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 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. They are sometimes incorporated into the design of furniture.[3]

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.[4] Acroteria is the plural of both the original Greek[5] and the Latin form.[6]

According to Webb, during the Hellenistic period the winged victory or Nike figure was considered to be "the most appropriate motif for figured akroteria".[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ p. 26-27
  2. ↑ "Acroterian". Merriam Webster.
  3. ↑ "acroterion - architecture".
  4. ↑ "acroter". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005.  (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ↑ Greek Architecture glossary Archived September 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ Acroterium at A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 1875.
  7. ↑ 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
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