A capital of the Composite order

In Western architecture, the capital (from the Latin caput, 'head') forms the crowning member of the column, which projects on each side as it rises, in order to support the abacus and unite the square form of the latter with the circular shaft. The bulk of the capital may either be convex, as in the Doric order; concave, as in the bell of the Corinthian order; or scrolling out, as in the Ionic order. These form the three principal types on which all capitals are based. The Composite order (illustration, right) established in the 16th century on a hint from the Arch of Titus, adds Ionic volutes to Corinthian acanthus leaves. Architectural capital This image was retrieved from the Probert Encyclopaedia and may have been obtained from the public domain or it could have been released without the copyright holders permission. ... Architectural capital This image was retrieved from the Probert Encyclopaedia and may have been obtained from the public domain or it could have been released without the copyright holders permission. ... A capital of the Composite order The composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order with the leaves of the Corinthian order. ... // Scope and intentions According to the very earliest surviving work on the subject, Vitruvius De Architectura, good buildings should have Beauty (Venustas), Firmness (Firmitas) and Utility (Utilitas); architecture can be said to be a balance and coordination among these three elements, with none overpowering the others. ... Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... In architecture and structural engineering, a column is that part of a structure whose purpose is to transmit through compression the weight of the structure. ... In architecture, an abacus (from the Greek abax, a slab; or French abaque, tailloir) is a flat slab that sits upon the capital of a column, forming its uppermost member. ... A shaft can be an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect; his parting shot was `drop dead; she threw shafts of sarcasm; she takes a dig at me every chance she gets slang, meaning to receive unfair treatment a hole... The uncompleted Doric temple at Segesta, Sicily, has been waiting for finishing of its surfaces since 430 - 420 BC The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of Ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. ... The Corinthian order as used for the portico of the Pantheon, Rome provided a prominent model for Renaissance and later architects, through the medium of engravings. ... Architects first real look at the Greek Ionic order: Julien David LeRoy, Les ruines plus beaux des monuments de la Grèce Paris, 1758 (Plate XX) The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and... A capital of the Composite order The composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order with the leaves of the Corinthian order. ... Detail from the Arch of Titus showing spoils from the Sack of Jerusalem The Arch of Titus is a triumphal arch with a single arched opening, located on the Summa Sacra Via to the west of the Forum in Rome. ... Acanthus mollis flowering in the ruins of the Palatine Hill, Rome, May 2005 Acanthus (plural: acanthus, rarely acanthuses (English) or acanthi (Latin): In Botany, Acanthus is both a common name and a genus of flowering plant in the Family Acanthaceae. ...

From the prominent position it occupies in all monumental buildings, the capital has always been the favourite feature selected for ornamentation, and consequently it has become the clearest indicator of any style.

Ancient capitals

The two earliest Egyptian capitals of importance are those which are based on the lotus and papyrus plants respectively, and these, with the palm tree capital, were the chief types employed by the Egyptians, until under the Ptolemies in the 3rd to 1st centuries BCE, various other river plants were also employed, and the conventional lotus capital went through various modifications. Species About 50 species, including: Nymphaea alba - European White Water-lily Nymphaea amazonium Nymphaea ampla Nymphaea blanda Nymphaea caerulea - Egyptian Blue Water-lily Nymphaea calliantha Nymphaea candida Nymphaea capensis - Cape Blue Water-lily Nymphaea citrina Nymphaea colorata Nymphaea elegans Nymphaea fennica Nymphaea flavovirens Nymphaea gardneriana Nymphaea gigantea - Australian Water-lily... James ROCKS ...

Some kind of volute capital is shown in the Assyrian bas-reliefs, but no Assyrian capital has ever been found; the enriched bases exhibited in the British Museum were initially taken for capitals. Assyria in earliest historical times referred to a region on the Upper Tigris river, named for its original capital, the city of Ashur. ... The main entrance to the British Museum The British Museum in London is the United Kingdoms - and one of the worlds - largest and most important museums of human history and culture. ...

The Achaemenid Persian capital belongs to the third, bracketed class above mentioned; the brackets are carved with the lion or the griffin projecting right and left to support the architrave, and on their backs carrying other brackets at right angles to support the cross timbers. The profuse decoration underneath the bracket capital in the palace of Xerxes at Susa and elsewhere, serves no structural function, but gives some variety to the extenuated shaft. The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... The architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. ... Xerxes I (خشایارشاه), was a Persian king (reigned 485 - 465 BC) of the Achaemenid dynasty. ... Winged sphinx from the palace of Darius the Great at Susa. ...

The earliest Aegean capital is that shown in the frescoes at Knossus in Crete (1600 BCE); it was of the convex type, probably moulded in stucco. Capitals of the second, concave type, include the richly carved examples of the columns flanking the Tomb of Agamemnon in Mycenae (c. 1100 BCE): they are carved with a chevron device, and with a concave apophyge on which the buds of some flowers are sculpted. Knossos Knossos (alternative spellings Knossus, Cnossus, Gnossus, Greek Κνωσσός) is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete, probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan culture. ... The Lion Gate at Mycenae The Lion Gate (detail) Mycenae (ancient Greek: , IPA , in modern Greek: Μυκήνες ), is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. ... This page is about the pattern or symbol called a chevron. ... An apophyge is the section of a column between the shaft and the fillet. ...

Classical capitals

The Doric capital is the simplest of the five Classical orders: it consists of the abacus above an ovolo molding, with an astragal collar set below. In the Temple of Apollo, Syracuse (c. 700 BCE), the echinus moulding has become a more definite form: this in the Parthenon reaches its culmination, where the convexity is at the top and bottom with a delicate uniting curve. The sloping side of the echinus becomes flatter in the later examples, and in the Colosseum at Rome forms a quarter round. An abacus is a calculation tool, often constructed as a wooden frame with beads sliding on wires. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Species Mallotus apelta Mallotus barbatus Mallotus hookerianus Mallotus japonicus Mallotus paniculatus Mallotus peltatus Mallotus philippensis - Kamala tree Mallotus repandus etc. ... The Parthenon seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west The Parthenon (Greek: Παρθενών) is the most famous surviving building of Ancient Greece and one of the most famous buildings in the world. ... The Colosseum in Rome, Italy: an exterior view of the best-preserved section. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1...

• See the more complete discussion at Doric order.

Ionic capital, from the temple of Athena Polias, Priene, Ionia, in a 19th-century engraving

In the Ionic capital (illustration, left) spirally coiled volutes are inserted between the abacus and the ovolo. In the Ionic capitals of the archaic Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (560 BCE) the width of the abacus is twice that of its depth, consequently the earliest Ionic capital known was virtually a bracket capital. A century later, in the temple on the Ilissus, the abacus has become square. The uncompleted Doric temple at Segesta, Sicily, has been waiting for finishing of its surfaces since 430 - 420 BC The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of Ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. ... Ionic capital at priene, 19th century engraving The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Ionic capital at priene, 19th century engraving The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Architects first real look at the Greek Ionic order: Julien David LeRoy, Les ruines plus beaux des monuments de la Grèce Paris, 1758 (Plate XX) The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and... Athena from the east pediment of the Afea temple in Aegina After a sculpture of Athena at the Louvre. ... Priene (mod. ... Ionia (Greek Ιωνία; see also List of traditional Greek place names) was an ancient region of southwestern coastal Anatolia (now in Turkey) on the Aegean Sea. ... A volute is a spiral scroll-like ornament such as that used on an Ionic capital. ... The site of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in Turkey: Some stacked remnants recreate columns, but nothing remains of the original temple The Temple of Artemis (also Greek Artemision, and Latin Artemisium) was built around 550 BC at Ephesus (present day Turkey), and is listed in as one of... Ephesus (Greek: Έφεσσος) was one of the great cities of the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor, located in Lydia where the Cayster river flows into the Aegean Sea (in modern day Turkey). ...

• See the more complete discussion at Ionic order.

Corinthian capital, from Isaac Ware's edition of Andrea Palladio's Four books... (London 1738. Plate 70)

It has been suggested that the foliage of the Greek Corinthian capital was based on the Acanthus spinosus, that of the Roman on the Acanthus mollis. Not all architectural foliage is as realistic as Isaac Ware's (illustration, right) however. The leaves are generally carved in two ranks or bands, like one leafy cup set within another. One of the most beautiful Corinthian capitals is that from the Tholos of Epidaurus (400 BCE); it illustrates the transition between the earlier Greek capital, as at Bassae, and the Roman version that Renaissance and modern architects inherited and refined. Architects first real look at the Greek Ionic order: Julien David LeRoy, Les ruines plus beaux des monuments de la Grèce Paris, 1758 (Plate XX) The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and... Corinthian column capital File links The following pages link to this file: Post and lintel Solar heating Lintel Passage Tithe barn Stylobate Volute Palisade Folly Neolithic architecture Greek Revival Torana Built environment Structural design Viaduct R-value Shed Frontispiece Plinth Palazzo della Signoria Roman bridge Arch bridge Town square Refinery... Corinthian column capital File links The following pages link to this file: Post and lintel Solar heating Lintel Passage Tithe barn Stylobate Volute Palisade Folly Neolithic architecture Greek Revival Torana Built environment Structural design Viaduct R-value Shed Frontispiece Plinth Palazzo della Signoria Roman bridge Arch bridge Town square Refinery... Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio (November 30, 1508 - August 19, 1580), or Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, was an architect born in Padua, Italy. ... Panoramic view of the theater at Epidaurus Epidaurus (Epidauros) was a small city (polis) in ancient Greece at the Saronic Gulf. ... Bassae (also Latin) or Bassai, Vassai or Vasses (Greek, Modern: Βασσές, Ancient: Βασσαί) is an archaeological site in the southeastern end of the Ilia Prefecture that was once a part of Arcadia in ancient times. ...

• See the more complete discussion at Corinthian order.

In Roman architectural practice, capitals are briefly treated in their proper context among the detailing proper to each of the 'Orders', in the only complete architectural textbook to have survived from classical times, the Ten Books On Architecture, by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, better known just as Vitruvius, dedicated to the emperor Augustus. The various orders are discussed in Vitruvius' books iii and iv. Vitruvius describes Roman practice in a practical fashion. He gives some tales about the invention of each of the Orders, but he does not give a hard-and-fast set of canonical rules for the execution of capitals. The Corinthian order as used for the portico of the Pantheon, Rome provided a prominent model for Renaissance and later architects, through the medium of engravings. ... A refined canonic version of the Orders engraved for the Encyclopédie, vol. ... Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was a Roman writer, architect and engineer, active in the 1st century BC. He was the author of De Architectura, known today as The Ten Books of Architecture, a treatise in Latin on architecture, and perhaps the first work about this discipline. ...

Two further, specifically Roman orders of architecture have their characteristic capitals, the sturdy and primitive Tuscan capitals, typically used in military buildings, similar to Greek Doric, but with fewer small moldings in its profile, and the invented Composite capitals not even mentioned by Vitruvius, which combined Ionic volutes and Corinthian acanthus capitals, in an order that was otherwise quite similar in proportions to the Corinthian, itself an order that Romans employed much more often than Greeks.

The increasing adoption of Composite capitals signalled a trend towards freer, more inventive (and often coarser) capitals in Late Antiquity. Late Antiquity is a rough periodization (c. ...

Byzantine and Gothic capitals

Capital, Cuxa Cloister, The Cloisters, New York City

Byzantine capitals are of endless variety; the Roman composite capital would seem to have been the favourite type they followed at first: subsequently, the block of stone was left rough as it came from the quarry, and the sculptor, set to carve it, evolved new types of design to his own fancy, so that one rarely meets with many repetitions of the same design. One of the most remarkable is the capital in which the leaves are carved as if blown by the wind; the finest example being in Santa Sophia, Thessalonica; those in the Cathedral of Saint Mark, Venice specially attracted Ruskin's fancy. Others appear in St Apollinare-in-Classe, Ravenna. Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 932 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 932 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Cloisters as seen from the Hudson River The Cloisters is one of the museums of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. ... New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ... The White Tower The Arch of Galerius Map showing the Thessaloníki prefecture Thessaloníki (Θεσσαλονίκη) is the second-largest city of Greece and is the principal city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. ... Italian: Basilica di San Marco) is the most famous of the churches of Venice and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. ... Ruskin may be one of two places in the United States: Ruskin, Florida Ruskin, Nebraska John Ruskin was an English author, poet and artist, although more famous for his work as art critic and social critic. ... Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, population 134,631 (2001). ...

The capital in San Vitale, Ravenna shows above it the dosseret required to carry the arch, the springing of which was much wider than the abacus of the capital. A typical arch An arch is a curved structure capable of spanning a space while supporting significant weight (e. ...

The Romanesque and Gothic capitals throughout Europe present as much variety as in the Byzantine and for the same reason, that the artist evolved his conception of the design trom the block he was carving, but in these styles it goes further on account of the clustering of columns and piers. Romanesque St. ... See also Gothic art. ... A pier in Lillebælt, Denmark A pier was originally a raised walkway over water that is supported by piles or pillars, as opposed to a quay or wharf. ...

The earliest type of capital in Lombardy and Germany is that which is known as the cushion-cap, in which the lower portion of the cube block has been cut away to meet the circular shaft. These early types were generally painted at first with various geometrical designs, afterwards carved. Lombardy (in Italian Lombardia) is a region in northern Italy between the Alps and the Po Valley. ...

In Byzantine capitals, the eagle, the lion and the lamb are occasionally carved, but treated conventionally. In England and France, the figures introduced into the capitals are sometimes full of character. These capitals, however, are not equal to those of the Early English school,in which the foliage is conventionally treated as if it had been copied from metalwork, and is of infinite variety, being found in small village churches as well as in cathedrals.

Renaissance and post-Renaissance capitals

In the Renaissance period the feature became of the greatest importance and its variety almost as great as in the Byzantine and Gothic styles. The flat pilaster, which was employed so extensively in the Renaissance, called for a planar rendition of the capital, executed in high relief. This affected the designs of capitals. A traditional 15th century Early Renaissance variant of the Composite capital turns the volutes inwards above stiffened leaf carving. In new Renaissance combinations in capital designs, most of the ornament can be traced to Roman sources. By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance *French Renaissance *German Renaissance *English Renaissance The Renaissance (smells), also known as Il Rinascimento (in Italian), was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... In architecture, pilasters comprise slightly-projecting pseudo-columns built into or onto a wall, with capitals and bases. ...

The Renaissance was as much a reinterpretation as a revival of Classical norms. The volutes of Greek and Roman Ionic capitals lie in the same plane as the architrave above them. This may create an awkward transition at the corner, where, for example, the designer of the Temple of Athene Nike on the Acropolis, brought the outside volute of the end capitals forward at a 45-degree angle. The problem was more satisfactorily solved by the 16th century Renaissance architect Sebastiano Serlio, who angled outwards all the volutes of his Ionic capitals. Since then, the use of antique Ionic capitals, instead of the Serlian version, has tended to lend an archaic air to the entire context, as in Greek Revival. Sebastiano Serlio (Bologna 1475 – Fontainebleau ca 1554), the Italian Mannerist architect, was part of the Italian team building Fontainebleau. ... Personal residence of Catherine the Great Greek Revival was a style of classical architecture which became fashionable in Europe in the 18th century, and in the United Kingdom and United States in the early 19th century. ...

Within the bounds of decorum, a certain amount of inventive play has always been acceptable within the classical tradition. When Benjamin Latrobe redesigned the Senate Vestibule in the United States Capitol in 1807, he introduced six columns that he 'Americanized' with ears of corn (maize) substituting for the European acanthus leaves. As Latrobe reported to Thomas Jefferson in August 1809, Etiquette is the code that governs the expectations of social behavior, the conventional norm. ... Benjamin Henry Latrobe (May 1, 1764 - September 3, 1820) was an architect best known for his design of the United States Capitol. ... United States Capitol . The United States Capitol is the building which serves as home for the legislative branch of the United States government. ... Thomas Jefferson (April 13 (April 2 O.S.), 1743 – July 4, 1826) was the third (1801–1809) President of the United States, second (1797–1801) Vice President, first (1789–1785) United States Secretary of State, and an American statesman, ambassador to France, political philosopher, revolutionary, agriculturalist, horticulturist, land owner, architect...

"These capitals during the summer session obtained me more applause from members of Congress than all the works of magnitude or difficulty that surround them. They christened them the 'corncob capitals'."

Text formerly based on the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911. (This entry is begging for illustrations, perhaps engravings in the public domain.)