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Acanthus (ornament)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ornamental motif

Theacanthus (Ancient Greek:ἄκανθος) is one of the most common plant forms used to make foliage ornament and decoration in the architectural tradition emanating from Greece and Rome.^[1]

Architecture

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Timeline of acanthus styles:a)Greek;b)Roman;c)Byzantine;d)Romanesque;**e & f**)Gothic;g)Renaissance;**h & i**)Baroque;**j & k**)Rococo

*Acanthus mollis* leaf; in both this andA. spinosus the leaf forms are rather variable

In architecture, anornament may be carved into stone or wood to resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species of theAcanthusgenus of plants, which have deeply cut leaves with some similarity to those of thethistle andpoppy. BothAcanthus mollis and the still more deeply cutAcanthus 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 hisStilfragen that acanthus ornament originated as a sculptural version of thepalmette, and only later began to resembleAcanthus spinosus.^[2]

Greek and Roman

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In ancient Roman andancient Greek architecture acanthus ornament appears extensively in thecapitals of theCorinthian andComposite orders, and applied tofriezes,dentils and other decorated areas. The oldest known example of a Corinthian column is in the Temple of Apollo Epicurius atBassae in Arcadia, c. 450–420 BC, but the order was used sparingly in Greece before theRoman 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 ofAugustus.^[3] Acanthus decoration continued in popularity inByzantine,Romanesque, andGothic architecture. It saw a major revival in the Renaissance, and still is used today.

The Roman writerVitruvius (c. 75 – c. 15 BC) related that the Corinthian order had been invented byCallimachus, 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. Anacanthus plant had grown through the woven basket, mixing its spiny, deeply cut leaves with the weave of the basket.

Byzantine

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Some of the most detailed and elaborate acanthus decoration occurs in important buildings of theByzantine architectural tradition, where the leaves are undercut, drilled, and spread over a wide surface. Use of the motif continued inMedieval 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 inRomanesque architecture, often using foliage designs, including acanthus. Curling acanthus-type leaves occur frequently in the borders and ornamented initial letters ofilluminated manuscripts, and are commonly found in combination with palmettes in wovensilk textiles. In theRenaissance 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

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Acanthuses, one natural and the rest manmade, on aCorinthian capital
Reconstructed Corinthian capital, with originalcolours
Ancient Greek Corinthian capital from thetholos atEpidaurus,Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus, Greece, said to have been designed byPolyclitus the Younger,c.350 BC [4]
Roman acanthuses in anarabesque on theAra Pacis, Rome, unknown architect and sculptors, 13-9 BC^[5]
Roman acanthuses that replace the legs of a figure of a man that is attacked by a panther, Sala della Sfinge,Domus Aurea, Rome, unknown painter, 65-68 AD
Roman acanthuses of the Temple of Hadrianus,Ephesus,Turkey, unknown architect or sculptor, 117-118
Byzantine quasi-Corinthian capital of theColumn of Leo, formerly in the Forum of Leo,Constantinople, now in a courtyard of theTopkapı Palace, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey, unknown architect or sculptor, 457-474
Byzantine acanthuses on thecornice at the top of the Pilastri Acritani (Pillars of Acre), originally in theChurch of St. Polyeuctus, later taken and now displayed in the Piazzetta di San Marco,Venice, unknown architect or sculptor, 524-527^[6]
Byzantine quasi-Corinthian capital in theBasilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo,Ravenna, Italy, unknown architect or sculptor, 6th century
Islamic capital with acanthuses, 10th century, marble,Cincinnati Art Museum, US
Romanesque quasi-Corinthian capital of theChurch of St. Philibert,Tournus, France, unknown architect or sculptor,c.1008 to mid-11th century [7]
Romanesque quasi-Corinthian capital of theChapelle Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth d'Entrechaux,Entrechaux, France, unknown architect or sculptor, 12th century
Gothic acanthus on a corbel of theVienne Cathedral,Vienne, France, unknown architect or sculptor,c.1130-1529
Gothic acanthuses on a page of the Codex Salemitanus IX c, 15th century, tempera colors, gold paint, gold leaf, and ink on parchment,Heidelberg University Library,Heidelberg, Germany
Renaissance acanthuses on the fabric worn by kingEdward IV, portrait painted byLucas Horenbout,c.1470-1475
Gothic acanthuses on theHôtel de Cluny, Paris, unknown architect or sculptor, 1485-1510^[8]
Baroque garden vase with acanthuses, byClaude Ballin, 1665, bronze,Gardens of Versailles
Baroque acanthuses of a monogram ofLouis XIV on the entrance door of theDôme des Invalides, Paris, byJules Hardouin-Mansart, 1677–1706^[9]
Brâncovenesc acanthuses of a railing of thePotlogi Palace,Potlogi,Romania, unknown architect or sculptor, 1698
Brâncovenesc acanthuses of a railing of theHorezu Monastery,Horezu, Romania, unknown architect or sculptor, 17th-18th centuries^[10]
Baroque acanthuses on a commode, byAndré-Charles Boulle,c.1710–1720, walnut veneered with ebony, marquetry of engraved brass and tortoiseshell, and gilt-bronze mounts, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Baroquemascaron with acanthuses in theSalon d'Hercule, 1724–1736, designed byRobert de Cotte,Jacques Gabriel
Rococo acanthuses, byAlexis Peyrotte, 1740,Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York
Rococo acanthus, by Alexis Peyrotte, 1740, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York
Rococo acanthuses on a wall of the oval salon of the Princesse inHôtel de Soubise, Paris, byGermain Boffrand, 1740^[11]
Rococo acanthuses of a staircase railing in thePetit Trianon,Versailles, France, by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, 1764^[12]
Neoclassical acanthuses on a vase, by theSèvres Porcelain Manufactory, 1814, hard-paste porcelain with platinum background and gilt bronze mounts,Louvre^[13]
Neoclassical acanthuses on the ceiling of the Salon des Sept cheminées,Louvre Palace, Paris, byFrancisque Duret, 1851^[14]
Beaux Arts acanthuses on the base of a column in the Grand Foyer of thePalais Garnier, Paris, designed byCharles Garnier, 1860–1875^[15]
Greek Revival Corinthian pilasters on theAustrian Parliament Building,Vienna, byTheophil von Hansen, 1873–1883^[16]
NeoclassicalMedusa 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
Neoclassical terracotta and enamel acanthuses of the door of the fine art hall of theExposition Universelle of 1878, Paris, byPaul Sedille, 1878
Romanian Revival acanthuses on a stained-glass window of theKiseleff Roadside Buffet [ro] (Șoseaua Kiseleff no. 4),Bucharest,Romania, byIon Mincu, 1889-1892^[17]
Romanian Revival glazed ceramic acanthus in the courtyard of theCentral Girls' School (Strada Icoanei no. 3-5), Bucharest, byIon Mincu, 1890^[18]
Beaux Arts ceilingstucco fragment from Strada Plantelor no. 4,Bucharest,Romania, unknown architect, 1891
Romanian Revival acanthuses on the Gheorghieff Brothers Tomb,Bellu Cemetery, Bucharest, byIon Mincu,c.1900
Art Nouveau andGothic Revival acanthus designed as a bronze element of a stained glass window ofBijouterie Fouquet in Paris, byAlphonse Mucha,c.1900, charcoal drawing,Musée Carnavalet, Paris
Art Nouveau corbels withByzantine Revival acanthuses on the portico monumental Jules-Félix Coutan in theFélix-Desruelles Square, Paris, byJules Coutan and theSèvres Porcelain Manufactory, 1900
Beaux Arts acanthuses on thePetit Palais, Paris, byCharles Giraud, 1900^[19]
Art Deco acanthus inStrada Jules Michelet no. 15-17, Bucharest, byVictor Ștefănescu,c.1920
Romanian Revival acanthuses of fish in a relief of Strada Louis Pasteur no. 24, Bucharest, unknown architect,c.1930
Romanian Revival capital with acanthuses of Strada Carol Davila no. 12, Bucharest, unknown architect,c.1930
Postmodern neon Corinthian capital inSouth Bay Galleria,Redondo Beach, California, US, byRTKL Associates andTheo Kondos Associates, 1985
Postmodern acanthus leave on the leg of a table with different legs, unknown designer,c.2010, painted wood, Cărturești Verona (Strada Arthur Verona no. 15), Bucharest

Notes

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^Lewis & 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 & 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 hôtel de Cluny et Palais des Thermes, actuellement Musée National du Moyen Âge".pop.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved1 October 2023.
^Bailey 2012, pp. 238.
^Florea 2016, p. 243.
^Jones 2014, p. 241.
^Jones 2014, p. 273.
^"PAIRE DE VASES « FUSEAU »".amisdulouvre.fr. Retrieved10 May 2023.
^Bresc-Bautier 2008, p. 122.
^Jones 2014, p. 296.
^Watkin 2022, p. 490.
^Celac, Carabela & Marcu-Lapadat 2017, p. 153.
^Celac, Carabela & Marcu-Lapadat 2017, p. 123.
^Jones 2014, p. 294.

References

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Bailey, Gauvin Alexander (2012).Baroque & Rococo. Phaidon.ISBN 978-0-7148-5742-8.
Bresc-Bautier, Geneviève (2008).The Louvre, a Tale of a Palace. Musée du Louvre Éditions.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 Românească de la Origini până în 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 & 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 & Hudson.ISBN 978-0-500-02236-8.
Watkin, David (2022).A History of Western Architecture. Laurence King.ISBN 978-1-52942-030-2.

External links

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Media related toAcanthus ornaments at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Ornaments
Acanthus Antefix Arabesque Ball flower Bead and reel Blackamoor Branchwork Bucranium Buta Cartouche Christmas Cornucopia Dentil Dog-tooth Egg-and-dart Festoon Foil Gadrooning Garden/Lawn Garland bearers Girih Green Man Grotesque Guilloché Gul Hex sign Hilarri Hood Interlace Lintel Margent Mascaron Meander Medallion Millefleur Molding Moresque Palmette Plant Bulbous Grass Peak Puer mingens Putto Rais-de-cœur Rinceau Rosette Scroll Spur Strapwork Trophy of arms Volute (Vitruvian scroll) Zellige