Acroterion

Examples of acroteria.
Daniel Chester French's acroterion Justice.
A modern acroterion, in the Art Deco style. Approximately 2m tall, removed.

An acroterion or acroterium or akroteria[1] is an architectural ornament placed on a flat base called the acroter or plinth, and mounted at the apex of the pediment of a building in the classical style. It may also be placed at the outer angles of the pediment; such acroteria are referred to as acroteria angularia (angulāria means ‘at the corners’).

The acroterion may take a wide variety of forms, such as a statue, tripod, disc, urn, palmette or some other sculpted feature. Acroteria are also found in Gothic architecture. They are sometimes incorporated into the design of furniture.[2]

The word comes from the Greek akrōtḗrion (ἀκρωτήριον ‘summit, extremity’), from the superlative form of the adjective akros (ἄκρος, ‘extreme, endmost’). It was Latinized by the Romans as acroterium.[3] Acroteria is the plural of both the original Greek[4] and the Latin form.[5]

According to Webb, during the Hellenistic period the winged victory or Nike figure was considered to be "the most appropriate motif for figured akoteria."[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ p. 26-27
  2. ↑ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/4232/acroterion
  3. ↑ "acroter". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ↑ Greek Architecture glossary Archived September 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Acroterium at A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 1875.
  6. ↑ Webb, Pamela A., Hellenistic Architectural Sculpture: Figural Motifs in Western Anatolia and the Aegean Islands, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison Wisconsin, 1996 p.26

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acroterion.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.