Ornaments (architecture)

thumb|upright|Cornucopia of a Roman statue of Livia as [[Fortuna, 42-52 AD, marble, Altes Museum, Berlin ]] thumb|Cornucopia, part of a Roman statue, Archaeological Museum A. Salinas, Palermo, Sicily, Italy In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (; ), also called the horn of plenty, is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. In Greek, it was called the horn of Amalthea (), after Amalthea, a nurse of Zeus, who is often part of stories of the horn's origin.

thumb|upright|alt=A stone face carved with coloured hieroglyphics. Two cartouches - ovoid shapes with hieroglyphics inside - are visible at the bottom.|Birth and throne cartouches of Pharaoh Seti I, from [[KV17 at the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. Neues Museum, Berlin.]]

thumb|Gargoyles of Notre-Dame de Paris thumb|Dragon-headed gargoyle of the Tallinn Town Hall, [[Estonia]] thumb|Gargoyle of the Vasa Chapel at Wawel in [[Kraków, Poland]]

In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a bearing weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the structure. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger" in England. thumb|An interior look at the roof of a corbelled house in South Africa The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or parapet, has been used since Neolithic (New Stone Age) times. It

thumb|right|Triglyph centered over the last column in the Roman Doric order of the [[Theater of Marcellus]] thumb|John Wood the Elder|John Wood's The Circus [[Bath, Somerset (1754), triglyphs and decorated metopes]]

architectural element: wedge-shaped stone of an arch

right|thumb|Examples of Ionic volutes. From Julien David LeRoy, Les ruines plus beaux des monuments de la Grèce, Paris, 1758 (Plate XX) A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an Ionic capital, eight on Composite capitals and smaller versions (sometimes called helix) on the Corinthian capital.

thumb|225px|Structural lintel thumb|225px|Lintel above a door in Paris A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case of windows, the bottom span is referred to as a sill, but, unlike a lintel, does not serve to bear a load to ensure the integrity of the wall. Modern-day lintels may be made using prestressed concrete and are also referred to as beams in beam-and-block slabs or as ribs in rib-and-block sla

thumb|right|Examples of acroteria

thumb|upright=1.3|Muqarnas as seen from below in the iwan entrance to the Shah Mosque in [[Isfahan, Iran (17th century)]] thumb|upright=1.3|Muqarnas dome in the Sala de Dos Hermanas at the Alhambra in [[Granada, Spain (14th century)]] Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of Islamic architecture, integral to the vernacular of Islamic buildings, and typically featured in domes and vaults, as well

thumb|250px| Festoon of the Panthéon, Paris, by [[Jacques-Germain Soufflot and Jean-Baptiste Rondelet, 1758–1790]]

thumb|The garden façade of the Château de Maisons-Laffitte with three avant-corps, an arrangement typical of French Baroque [[châteaux]] thumb|The Osteiner Hof in [[Mainz with three avant-corps]]

thumb|upright=2|Reproduction antefixes with anthemion|anthemia, Athens

thumb|right|260px|Pinnacles, studded with Crocket|crockets, on [[King's College Chapel, Cambridge.]]

thumb|Page in which appear various illustrations of palmettes, from A handbook of Ornament by Franz Meyer (1898) thumb|Etruscan civilization|Etruscan architectural plaque with palmettes, from late 4th century BC, painted terracotta, in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City]] The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree, like palmyra leaf. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear relativ

frame for a painted or engraved design

Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone bars or ribs of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support the glass in a window. The purpose of the device is practical as well as decorative, because the increasingly large windows of Gothic buildings needed maximum support against the wind. The term probably derives from the tracing floors on which the complex patterns of windows were laid out in late Gothic architecture. Tracery can be found on the exterior of building

strip of material used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration

thumb|William Henry Playfair, [[University of Edinburgh: bevelled edges of each stone block emphasise the voussoirs, which have a curved base and together form a semi-circle at the top of each arch.]] A voussoir (UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault. thumb|Joggled voussoir arch, located at the Mausoleum of Theodoric in [[Ravenna, Italy. (520 CE)]] Each voussoir is formed in a specific way to fit within the arch or vault created. Normally, different colored stones are shaped to fit together in a curved way that relies on the balanc

thumb|Spandrels of a Tudor arch thumb|Spandrels of a circle within a square thumb|Spandrel figures of winged victories, [[Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris]] thumb|Spandrel panels

thumb|280px|Garlanded bucrania on a frieze from the Samothrace temple complex

round, stylized flower design

round or oval decoration used in architecture

thumb|upright|Crocketed spire of the Notre-Dame Church in Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine|Vitré, France

thumb|Egg-and-dart molding at the top of an Ionic order|Ionic capital at the [[Jefferson Memorial]] Egg-and-dart, also known as egg-and-tongue, egg-and-anchor, or egg-and-star, is an ornamental device adorning the fundamental quarter-round, convex ovolo profile of moulding, consisting of alternating details on the face of the ovolo—typically an egg-shaped object alternating with a V-shaped element (e.g., an arrow, anchor, or dart). The device is carved or otherwise fashioned into ovolos composed of wood, stone, plaster, or other materials.

thumb|Reception hall of Azm Palace|Azem Palace in [[Damascus, Syria, using ablaq technique (18th century)]]Ablaq (; particolored; literally 'piebald') is an architectural technique involving alternating or fluctuating rows of light and dark stone. It is an Arabic term describing a technique associated with Islamic architecture in the Arab world. The technique is used primarily for decorative effect. It may have its origins in earlier Byzantine architecture in the region, where alternating layers of white stone and orange brick were used in construction. Its use began early in the history of Is

decorative architectural element

thumb|upright=1.2|Girih pattern with inlaid floral decoration from :en:Shah-i-Zinda|Shah-i-Zinda in [[Samarkand, Uzbekistan]]

thumb|Finial of the dome of the Taj Mahal

decorative element in shape of a Russian kokoshnik headdress

The alfiz (, from Andalusi Arabic alḥíz, from Standard Arabic alḥáyyiz, meaning 'the container';) is an architectural adornment, consisting of a moulding, usually a rectangular panel, which encloses the outward side of an arch. It is an architectonic ornament of Etruscan origin, used in Visigothic, Asturian, Moorish, Mozarabic, Mudéjar and Isabelline Gothic architecture.

form of decoration dominated by spiralling scrolls

thumb|Mosaic border of rinceaux and animals, from the Via Panisperna in [[Rome, late 2nd - early 1st century BC]] In architecture and the decorative arts, a rinceau (plural rinceaux; from the French, derived from old French rain 'branch with foliage') is a decorative form consisting of a continuous wavy stemlike motif from which smaller leafy stems or groups of leaves branch out at more or less regular intervals. The English term scroll is more often used in English, especially when the pattern is regular, repeating along a narrow zone. In English "rinceau" tends to be used where the design sp

floral ornament in architecture

thumb|300px|Typical early English strapwork of 1589, detail from the Peter Carew (died 1580)#Commemoration|monument to Sir Gawen Carew in [[Exeter Cathedral]] thumb|French stucco, scrollwork and strapwork by Rosso Fiorentino in the [[Palace of Fontainebleau, 1530s]] In the history of art and design, strapwork is the use of stylised representations in ornament of ribbon-like forms. These may loosely imitate leather straps, parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings, and often interwoven in a geometric pattern. In early examples there may or may not be three-dimensionality, eit

Chiwen () is a roof ornamental motif in traditional Chinese architecture and art. Chiwen is also the name of a Chinese dragon that mixes features of a fish, and in Chinese mythology is one of the nine sons of the dragon, which are also used as imperial roof decorations. As architectural ornaments or waterspouts, they are comparable with Western gargoyles, but are not related to the mythological character.

style of ornamental decoration

traditional motif showing three hares sharing ears

thumb|Dog-tooth ornament In architecture, a dog-tooth or dogtooth pattern is an ornament found in the mouldings of medieval work of the commencement of the 12th century, which is thought to have been introduced by the Crusaders. The earliest example is found in the hall at Rabbath Ammon in Moab in Jordan (c. 614) built by the Sassanians, where it decorates the arch moulding of the blind arcades and the string courses. The pattern consists of four flower petals forming a square or diamond shape with central elements. The petals have the form of the pointed conical canine tooth, eye tooth or cus

thumb|right|Banna'i brickwork in the [[Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi. The blue brickwork spells out the names of Allah, Muhammad and Ali in square Kufic calligraphy.]] In Iranian architecture, '''banna'i''' (, "builder's technique" in Persian) is an architectural decorative art in which glazed tiles are alternated with plain bricks to create geometric patterns over the surface of a wall or to spell out sacred names or pious phrases. This technique originated in Syria and Iraq in the 8th century, and matured in the Seljuq and Timurid era, as it spread to Iran, Anatolia and Central Asia.

motif of a three- or four-petaled flower enclosing a ball

architecture, a knob or protrusion of stone or wood

architectural element; artistic representation of circular petals

thumb|right|The earliest surviving chaitya arch, at the entrance to the Lomas Rishi Cave, 3rd century BC In Indian architecture, gavaksha or chandrashala (kudu in Tamil, also nāsī) are the terms most often used to describe the motif centred on an ogee, circular or horseshoe arch that decorates many examples of Indian rock-cut architecture and later Indian structural temples and other buildings. In its original form, the arch is shaped like the cross-section of a barrel vault. It is called a chaitya arch when used on the facade of a chaitya hall, around the single large window. In later forms i

in classical architecture, a pedestal which tapers towards the base and usually supports a bust or merges into a sculpted human or animal figure

thumb|Branchwork on the baptismal font of Wormser Dom|Worms Cathedral thumb|Branchwork tracery at [[Ulm Minster, c. 1475]] thumb|Branchwork portal of the former monastery church of Chemnitz (1525) Branchwork or branch tracery (, Dutch: Lofwerk of Loofwerk) is a type of architectural ornament often used in late Gothic architecture and the Northern Renaissance, consisting of knobbly, intertwined and leafless branches. Branchwork was particularly widespread in Central European art between 1480 and 1520 and can be found in all media. The intellectual origin of branchwork lies in theories in Renais

gilt bronze Korean wind chime and Korean dragon sculpture of later Silla/early Goryeo art

architectural ornament

thumb|upright|One example of various sunburst designs

thumb|Relief with leaf-and-dart Leaf-and-dart (also known as rais-de-cœur and heart-and-dart) is an ornamental motif made up of heart-shaped leaves (or waterleaves inside hearts) alternating with spearheads (or darts). This motif was used in Ancient Greek and Roman architecture. It was taken up again during the Renaissance, abundantly in the 18th century, being used in the Louis XVI style.

thumb|300px|Tajug seen here on the roof of Wustho Mangkunegaran Mosque, Surakarta.

circular opening in the ceiling of a church

thumb|250px|Two main types of Chofa: ''Pak Hong; Swan's tip (left) and Pak Khrut; Garuda's tip'' (right)

architectural element, usually on a building