The acanthus (Ancient Greek: ἄκανθος) is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration in the architectural tradition emanating from Greece and Rome.[1]
In architecture, an ornament may be carved into stone or wood to resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species of the Acanthusgenus of plants, which have deeply cut leaves with some similarity to those of the thistle and poppy. Both Acanthus mollis and the still more deeply cut Acanthus spinosus have been claimed as the main model, and particular examples of the motif may be closer in form to one or the other species; the leaves of both are, in any case, rather variable in form. The motif is found in decoration in nearly every medium.
The relationship between acanthus ornament and the acanthus plant has been the subject of a long-standing controversy. Alois Riegl argued in his Stilfragen that acanthus ornament originated as a sculptural version of the palmette, and only later began to resemble Acanthus spinosus.[2]
Greek and Romanedit
In ancient Roman and ancient Greek architecture acanthus ornament appears extensively in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders, and applied to friezes, dentils and other decorated areas. The oldest known example of a Corinthian column is in the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae in Arcadia, c. 450–420 BC, but the order was used sparingly in Greece before the Roman period. The Romans elaborated the order with the ends of the leaves curled, and it was their favourite order for grand buildings, with their own invention of the Composite, which was first seen in the epoch of Augustus.[3] Acanthus decoration continued in popularity in Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic architecture. It saw a major revival in the Renaissance, and still is used today.
The Roman writer Vitruvius (c. 75 – c. 15 BC) related that the Corinthian order had been invented by Callimachus, a Greek architect and sculptor who was inspired by the sight of a votive basket that had been left on the grave of a young girl. A few of her toys were in it, and a square tile had been placed over the basket, to protect them from the weather. An acanthus plant had grown through the woven basket, mixing its spiny, deeply cut leaves with the weave of the basket.
Byzantineedit
Some of the most detailed and elaborate acanthus decoration occurs in important buildings of the Byzantine architectural tradition, where the leaves are undercut, drilled, and spread over a wide surface. Use of the motif continued in Medieval art, particularly in sculpture and wood carving and in friezes, although usually it is stylized and generalized, so that one doubts that the artists connected it with any plant in particular. After centuries without decorated capitals, they were revived enthusiastically in Romanesque architecture, often using foliage designs, including acanthus. Curling acanthus-type leaves occur frequently in the borders and ornamented initial letters of illuminated manuscripts, and are commonly found in combination with palmettes in woven silktextiles. In the Renaissance classical models were followed closely, and the acanthus becomes recognisable again in large-scale architectural examples. The term is often also found describing more stylized and abstracted foliage motifs, where the similarity to the species is weak.
Byzantine acanthuses on the cornice at the top of the Pilastri Acritani (Pillars of Acre), originally in the Church of St. Polyeuctus, later taken and now displayed in the Piazzetta di San Marco, Venice, unknown architect or sculptor, 524-527[6]
Brâncovenesc acanthuses of a railing of the Potlogi Palace, Potlogi, Romania, unknown architect or sculptor, 1698
Brâncovenesc acanthuses of a railing of the Horezu Monastery, Horezu, Romania, unknown architect or sculptor, 17th-18th centuries[10]
Baroque acanthuses on a commode, by André-Charles Boulle, c.1710–1720, walnut veneered with ebony, marquetry of engraved brass and tortoiseshell, and gilt-bronze mounts, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Neoclassical Medusa mascaron with acanthuses on a handle of the Mayeux Vase, by the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, 1878, hard-paste porcelain, gilded copper molding on the collar, and gilded bronze handles, Louvre
^Strong, D. E. (1960). "Some early examples of the composite capital". Journal of Roman Studies. 50: 119–128. doi:10.2307/298294. JSTOR 298294. S2CID 162473543.
Bresc-Bautier, Geneviève (2008). The Louvre, a Tale of a Palace. Musée du Louvre Éditions. ISBN978-2-7572-0177-0.
Celac, Mariana; Carabela, Octavian; Marcu-Lapadat, Marius (2017). Bucharest Architecture - an annotated guide. Order of Architects of Romania. ISBN978-973-0-23884-6.
Florea, Vasile (2016). Arta Românească de la Origini până în Prezent (in Romanian). Litera. ISBN978-606-33-1053-9.
Honour, Hugh; Fleming, John (2009). A World History of Art - Revised Seventh Edition. Laurence King Publishing. ISBN978-1-85669-584-8.
Lewis, Philippa; Darley, Gillian (1986). Dictionary of Ornament. New York: Pantheon. ISBN9780394509310.
Riegl, A (1992). Problems of style: foundations for a history of ornament. Translated by Kain, E. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN978-0-691-65658-8.
Robertson, Hutton (2022). The History of Art - From Prehistory to Presentday - A Global View. Thames & Hudson. ISBN978-0-500-02236-8.
Watkin, David (2022). A History of Western Architecture. Laurence King. ISBN978-1-52942-030-2.
Media related to Acanthus ornaments at Wikimedia Commons
February 16, 2024
acanthus, ornament, acanthus, ancient, greek, ἄκανθος, most, common, plant, forms, make, foliage, ornament, decoration, architectural, tradition, emanating, from, greece, rome, composite, capital, with, acanthus, leaves, contents, architecture, greek, roman, b. The acanthus Ancient Greek ἄkan8os is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration in the architectural tradition emanating from Greece and Rome 1 Composite capital with acanthus leaves Contents 1 Architecture 1 1 Greek and Roman 1 2 Byzantine 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksArchitecture edit nbsp Timeline of acanthus styles a Greek b Roman c Byzantine d Romanesque e amp f Gothic g Renaissance h amp i Baroque j amp k Rococo nbsp Acanthus mollis leaf in both this and A spinosus the leaf forms are rather variableIn architecture an ornament may be carved into stone or wood to resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species of the Acanthus genus of plants which have deeply cut leaves with some similarity to those of the thistle and poppy Both Acanthus mollis and the still more deeply cut Acanthus spinosus have been claimed as the main model and particular examples of the motif may be closer in form to one or the other species the leaves of both are in any case rather variable in form The motif is found in decoration in nearly every medium The relationship between acanthus ornament and the acanthus plant has been the subject of a long standing controversy Alois Riegl argued in his Stilfragen that acanthus ornament originated as a sculptural version of the palmette and only later began to resemble Acanthus spinosus 2 Greek and Roman edit In ancient Roman and ancient Greek architecture acanthus ornament appears extensively in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders and applied to friezes dentils and other decorated areas The oldest known example of a Corinthian column is in the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae in Arcadia c 450 420 BC but the order was used sparingly in Greece before the Roman period The Romans elaborated the order with the ends of the leaves curled and it was their favourite order for grand buildings with their own invention of the Composite which was first seen in the epoch of Augustus 3 Acanthus decoration continued in popularity in Byzantine Romanesque and Gothic architecture It saw a major revival in the Renaissance and still is used today The Roman writer Vitruvius c 75 c 15 BC related that the Corinthian order had been invented by Callimachus a Greek architect and sculptor who was inspired by the sight of a votive basket that had been left on the grave of a young girl A few of her toys were in it and a square tile had been placed over the basket to protect them from the weather An acanthus plant had grown through the woven basket mixing its spiny deeply cut leaves with the weave of the basket Byzantine edit Some of the most detailed and elaborate acanthus decoration occurs in important buildings of the Byzantine architectural tradition where the leaves are undercut drilled and spread over a wide surface Use of the motif continued in Medieval art particularly in sculpture and wood carving and in friezes although usually it is stylized and generalized so that one doubts that the artists connected it with any plant in particular After centuries without decorated capitals they were revived enthusiastically in Romanesque architecture often using foliage designs including acanthus Curling acanthus type leaves occur frequently in the borders and ornamented initial letters of illuminated manuscripts and are commonly found in combination with palmettes in woven silk textiles In the Renaissance classical models were followed closely and the acanthus becomes recognisable again in large scale architectural examples The term is often also found describing more stylized and abstracted foliage motifs where the similarity to the species is weak Gallery edit nbsp Reconstructed Corinthian capital with original colours nbsp Ancient Greek Corinthian capital from the tholos at Epidaurus Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus Greece said to have been designed by Polyclitus the Younger c 350 BC 4 nbsp Roman acanthuses in an arabesque on the Ara Pacis Rome unknown architect and sculptors 13 9 BC 5 nbsp Roman acanthuses of the Temple of Hadrianus Ephesus Turkey unknown architect or sculptor 117 118 AD nbsp Byzantine quasi Corinthian in Basilica of Sant Apollinare Nuovo Ravenna Italy unknown architect or sculptor 6th century nbsp Byzantine acanthuses on the cornice at the top of the Pilastri Acritani Pillars of Acre originally in the Church of St Polyeuctus later taken and now displayed in the Piazzetta di San Marco Venice unknown architect or sculptor 524 527 6 nbsp Islamic capital with acanthuses 10th century marble Cincinnati Art Museum US nbsp Romanesque quasi Corinthian capital Church of St Philibert Tournus France c 1008 to mid 11th century 7 nbsp Gothic acanthus on a corbel of the Vienne Cathedral Vienne France unknown architect or sculptor c 1130 1529 nbsp Renaissance acanthuses on the fabric worn by king Edward IV portrait painted by Lucas Horenbout c 1470 1475 nbsp Gothic acanthuses on the Hotel de Cluny Paris unknown architect or sculptor 1485 1510 8 nbsp Baroque garden vase with acanthuses by Claude Ballin 1665 bronze Gardens of Versailles nbsp Baroque acanthuses of a monogram of Louis XIV on the entrance door of the Dome des Invalides Paris by Jules Hardouin Mansart 1677 1706 9 nbsp Brancovenesc acanthuses of a railing of the Potlogi Palace Potlogi Romania unknown architect or sculptor 1698 nbsp Brancovenesc acanthuses of a railing of the Horezu Monastery Horezu Romania unknown architect or sculptor 17th 18th centuries 10 nbsp Baroque acanthuses on a commode by Andre Charles Boulle c 1710 1720 walnut veneered with ebony marquetry of engraved brass and tortoiseshell and gilt bronze mounts Metropolitan Museum of Art nbsp Baroque mascaron with acanthuses in the Salon d Hercule 1724 1736 designed by Robert de Cotte Jacques Gabriel nbsp Rococo acanthuses by Alexis Peyrotte 1740 Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum New York nbsp Rococo acanthus by Alexis Peyrotte 1740 Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum New York nbsp Rococo acanthuses on a wall of the oval salon of the Princesse in Hotel de Soubise Paris by Germain Boffrand 1740 11 nbsp Neoclassical acanthuses of a staircase railing in the Petit Trianon Versailles France by Ange Jacques Gabriel 1764 12 nbsp Neoclassical acanthuses on a vase by the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory 1814 hard paste porcelain with platinum background and gilt bronze mounts Louvre 13 nbsp Neoclassical acanthuses on the ceiling of the Salon des Sept cheminees Louvre Palace Paris by Francisque Duret 1851 14 nbsp Beaux Arts acanthuses on the base of a column in the Grand Foyer of the Palais Garnier Paris designed by Charles Garnier 1860 1875 15 nbsp Greek Revival Corinthian pilasters on the Austrian Parliament Building Vienna by Theophil von Hansen 1873 1883 16 nbsp Neoclassical Medusa mascaron with acanthuses on a handle of the Mayeux Vase by the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory 1878 hard paste porcelain gilded copper molding on the collar and gilded bronze handles Louvre nbsp Neoclassical terracotta and enamel acanthuses of the door of the fine art hall of the Exposition Universelle of 1878 Paris by Paul Sedille 1878 nbsp Romanian Revival acanthuses on a stained glass window of the Kiseleff Roadside Buffet ro Șoseaua Kiseleff no 4 Bucharest Romania by Ion Mincu 1889 1892 17 nbsp Romanian Revival glazed ceramic acanthus in the courtyard of the Central Girls School Strada Icoanei no 3 5 Bucharest by Ion Mincu 1890 18 nbsp Beaux Arts ceiling stucco fragment from Strada Plantelor no 4 Bucharest Romania unknown architect 1891 nbsp Romanian Revival acanthuses on the Gheorghieff Brothers Tomb Bellu Cemetery Bucharest by Ion Mincu c 1900 nbsp Art Nouveau corbels with Byzantine Revival acanthuses on the portico monumental Jules Felix Coutan in the Felix Desruelles Square Paris by Jules Coutan and the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory 1900 nbsp Beaux Arts acanthuses on the Petit Palais Paris by Charles Giraud 1900 19 nbsp Romanian Revival acanthuses of fish in a relief of Strada Louis Pasteur no 24 Bucharest unknown architect c 1930 nbsp Romanian Revival capital with acanthuses of Strada Carol Davila no 12 Bucharest unknown architect c 1930 nbsp Postmodern neon Corinthian capital in South Bay Galleria Redondo Beach California US by RTKL Associates and Theo Kondos Associates 1985See also editArabesque European art PalmetteNotes edit Lewis amp Darley 1986 p 20 Riegl 1992 pp 187 206 Strong D E 1960 Some early examples of the composite capital Journal of Roman Studies 50 119 128 doi 10 2307 298294 JSTOR 298294 S2CID 162473543 Honour amp Fleming 2009 p 147 Robertson 2022 p 323 Eastmond Anthony 2013 The Glory of Byzantium and early Christendom Phaidon p 81 ISBN 978 0 7148 4810 5 Watkin 2022 p 123 Ancien hotel de Cluny et Palais des Thermes actuellement Musee National du Moyen Age pop culture gouv fr Retrieved 1 October 2023 Bailey 2012 pp 238 Florea 2016 p 243 Jones 2014 p 241 Jones 2014 p 273 PAIRE DE VASES FUSEAU amisdulouvre fr Retrieved 10 May 2023 Bresc Bautier 2008 p 122 Jones 2014 p 296 Watkin 2022 p 490 Celac Carabela amp Marcu Lapadat 2017 p 153 Celac Carabela amp Marcu Lapadat 2017 p 123 Jones 2014 p 294 References editBailey Gauvin Alexander 2012 Baroque amp Rococo Phaidon ISBN 978 0 7148 5742 8 Bresc Bautier Genevieve 2008 The Louvre a Tale of a Palace Musee du Louvre Editions ISBN 978 2 7572 0177 0 Celac Mariana Carabela Octavian Marcu Lapadat Marius 2017 Bucharest Architecture an annotated guide Order of Architects of Romania ISBN 978 973 0 23884 6 Florea Vasile 2016 Arta Romanească de la Origini pană in Prezent in Romanian Litera ISBN 978 606 33 1053 9 Honour Hugh Fleming John 2009 A World History of Art Revised Seventh Edition Laurence King Publishing ISBN 978 1 85669 584 8 Jones Denna ed 2014 Architecture The Whole Story Thames amp Hudson ISBN 978 0 500 29148 1 Lewis Philippa Darley Gillian 1986 Dictionary of Ornament New York Pantheon ISBN 9780394509310 Riegl A 1992 Problems of style foundations for a history of ornament Translated by Kain E Princeton New Jersey Princeton University Press ISBN 978 0 691 65658 8 Robertson Hutton 2022 The History of Art From Prehistory to Presentday A Global View Thames amp Hudson ISBN 978 0 500 02236 8 Watkin David 2022 A History of Western Architecture Laurence King ISBN 978 1 52942 030 2 Further reading editHopkins Owen 2014 Architectural Styles A Visual Guide Laurence King ISBN 978 178067 163 5 External links edit nbsp Media related to Acanthus ornaments at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Acanthus ornament amp oldid 1197247736, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
