An acroterion, acroterium, or akroteria[1] is an architectural ornament placed on a flat pedestal called the acroter or plinth, and mounted at the apex or corner of the pediment of a building in the classical style.[2] An acroterion placed at the outer angles of the pediment is an acroterion angularium (angulārium 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.[3] They are sometimes incorporated into furniture designs.[4]
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Etymology
The word comes from the Greek akrōtḗrion (ἀκρωτήριον 'summit, extremity'), from the comparative form of the adjective akros (ἄκρος, 'extreme, endmost'). It was Latinized by the Romans as acroterium.[5] Acroteria is the plural of both the original Greek[6] and the Latin form.[7]
According to Webb, during the Hellenistic period the winged victory or Nike figure was considered to be "the most appropriate motif for figured akroteria.”[1]
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Ancient Greek acroterion as Nike, by Paionios, 421 BC, marble, Archaeological Museum of Olympia, Olympia, Greece -
Ancient Greek acroterion of a Nereid on horseback, c.380 BC, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Athens -
Ancient Greek akroterion, 350–325 BC, marble, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York -
Akroterion of the grave monument of Timotheos and Nikon, 350–325 BC, marble, Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Ancient Greek acroteria from a temple of Artemis, 330-300 BC, marble, Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus, Epidaurus, Greece, -
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Romanesque acroterion of the Église Saints-Pierre-et-Paul de Rosheim , Rosheim, France, unknown sculptor or architect, c.1150 -
![Renaissance acroteria of the Villa La Rotonda, outside Vicenza, Italy, designed by Andrea Palladio, 1566-1590s[8]](/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/06-Villa-Rotonda-Palladio.jpg/383px-06-Villa-Rotonda-Palladio.jpg)
Renaissance acroteria of the Villa La Rotonda, outside Vicenza, Italy, designed by Andrea Palladio, 1566-1590s[8] -
Neoclassical acroteria with mascarons on the Grave of Lupin-Roux family, Loyasse Cemetery, Lyon, sculpted by Pierre-Marie Prost, c.1830 -
Neoclassical acroteria of a window of the Großer Blumenberg, Leipzig, Germany, designed by Albert Geutebrück mid-19th century -
Neoclassical pediment with acroteria of the Grave of Alexandrina Grejdanescu and Barbu Grejdanescu, Bellu Cemetery, Bucharest, Romania, unknown architect or sculptor, c.1871 -
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Japanese acroterion, illustrations by Abel Guérineau, 1887 -
Beaux Arts acroterion of the Collège Franklin (Boulevard Louis-XIV no. 5), Lille, France, unknown architect or sculptor, c.1900 -
Beaux Arts acroterion above a window of Strada Grigore Cobălcescu no. 14, Bucharest, unknown architect or sculptor, c.1900 -
Beaux Arts acroterion above a window of Strada Bocșa no. 2, Bucharest, unknown architect or sculptor, c.1900 -
![Art Nouveau acroterion of a stove in the Mița the Cyclist House (Strada Biserica Amzei no. 9), Bucharest, possibly designed by Nicolae C. Mihăescu,[9] 1908](/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Art_Nouveau_polychrome_tiled_stove_in_the_Mi%C8%9Ba_the_Cyclist_House%2C_Bucharest_%2804%29.jpg/330px-Art_Nouveau_polychrome_tiled_stove_in_the_Mi%C8%9Ba_the_Cyclist_House%2C_Bucharest_%2804%29.jpg)
Art Nouveau acroterion of a stove in the Mița the Cyclist House (Strada Biserica Amzei no. 9), Bucharest, possibly designed by Nicolae C. Mihăescu,[9] 1908 -
![Art Deco acroterion of the Dinicu Golescu Entrance of the Northern Railway Station, Bucharest, designed by Victor Gh. Ștephănescu, 1935[10]](/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Bucharest%2C_Gara_de_Nord_%2815483566168%29.jpg/378px-Bucharest%2C_Gara_de_Nord_%2815483566168%29.jpg)
Art Deco acroterion of the Dinicu Golescu Entrance of the Northern Railway Station, Bucharest, designed by Victor Gh. Ștephănescu, 1935[10] -
![Postmodern acroterion of the Harold Washington Library, Chicago, by Hammond, Beeby & Babka, 1991[11]](/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Chicago_%283392204396%29.jpg/340px-Chicago_%283392204396%29.jpg)
Postmodern acroterion of the Harold Washington Library, Chicago, by Hammond, Beeby & Babka, 1991[11]
See also
References
- ^ a b Webb, Pamela A. (1996). Hellenistic Architectural Sculpture: Figural motifs in western Anatolia and the Aegean islands. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 26.
- ^ "Acroterian". Merriam Webster.
- ^ Harris, Cyril M. (1983). Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture. Courier Corporation. p. 5. ISBN 9780486244440.
- ^ "acroterion - architecture".
- ^ "acroter". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ McCarver (ed.). "Glossary of architectural terms". McArver Ancient History. Greek Architecture. Porter-Gaud School. Archived from the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ Smith, Philip (1875). "Acroterium". In Thayer, Bill (ed.). A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. University of Chicago. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ Hopkins, Owen (2022). Reading Architecture - A Visual Lexicon. Laurence King. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-52942-034-0.
- ^ Mariana Celac, Octavian Carabela and Marius Marcu-Lapadat (2017). Bucharest Architecture - an annotated guide. Ordinul Arhitecților din România. p. 85. ISBN 978-973-0-23884-6.
- ^ Mariana Celac, Octavian Carabela and Marius Marcu-Lapadat (2017). Bucharest Architecture - an annotated guide. Ordinul Arhitecților din România. p. 171. ISBN 978-973-0-23884-6.
- ^ Gura, Judith (2017). Postmodern Design Complete. Thames & Hudson. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-500-51914-1.
External links
- "Acroterion". Encyclopædia Britannica. article 9003592.
This page was last edited on 20 January 2024, at 11:14