<A>
Classical basic form of architecture:*
see illustration of the column & architrave (or epistyle)
<B>
acanthus: *
The relationship between acanthus ornament and the acanthus plant is the subject of a long-standing controversy which began with Alois Riegl, an Austrian art historian. He argued in his Problems of style: foundations for a history of ornament (published in 1893) that the acanthus ornament originated as a sculptural version of the palmette & only later, began to resemble Acanthus spinosus. He wrote the book while employed as director of the textile department of the Austrian Museum for Art & Industry in Vienna. He proposed that it was possible to write a continuous history of ornament. His position is in explicit opposition to that of the "technical-materialist" school, which claimed all art was a direct product of material & techniques, and that that ornamental "motifs originated spontaneously throughout the world at a number of different locations. Riegl aimed to reintegrate the historical thread that has been served into a thousand pieces; he argued for a continuous development of ornament from ancient Egyptian through Greek and Roman and up to early Islamic and, eventually, Ottoman art. [Spengler would seem to be a proponent of this art theory]
<C>
monument of Lysicrates (Athens, acanthus leaves): *
see illustration
<D>
Nerva’ Fora (acanthus leaves): *
see illustration
​
<E>
Trajan’s Fora (acanthus leaves): *
see illustration
​
<F>
Mars Ultor (acanthus leaves):*
capital at the top of a column of the Temple of Mars Ultor, in the Forum of Augustus, from an opening in the back wall of the
Forum, on Via Tor De Conti
see illustration
<G>
Haigia Sophia (acanthus):*
see illustration
capitals door jam & decorations tiles around alter
<H>
Aramaean vine & palm: *
LEFT: frieze, the temple of Bal includes many (mostly) Apollonian architectural elements; frieze decoration is the palm & vine rather than the more typical narrative of Greco-Roman style
​
RIGHT: door jam, the temple of Bal, includes Apollonian egg and dart motif, also see the palm & vine motif along with 2 other vegetal type decorations
<I>
Jewish ornamentation:*
detail of a capital; like Islam Judaism practices aniconism (based on the 2nd Commandment); it banned the portrayal of God, deities & saint- all living beings and everything that exists. It is codified by religious traditions and is regarded as taboo.
<J>
late Roman mosaic (pavements display acanthus):*
mosaic from ancient Lydda, destroyed by the Romans A.D. 66 during the Jewish War; re-founded by Hadrian as Diospolis & awarded the rank of a Roman colony under Septimius Severus(200 AD); remained in Roman hands until becoming a Christian city and eventually succumbing to Arab conquerors (636 AD). Part of a series of mosaic floors that measured 50 x 27 feet; debris suggested the mosaics had been laid about A.D. 300; from a large room of a private house and served as a series of reception or audience halls where visitors were met and entertained. The mud-brick walls, once covered with frescoes collapsed and preserved it
<K>
sarcophagi (edges-acanthus- geometric pattern):*
Asiatic garland sarcophagus, the domiannat type during the reigns of Trjan and Hadrian ( 53-117 and 117-138). Note the edge of the sarcophagus with a clear geometric design repeated over & over.
<L>
Arabesque: *
Stone relief with arabesques of tendrils, palmettes, and half-palmettes in the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus
see illustration
<M>
castle of Mashetta, Moab (façade): *
illustrations
LEFT over view of facde CENTRE, outline of the faced of the fort RIGHT detail of the façade
<N>
craft art of Byzantine-Islamic style:*
Persian Tabriz rug (1930) from the textile-manufacturing city Tabriz, Azerbaijan (NW Iran), one of the oldest rug weaving centres in the world. This rug features a design of stunning, elaborate arabesques and floral motifs among curling abstractions in shades of beige and salmon, accented by inky blue. Classic Oriental rug weaving themes such as the boteh, a paisley shape representing a leaf or a pinecone, can be seen in the main border of the antique carpet.
see illustration (zoom in)
<O>
Lombard: *
Teodote sarcophagus, 8th century, stone parapet covered with bas reliefs depicting the Tree of Life, the winged dragons; Theodotus (a Byzantine lady) was the mistress of the Lombard king Cuniperto.
<P>
Frankish:*
Gelasian Sacramentary (Latin: Sacramentarium Gelasianum) book of Christian liturgy, containing the priest's part in celebrating the Eucharist; mid-8th century AD; the most important surviving Merovingian illuminated manuscript, a synthesis of Late Antique conventions with "barbarian" migration period art motifs comparable to the better known insular art of Britain and Ireland. The Merovingian dynasty, ruled the Franks, from the 5th century to the 8th century
<Q>
Celtic: *
an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in either Britain or Ireland around 800 AD
see illustration
<R>
Old Nordic: *
The Oseberg Style (mid-9th century) is the initial phase of Viking art, derived from the Oseberg Ship grave, a preserved & highly decorated longship discovered in Tønsberg in Vestfold, Norway. A characteristic motif is the so-called gripping beast, a motif that clearly distinguishes early Viking art from earlier styles; chief features are the paws that grip the borders around it, neighbouring beasts or parts of its own body. The ship head is 5 inches high and dates back to 834, it represents a roaring beast with surface ornamentation in the form of interwoven animals that twist and turn as they are gripping and snapping, it expresses the union of animal forms and interlace pattern.
