eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780486149363 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dover Publications |
| Publication date: | 06/14/2012 |
| Series: | Dover Fine Art, History of Art |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 230 |
| File size: | 40 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
Read an Excerpt
A Manual of Historic Ornament
By Richard Glazier
Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 2002 Dover Publications, Inc.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-14936-3
CHAPTER 1
The History and Development of Architecture & Ornament
PRIMITIVE ORNAMENT
The ornament of primitive races presents a vast field for study, which it is difficult to focus adequately, and which has not yet been fully investigated. It is only possible here to note a few isolated instances. Some of its manifestations have a distinct degree of kinship to the scanty remains which have survived of the work of the long prehistoric eras, and also show similarities with departments of decorative art in such highly-developed yet self-contained civilizations as Crete and Peru. Examples of the work of these two latter styles are here included for comparison, figs. 5, 7 and 9. The first patterns were probably the simple rows of roughly incised diagonal lines on early vessels such as the beakers. Geometrical patterning on pottery naturally originates readily and spontaneously, and is found with a considerable degree of similarity in many parts of the world. These naturally develop after ages into chevrons, frets, scrolls and wave-like forms, which can be effectively combined, distributed and coloured, as in vases from Istria, and Cypriote work. One mask from Benin has interlacements markedly reminiscent of Celtic ornament. Geometrical design is used with much effectiveness by the Indians of the Americas, as in wampum beadwork, basketry, and blankets, and also in the leather-work and palm-cloth of Central Africa. In metal and ceramic work of the Iron Age abstract design is found with naturalistic or conventional figures, which are used in panel or frieze form. But widely distant peoples have sometimes succeeded in the effective conventionalization of animal and plant forms, as in a dragonfly diaper wood-carving on a Congo pipe (fig. 6), and the hawk-ornament from the Solomon Islands (fig. 2). The sea forms of Cretan pottery are vigorous if naturalistic. From Borneo comes some effective floral ornament derived from the shoots of a creeper (fig. 4), and the Kenyak-Kayan tribes have mixed with the scrolls of their carved houseboards humanistic figures and doglike forms. The Eskimo have graphically and ingeniously represented the activities of a whole settlement by engraving in narrow strips on ivory or bone (fig. 1). The Indians of North-west America have inserted a version of a whale hunt on a hat of basketwork (fig. 3), and like many other peoples, can turn the human face to account. by varied repetition. The totem poles of British Columbia are crowded with figures and other devices, in a style which is applied to various objects, and often rises, as in a shale pipe of the Haida of Queen Charlotte Island, to a Breughel-like grotesqueness (fig. 8). Tribal ornament ranges from a few casual scrappy patterns, like those of peoples of such low type as the aboriginal Australians, to vigorous pattern, well distributed, and carried out with feeling for the character of the material. The craftsman has generally made use of his chances, and produced achievements among races of widely differing culture and many periods all over the globe.
ORNAMENT OF OCEANIA
The ornamentation of the people of the Pacific Isles is full of interest, and is remarkable for the evolution and perfecting of an ornamental style by a primitive people, with myths and traditions purely local, and in no way influenced by other nations. It is a style of ornament full of meaning and symbolism, yet simple in detail and arrangement, not founded upon the beautiful vegetation and flora of their islands, but upon abstract forms derived from the human figure, and arranged with a pleasing geometrical precision remarkable for a primitive people.
The ornamental art of these people may be broadly divided into provinces, each with its distinct ornamental characteristics and traditions, New Zealand showing the highest development and Australia the lowest in the ornament of Polynesia and Melanesia.
Much of the ornament is purely linear, consisting of parallel and zig-zag lines; that of Australia consists almost entirely of these lines incised in the ground and occasionally filled in with colour. In New Guinea a higher development is reached, the ornament, of straight and curved lines, being carved in flat relief. In the province of Tonga-Samoa, the surface is divided into small fields, and the linear ornament runs in a different direction on each of the fields. The Hervey and Austral Islands are distinguished by their remarkable adaptations of the human female figure, the illustrations given here showing the original type and its ornamental development. These examples, together with the circular eye pattern, form the elements of the Hervey province, of which the Heape collection contains many fine examples. In the Solomon Islands the linear ornament is occasionally interspersed with an inlay of angular pieces of mother of pearl. The New Zealand province is distinguished by its skilful pierced carving, the beauty of its spiral forms adapted from the human figure (figs. 112), and the constant use of the border here given. No preliminary design was used, nor was the pattern outlined upon the object of the decoration. It was, so to speak, evolved from the artist's head as he worked, much as a musician improvises at the piano. This art, once general, now appears to be falling rapidly into oblivion.
EGYPTIAN ORNAMENT
The history of Egypt extends from nearly 4000 B.C. to 340 B.C.
The capitals of the Ancient Empire comprised Memphis and Abydos; of the Middle Empire, Thebes, Luxor and Tanis; and of the New Empire, Sais and Bubastes. The remarkable civilization of these early dynasties is attested by the many fine remains of architecture, sculpture, and decorative arts that enrich our national museums. The three great periods of Egyptian art are Memphite (fourth, fifth, and sixth dynasties) in which figure sculpture appears somewhat heavy, but accurate; the Theban Age (from the eleventh to the twenty-first dynasty); and the Sait or Neo-Memphite Age. The sculptures of the second Theban Empire are important and numerous.
The Sphinx, half animal and half human, is probably of the VI. dynasty, yet it is singular that all the earliest sculptures of the III. and IV. dynasties with which we are acquainted were realistic portraiture, remarkable for fidelity to nature. Kings, queens, and individuals of note were finely sculptured, frequently of a colossal size. But the Deities, Amen Sekhet, Horus, Hathor, Isis, and Osiris were represented in the later dynasties by small votive statuettes, noticeable for their number rather than for their artistic qualities, never reaching the excellence or vitality of the earlier period. Much of the architectural enrichment was in Cavo Relievo, a peculiarly Egyptian mode of ornamentation, the outline of the figures, birds, or flowers being sunk into the surface of the granite or basalt, and then carved within this sunk outline, leaving the ground or bed raised, these reliefs being invariably painted red, blue, green, and yellow. The frieze, which in the hands of the Greeks, at a later period, became their principal ornamental field, was used by the Egyptians in superposed bands, showing, in cavo relievo, the industrial arts and pursuits—weaving, glass blowing, and the making of pottery; ploughing, sowing, and reaping; also hunting and fishing. The composition and sculpture of these incidents was simple, refined, and purely decorative, with anaïveté and unaffectedness appropriate to the architectonic conditions. Mingled with these incidents were the beautiful hieroglyphs, or picture writing of the Egyptians. Figs. 7-13 are examples of painted decorations showing the spiral construction of lines, together with the symbolic treatment of the Lotus, the latter being regarded by the Egyptians as a symbol of fertility and of a new life, hence the profusion with which it was used in their decorative work. Great fertility of invention was displayed in enriching their architectural capitals with the Lotus, the Papyrus, and the Palm. A singular feature introduced during the XVIII . dynasty was the Hathor Capital, surmounted by a small Naos. During the Ptolemaic period—300 B.C.—the Hathor Capital was placed upon the vertical bell-shaped capital (fig. 3).
ASSYRIAN ORNAMENT
The early history of Babylonia and Assyria is one long series of wars and conquests. Originally one nation, they became divided, and the younger Assyria in the north became the most powerful empire of that period, under Tiglath-Phalasar I., 1100 B.C., Ashur-nasir-pal, 885-60 B.C., Shalmaneser IL, 860-25 B.c., Tiglath-Phalasar III., 745-27 B.C., the Great Sargon, 722-705 B.C., Sennacherib, 705-681 B.C., Esarhaddon, 681-668 B.c, and Ashur-ban-pal, 668-626 B.C. In 609 B.C.. the Capital, Nineveh, was destroyed by Cyaxares the Mede, and Babylon arose again to power under Nebuchadnezzar, 604-562 B.c.: this city was destroyed by Cyrus the Persian, 539 B.C.
Assyrian art, with its racial influences, religious beliefs, and climatic conditions, differs in a remarkable degree from Egyptian art. Though stone is found is Assyria, the great cities were built of brick, no doubt owing to the fact of the arts and civilization coming from Chaldea, where stone was scarce and clay plentiful. Both at Babylon in Chaldea and Nineveh in Assyria the traditional type of building was rectangular, with arched openings and vaults, built of sun-dried bricks. The lower part of the wall was covered with large alabaster slabs, carved in low relief with scenes representing the king and his warriors engaged in hunting or fighting (fig. 1). The upper part of the wall was in enamelled brick, or in coloured stucco, with details of the Lotus and the bud, together with the rosette, which was often carried round the archivolt. The representation of the industrial arts and the pursuits of agriculture, which is so admirably illustrated upon the Egyptian reliefs, is entirely absent in Assyria. The enamelled bricks of Chaldea were modelled in low relief, with enamels of turquoise blue, yellow, white, and black, of fine quality and colour—one splendid example of enamel on beton is the Frieze of Archers from the Palace of Susa (p. 19). The enamelled bricks of Assyria were usually flat, or modelled but slightly, and the enamels were less pure. The external walls were similar to the internal ones, but with larger friezes and bolder reliefs, and usually with religious subjects (fig. 9). The portals were enriched with colossal winged and human-headed bulls, of alabaster, finely carved in relief. Typical examples of Assyrian ornament are the Lotus and the bud (figs. 2 and 3), the Patera or Rosette (figs. 6 and 7), and the Hom, or Tree of Life (fig. 8). The Lotus enrichment shows Egyptian influence, and only came into use during the 7th century B.C., when intercourse between the two nations was established. It is differentiated from the Egyptian Lotus by its vigorous growth and curved profile, and the geometrical form of the calyx of the flower and bud (fig. 2).
The type of Anthemion or Hom, with its alternate bud and fir-cone, and with strong lateral markings, is beautiful in line and proportion of mass (fig. 3). The Hom is frequently used as a flower on the sacred tree, a form of enrichment that influenced much of the later Persian and Sicilian textile fabrics.
GREEK ARCHITECTURE
Classic or columnar architecture is divided into the Greek and Roman styles, and each style comprises several orders of architecture: the Grecian orders are the Doric, the Ionic, and the Corinthian, and many examples of each of these orders are still extant in Greece and her colonies—Asia Minor, Southern Italy, and Sicily. From a comparison of these buildings, certain constructive and decorative features are observed to be present, and thence they are considered as the characteristics of the style or order, which comprises the Base (except in the Grecian Doric, which has no base), Column and Capital, and the Entablature, which consists of the Architrave, Frieze and Cornice. The proportions of these orders are generally determined by the lower diameter of the column, which is divided into 2 modules or 60 parts, the height of the column always including the base and capital. The DORIC order was used for the early Greek temples from 650 B.C., and culminated in the Parthenon, 438 B.C. The COLUMNS in this order are to 6 diameters in height, with 20 shallow flutings with intermediate sharp arrises; the CAPITAL is half a diameter in height, and is composed of an echinus or ovolo moulding with annulets or deep channellings below, and a large square abacus above. The ARCHITRAVE is plain; the FRIEZE is enriched by rectangular blocks, with 3 vertical channellings in the face, termed triglyphs, alternately with square metopes which were frequently sculptured. The CORNICE, composed of simple mouldings, projects considerably beyond the face of the frieze.
The IONIC order has COLUMNS of from 9 to 9 1/2 diameters in height, with 24 flutings divided by narrow fillets; the BASE is half a diameter in height, and composed of a plinth, torus, fillet, cavetto, fillet, torus, and fillet. The CAPITAL is 7/10 of a diameter high, and consists of a pair of double scrolls or volutes, supported by an echinus moulding enriched with the egg and tongue, with an astragal below.
The ENTABLATURE is one quarter the height of the columns, the ARCHITRAVE of one or more fascias, the FRIEZE continuous and frequently enriched with sculpture in low relief; the CORNICE has simple and compound mouldings supported by a dentil band. Caryatides were occasionally introduced into this order; they were female figures clad in drapery having vertical folds which re-echoed the flutings of the Ionic column. These Caryatides supported the entablature in place of the columns; a beautiful example is in the south portico of the Erechtheum at Athens.
The CORINTHIAN order was not much used by the Greeks; the examples, however, show considerable refinement and delicacy of details. The COLUMNS are 10 diameters in height, with 24 flutings; the BASE is half a diameter high; the CAPITAL is a little greater than a diameter in height, and is enriched with acanthus foliated leaves and spiral volutes. The ENTABSLATURE is richer and the CORNICE deeper and more elaborate than those of the other orders.
The principal Doric buildings in Greece are:—The Temples at Corinth, 650 B.C., Ægina, 550 B.C., the Parthenon, and the Theseum, 438 B.C., the Temples of Jupiter at Olympia, 436 B.C., Apollo Epicurius at Bassæ, 430 B.C., Propylæa at Athens, 431 B.C. and the Minerva at Sunium, 420 B.C. Ionic buildings are:—Temples at Ilyssus, 484 B.C., Nike Apteros, 420 B.C., and the Erechtheum, ca. 420 B.C. (see plan, plate 85), North Portico, East Portico, at Athens. In Asia Minor there are the Temples of Samos, Priene, Teos, Diana at Ephesus, (with 36 of its columns sculptured), and of Apollo at Miletos. Corinthian buildings are:—The Monument of Lysicrates, 335 B.C., the Tower of the Winds (octagonal in plan), and Jupiter Olympius, 200 B.C.
During the 5th century B.C., the Doric order was extensively used in the Greek colonies at Sicily. At Agrigentum there are the remains of six fine Doric temples, of which the Temple of Zeus, 450 B.C., is the largest, being 354 by 175 feet. In this Temple were found the Telemones, or Atlantes, male figures, 25 feet in height, with their arms raised probably supporting the roof. This Temple is also remarkable for its portico of seven columns, 60 feet in height, and having the peristyle walled up.
At Selinus there are five large Doric temples, and one with columns 57 feet in height, with an entablature of 19 feet. At Segesta there is a Doric temple with only the peristyle complete and the columns unfluted, and at Paestum, in Southern Italy, there are two Doric temples and a basilica with its porticos of nine columns each.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from A Manual of Historic Ornament by Richard Glazier. Copyright © 2002 Dover Publications, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
I. THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND ORNAMENTPrimitive Ornament
Ornament of Oceania
Egyptian Ornament
Assyrian Ornament
Greek Architecture
Greek Ornament
Roman Architecture
Roman Ornament
Pompeian Ornament
Byzantine Ornament
Romanesque Architecture and Ornament
Celtic Ornament
Scandinavian Ornament
Norman and Gothic Architecture
Norman Ornament
Early Gothic Ornament
Decorated or Geometric Gothic Ornament
Perpendicular Gothic
French Gothic
Renascence Architecture and Ornament in Italy
French Renascence
English Renascence
Mohammedan Ornament
Persian Ornament
Indian Ornament
Chinese Ornament
Japanese Ornament
The Architectural Capital
II. THE APPLIED ARTS
Mosaics
Greek Ceramics
Ceramics
Maiolica
Terra Cotta
Glass
Stained Glass
Enamels
Gold and Silver
Wrought Iron-work
Bronzes
"Pierced, Chased, and Engraved Metalwork"
Heraldic Ornament
Brasses and Incised Slabs
Decorative Furniture
Wood Carving
Ivories
Bookbindings
Printed and Engraved Ornament
Textile Fabrics
Embroidery and Lace
Illuminated MSS
Peasant Art
Frets
Printed Initial Letters
Terms used in Ornamental Art
Bibliography
Index