entasis
Sign in to savethumb|upright|Diagram of a Corinthian order|Corinthian column showing a visible entasis bulge at "D"
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- architectural element
- Part of
- column
- Image
- Columnas dóricas con éntasis en el Templo de Hera en Olimpia.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- described by source
- Pauly–Wissowa
- architectural style
- ancient Greek architecture
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
8 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Examples
- Concave curves
- In calligraphy
- Origin in Greek columns
- Literature
- See also
- References
thumb|upright|Diagram of a Corinthian order|Corinthian column showing a visible entasis bulge at "D"
In architecture, entasis is the application of a convex curve to a surface for aesthetic purposes, or increasing strength. Its best-known use is in certain orders of Classical columns that diminish in a very gentle curve, rather than in a straight line as they narrow going upward. The human eye would allegedly perceive that the middle of the column was diminishing in a concave curve halfway up the column, and entasis corrects this.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “entasis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.