Nappe d'eau

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Nappe d'eau in the garden of the castle of Marly (1699)
Modern nappe d'eau as a water staircase ( Landtag building North Rhine-Westphalia , Düsseldorf)

A nappe d'eau (French for "tablecloth made of water") is a uniform surface of water in architecture and garden art that overflows an edge without tearing off.

The nappe d'eau is a water artistic design element. In contrast to the cascade or the fountain , the water flow is even and with a low drop height. The water must not splash, bubble or cause a loud noise, it should be clean and odorless. Only a precisely shaped edge guarantees smooth flow.

In addition to the simple nappe d'eau, which looks like a blanket covering the edge of a table with smooth folds, there are two other shapes. The water can be led over several steps in the form of a water staircase , the steps can also be concave or convex . With the help of a short riser pipe, a nappe d'eau can also be given the shape of an overflowing funnel under pressure, and the water then flows off smoothly in the shape of a bell.

A smooth surface of water without water movement that reproduces the mirror image of a building is called a mirror pond .

literature

  • Michel Conan: Dictionnaire historique de l'art des jardins. Hazan, Paris 1997. ISBN 2-85025-543-2 , p. 158 and plate 20.