt this was a significant messaging point with major enginery. Much

physical work has gone into creating a solid receptacle for a large automaton, with no effort

expended to sculpt the base rock into anything but a utilitarian form whose function is clear.

The automaton would therefore have completely covered the front of the boulder to appear as

if freestanding. Orsini would not have paid for this demanding work without a solid reason-

almost certainly part of the story-telling. The shape of the receptacle carved in the stone

suggests it harboured a lead tank, possibly sealed.

49

In a generic sense, what may these two different automata locations have flagged up to visitors?

If the first, to the left of the path towards the bridge and gateway, was for Type I tours, it was

almost certainly virtuous and innocuous. It would probably have suggested ideas as part of the

orientation segment of ADROIT- preparing guests once again for the Orsini family story, the

Etruscan heritage of the site and the change from an external world of reality to one where

reality was redefined: strange, complex, unique. Its format may well have been another serpent

figure, given the nature of the rock form; a standing figure; and, perhaps, a seated figure.

(Fig: 63- Biscione - Italian Cinquecento serpent symbolism, www.redicecreations.com)

After them came the Temple-Grab and then guests arrived at the gateway, a liminal point.

There are several possible models for what these figures may have been in Hero and De Caus.

50

For example in the English, 1659 edition of de Caus, printed by Moxon in London, Problem XXIII

has a version of this illustration:

(Fig: 64- Plate XXIII- standing figure, sun-animated sound pipes, printed Moxon, London, 1659)

The description is [82]:

The Explanation of Plate XXIII. To make an admirable Engin, the which being placed at the front

of a Statue, shall send forth a Sound when the Sun shineth upon it, so as it shall seem that the

statue makes the said sound.

51

Of course we have no idea what figure may have been represented, but it would probably have held

specific meaning and made reference to Orsinis message within the context of the Park. It would

appear that the glass cistern can be placed in front, by the side or behind the figure to suit

circumstances including the best position to garner the suns rays- it is shown in different editions in

different positions.

The major unit on the way to the Lower Level experiences would necessarily either have had to be non-

alarming and innocuous since the site is visible from the main path, or to have been able to be hidden

from view until required. Heros seventeenth example would have perfectly dealt with this situation:

(Fig: 65)

The sound of a trumpet may be produced on the

opening of the doors of a temple...

[83]

Hero gives a complete description of how this automaton

may be animated through a relatively simple water-

powered mechanism. The picture within at Bomarzo may

have depicted some mildly amorous, unthreatening

tableau, such as maidens bathing or satyrs and nymphs

around a dulcet, tranquil pool. Mechanically animated

pictures were available in this period [84]

So along with the trumpet sound a moving tableau was possible.

It could well have had another picture on the doors or have displayed a

written message, or both.

The Virtuous Pathways:

If Orsini and his guests followed the main, virtuous pathway along a bridge, they then passed

the Temple-Grab/Tomb and arrived at the gateway. This is a moderately severe and sedate

castellated structure, with simple heraldic rose devices in each upper quarter, reminding visitors

of the Orsini familys claim to aristocratic and ancient lineage. The added archway insert at the

top of the gateway opening appears to be a different coat of arms- although it is much

weathered and hard to decipher. The stone castellations above the gateway seem the reverse of

the original shape of a bi-furcated door with a semi-Gothic upper part. If that is the case, and if

the insert is centuries old, then it may have been of the Farnese purchasers of the Park in the

seventeenth century. Only careful paint analysis will determine what is correct. With the Orsini

crest it is reported: as in the case of the arms of the ORSINI family in Rome, who bore: Bendy of six argent and gules, on a chief of the first supported by a divise or, a rose of the second (Banded' argent et de gueules, de six pieces, au chef d' argent charge

d'ujie rose de gueules et soutenu d'une divise d'or) [85]

52

(Fig: 66-Gateway, Cinquecento, restored c.1960s by Bettinis, note drainage pipe in wall behind; June, 2014)

53

From the other side there are two lookout slits in the wall:

54

(Fig: 67-Rear of entrance gateway, east side of Park, left slit views north to path to lower level;

June, 2014)

The right slit looks out to the main path, the left towards the lower level messaging automaton.

(Fig: 68-Water control building, now for electrical distribution, inner right of gateway; June

2014)

The main control of water flow and pressure to the outside automata and water features would

probably have originated from the initial control buildings by the side of the road in. With a

raised vantage point and possibly only smaller fruit trees as a screen from the road the

operatives could sweep the terrain covering the Naumachia, fish pond, introductory automata

and free-form lake, another sound reason not to have large trees growing in these areas. Once

inside the wall and Sacro Bosco itself, however, they could not ascertain the maestros progress

from one point alone. The entrance gateway could possibly even see the main Cistern and the

Palazzo in a direct line each- if the external tree cover was minimal.

Logically, then, there had to be a control structure just inside the gateway. It is indeed there, on

the left as you walk in, with a narrow slit to catch visitors movement as they entered. At that

moment the engineer would most probably have turned the entire north-east quadrant water

supply on, having primed the systems, tested them and cleaned or repaired malfunctioning

55

units. This is the sixth such structure, including one cavern, in the Parks environs. The only one

not shown or discussed in this article is the one, heavily reconstructed, behind the huge turtle

shape outside the western wall which Vicino developed later in life.

When this entrance gate facility was activated most others would be turned off to minimise

water usage and conserve resources. The left gateway slit would have allowed the operator to

view the automaton on the way to the Lower Level- possibly too far to be seen clearly from the

control point over two hundred metres away by the road- and to turn that on and off. The slit on

the right of the gateway gave them direct, visual, line-of-site to guests on the bridge or

causeway. The layout, explained thus, is logical and entirely functional permitting seamless

operation by Vicinos unseen engineers from yet another fixed point.

When inside the gate Orsini could turn left (south), right (north), or right and then head west in

the direction of the Temple via the faux Etruscan tomb remnant. In any of these directions the

party could avoid any unseemly or unduly indecorous sculptures and messages. As they walked

it is clear that Orsini had provided the option for harmonious water-powered organ sounds to

accompany them. We will come to the source of that synesthetic sound later on.

Taking the left hand path leads to the famous Mask of Madness along a level, gravelled track

approximately one hundred and twenty metres in distance. During the June, 2014 visit a

massive summer storm caused many milimetres of torrential rain to fall and in so doing,

revealed that the Mask may well have been fitted with quills to facilitate tears to fall from the

side of each eye. A possible source of this water appears to have come along a quill line cut into

the rock leading from the waterfall towards the Mask. If this was not the source, it is still the

case that this quill lines chased course exists. Once again, Orsini would not have paid for non-

functional stoneworking. The quill obviously supplied some water animated element.

Careful re-checking of the western stone abutment behind the tracks wall revealed another

possible quill line and there are vestigial remnants in softer rock which possibly suggest that

another water animated element was also placed to the west of the track.

It is likely that most of the distributive pipe work in this part of the park was comprised of lead

pipes or quills- the distances were substantial and the pressures high, while their location and

the limited number of water features militated against a major ceramic trunk line because of

cost and a lesser need for large water volume.

56

(Fig: 69-Quill line chased into stone leading from the waterfall towards the Mask of Madness;

June 2014)

If Orsini animated the Mask it is possible other major sculptures were animated as well, even

though they do not fit the regular description of fountains or automata.

Magnification of the following photograph to + 175% shows a chased quill line, or lines, clearly

descending from above the right (from viewers position) eye and coming down to the side of

the nose-bridge, and right side of the eye, at what would be the tear duct. A single quill would

have been split to provide water to the left eye. Or there may have been two quills. Closer

inspection is required.

57

58

(Fig: 70- Mask of Madness, water tracks down creases left and right, the former clearest; June 2014)

The rain track from that left eye can be seen more clearly as a dark line following a channel or crease in the face, showing this crease

may well have had that purpose.

At the base of the sculpture, in what would be the mouth, at the back of the cavern are unexplained stone block inserts.

These may have simply been repairs, or reinforcings, but they also require closer analysis. At the foot of the sculpture, in front of the

cavern, there appears to be a shallow pool- shown more clearly in Sheelers illustration [].

59

60

(Fig: 71- Faux Etruscan Tomb, south face, sea serpents, dolphins, merman, narwhal tusk; June

2014)

Back at the Gateway Orsini would lead his group towards the faux Etruscan Tomb which has

most of its southern natural face cut flat, with fragmentary decorative figures sculpted into the

rock and what might be a pipe line (shown more clearly in Sheelers photograph [87]). It also has

a mass of strange, untomb-like square cut holes on the north face.

(Fig: 72- North face of Etruscan Tomb rock, with about 15 cut holes and tank space; June 2014)

From the angle of these holes they appear to be facing out and up as if they were anchor points

for rectangular profiled timbers, holding up a facade or flat installation. Interestingly, the closest

four holes have curved lower surfaces, as if round lead pipes/pressure units sat there. Scrapes

and spectrographic/chemical tests may prove this correct. The lower right curve of the rock has

been carved in an arc; a square cut hole at its right end. Above that arc another has been

carved. No quill chasings would have been required if this facade hid beams and pipes, covering

the enginery and support structure. More investigation is required. A square depression has

been carved further along the rock perhaps for a lead cistern. It is no imaginative leap to suggest

the messaging may have shown Orsinis belief he was descended from Etruscan ancestors and his

61

Bosco was a site, surrounded by other sites, of Etruscan tombs.[88]. Following the path north Orsini would have arrived at the stairs

down to the Lower Level:

62

(Fig: 72- Stairs down to Bosco Lower Level, walkway above has views of Pegasus, and Fame on

Tortoise sculpture; June 2014)

What is significant about a staircase? Simply that it is not wide and would be easily gated to

prevent unauthorised access. Certain gaps in the stone of the side walls suggest this may have

been the case: holes to take bolts holding a frame and door with which to seal off entry. Further

investigation is required. More gates may have existed towards the northern end of the Lower

Level.

As Orsini progressed with his visitors along the upper walkway a wonderful view to the east

revealed the two major sculptures- Pegasus and Fame- which were also highlighted by water, as

we shall see. He could weave their myths into his customised storytelling. Next on his itinerary

north were the Winged Harpy, Lions and Fish-tailed Harpy sculptures in a group, then west

to the Hippodrome, the back of Hell Mouth, another Harpy, Cerberus and stairs up to the

Meta Sudans and the Temple. This would have completed one version of the virtuous itinerary.

The only questionable sculptures in terms of delicacy and decorum were, possibly, the Winged

Harpy group. We will return to this grouping later.

Commentators to date have generally suggested that approximately eight of the sculptures

were animated by water flowing, to various degrees: [89]:

Pegasus and Muses

Barcaccia/Boat Fountain/Bath

Grotto of Venus/Isis/ with fountain heads of Jupiter Ammon on each side

Exedra (directly below Plateau of Vases)/Theatre

Proteus/God of the Underworld (Pluto/Hades)/ Aiata (Etruscan, with Cerberus)

Unnamed (To the south and east of Proteus) - a wall face/bust spouting water into a small pool

Lasciviousness/Demeter

Meta Sudans

They certainly were plumbed for water supply and drainage. Even these eight water outlets

required a sophisticated supply and control structure since they are distributed widely across

the Park. Other elements such as the Mask of Madness, Fame and the Harpy Group, may have

had water flows. In addition to those there were others which may have had subtle water flows

such as Angelica, the deeply sensual sculpture round the corner from the Nymphaeum:

63

(Fig: 73- Rear view of Angelica; June, 2014)

This, at first sight, shows no sign of a water supply system, except perhaps the small cut ledge

on the back right support by the tree trunk. However, close by the sculpture, is a chased rock

feature which cannot be natural. It has a rectangular profile and sits behind the sculpture in a

way which clearly is not accidental, although exactly what it channelled is not known. If it carried

a water pipe- the most likely option- that water possibly flowed quietly down the folds of

Angelicas body and gown. Vicino believed in the mythical power of water and repeatedly

honoured its cultural significance. Gently flowing water could be seen as a deepening cultural

reference on a sculpture which was intentionally suggestive.

64

65

(Fig: 74-Carved channel to the rear of Angelica; June- 2014)

[END Part II 14,736 words including notes. Fifty Illustrations, Figures 24-74]

Acknowledgements:

The Milken Foundation, and Michael Milken of Santa Monica, California, encouraged the author to

research Italian gardens of the Renaissance in 1995-1996, as a background to developing plans for a

proposed Gardens of the Mind, part of the Museum of Creativity project. From the first visit to

Bomarzo in 1995 my passion grew for this over-written, but strangely under-researched site. Professor

Jay Rounds, team leader of the project, also encouraged this research as did the professional gardening

experts from Campbell and Campbell, a specialist team based in Santa Barbara, California. After a more

extended visit in May, 2006 and a brief visit in 2007 with Jess Taylor to analyse certain details, further

site research and extensive photography took place in June, 2014. Thereafter, contact was made with

Stephen Wass- and continued with Michael Abbott- whose joint assistance with reference materials,

planning, communication and research leading to a planned site investigation in September, 2015, is

much appreciated. Dr Nicolas and Mrs Joanna Barker were exceptionally helpful in 2006 both in assisting

with reference material, sharing their knowledge about Italian gardens and Italy, and in their gracious

hospitality. I would also like to thank Professor Emeritus Chris MacLeod for her help. Dr James

Bradburne has provided references and significant material assistance to the article and the project

planned for September, 2015. Dr Luke Morgan has also generously provided published and manuscript

references in recent times. Naturally, all omissions, inaccuracies and failings are my own. Part III will

follow soon.

Notes to Part II:

55) This text available, translated into English, at

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Frontinus/De_Aquis/text*.html The best shorter

treatment of Cinquecento town water supplies, especially Naples and Florence, based mainly on

excellent manuscript sources is: Ed. M G . Lee, K I. Helphand, Technology and the Garden; A Tchikine,

Lanima del giardino Water, Gardens, and Hydraulics in Sixteenth-Century Florence and Naples,

Dunbarton Oaks, Harvard (2014), pp 129-154, Chapter 7. Available at:

https://www.academia.edu/7043079/_Lanima_del_giardino_water_gardens_and_hydraulics_in_sixteen

th-century_Florence_and_Naples

56) Ibid, Frontinus/De_Aquis/text see headings, Book I, 24-36 for pipe sizes and calculations; and

38-63

66

57) Throughout the exhibition quoted above are references and illustrations of manuscript

information known to, and circulated among, contemporary Cinquecento engineers in Italy; available at:

Museum of the History of Science:

http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/genindice.asp?appl=LIR&indice=63&xsl=listagenerale&lingua=ENG&chiave=

100554

58) De Caus, Problem XIX, op cit, p.70, (Paris Edition, 1623)

59) See also: http://www.sewerhistory.org/grfx/components/pipe-wood1.htm:

Bored elm pipes Abbey Mills Pumping Station, England. The use of bored elm pipes underground with

quills of lead running off into the houses of the well-to-do seems to have begun in London as early as

the 13th century. All the old London water companies that appeared between the 16th and 18th

century used bored elm pipes for distributing water. Text from information display at the pumping

station. Source: Roger C. Cracknell, Bibby Transmissions, UK; with permission from Matthew Wood,

Wastewater Archivist, Thames Water, Reading, BerkshireDifferent timber species have different

degrees of natural durability and resistance to insect and fungal decay. Elm: durable in anaerobic

situations i.e. when totally submerged or buried beneath the topsoil. Oak: the British Standards

recognise the natural durability of some timbers and state that provided all the sapwood is removed,

the heartwood of naturally robust timbers such as oa