A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

, found in the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into

Corinthian order The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric 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. The word derives from the Latin ''voluta'' ("scroll"). It has been suggested that the ornament was inspired by the curve of a ram's horns, or perhaps was derived from the natural spiral found in the ovule of a common species of clover native to Greece. Alternatively, it may simply be of geometrical origin. The ornament can be seen in Renaissance and

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

architecture and is a common decoration in furniture design, silverware and ceramics. A method of drawing the complex geometry was devised by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius through the study of classical buildings and structures.

Gallery

库库特尼陶碗陶罐.JPG,

Prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

Cucuteni–Trypillia volutes on some vessels, 4300–4000 BC, ceramic, Moldavia National Museum Complex,

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

, Romania File:Clay 'frying pan' (3rd millennia B.C.) at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens on October 6, 2021.jpg, Cycladic volutes on a 'frying pan', 2750-2200 BC, ceramic, National Archaeological Museum, Athens File:Bull's head of the Queen's lyre from Pu-abi's grave PG 800, the Royal Cemetery at Ur, Southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. The British Museum, London..JPG,

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...

ian volutes at the end of a bull mascaron of the queen's lyre, one of the

Lyres of Ur The Lyres of Ur or Harps of Ur are a group of four stringed instruments excavated in a fragmentary condition at the Royal Cemetery of Ur in modern Iraq from 1922 onwards. They date back to the Early Dynastic III Period of Mesopotamia, between a ...

, 2600 BC, wood, lapis lazuli, limestone (red),

bitumen Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

, gold, shell, British Museum File:AMI - Kamaresvase 1.jpg, Minoan volutes on a jug, 1850-1675 BC, ceramic, Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece Schieferzepter 03 (cropped).jpg, Minoan volutes on a sceptre head, 1675-1460 BC, schist, Archaeological Museum of Heraklion Ceiling painting from the palace of Amenhotep III MET DT256117.jpg, Ancient Egyptian volutes on a ceiling painting from the palace of

Amenhotep III Amenhotep III ( egy, jmn-ḥtp(.w), ''Amānəḥūtpū'' , "Amun is Satisfied"; Hellenized as Amenophis III), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. According to different ...

, 1390–1353 BC, dried mud, mud plaster and paint Gesso, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City File:Fresco, rosettes, running spirals, Tiryns, 13th c BC, AM of Nafplio, 202135.jpg, Mycenaean volutes, part of a mural from a palace in Tiryns, Greece, 13th century BC, fresco, Archaeological Museum of Nafplion, Nafplio, Greece File:Egyptian - Thoth-Baboon - Walters 481543 (cropped).jpg, Ancient Egyptian amulet of Thoth as a baboon holding an

eye of Horus The Eye of Horus, ''wedjat'' eye or ''udjat'' eye is a concept and symbol in ancient Egyptian religion that represents well-being, healing, and protection. It derives from the mythical conflict between the god Horus with his rival Set, in wh ...

, with a volute in the lower left part of the eye, 664-332 BC, Egyptian faience with light green glaze, Walters Art Museum,

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, Maryland, US File:Patera, bronze, nude man, 6th c BC, NAMA Kar 19, 225635.jpg, Ancient Greek pair of volutes at the base of the handle of a patera, 6th century BC, bronze, National Archaeological Museum, Athens File:Musée de Pergame (Berlin) (6350108264).jpg, Neo-Babylonian volutes on the wall panel from the Throne Room of

Nebuchadnezzar II Nebuchadnezzar II (Babylonian cuneiform: ''Nabû-kudurri-uṣur'', meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir"; Biblical Hebrew: ''Nəḇūḵaḏneʾṣṣar''), also spelled Nebuchadrezzar II, was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling ...

from

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

, Iraq, 6th century BC, glazed ceramic, Pergamon Museum, Berlin File:Chapiteau d'une colonne de l'apadana du Palais de Darius Ier - Musée du Louvre Antiquités orientales AOD 1.jpg Persian volutes on a bull capital, under the bulls, 510 BC, limestone, Lovre File:Erechteion - chapiteau.jpg, Ancient Greek volutes of a capital from an Ionic columns of the Erechtheion, Athens, Greece, unknown architect, 421-405 BC File:Greece-0113 - North Porch (2215074445).jpg, Ancient Greek volutes of a

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent 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 s ...

of the Erechtheion File:Crater Actaeon Louvre CA3482.jpg, Ancient Greek volutes on a krater, by the

Painter of the Woolly Satyrs Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

, 450–440 BC, ceramic, Louvre Corinthian capital, AM of Epidauros, 202545.jpg, Ancient Greek volutes (called ''caulicoli'') in the upper part of a Corinthian capital from the tholos at

Epidaurus Epidaurus ( gr, Ἐπίδαυρος) was a small city (''polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: ''Palaia Epidavros'' and ''Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong to the ...

, Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus, Greece, said to have been designed by Polyclitus the Younger, 350 BC Image:Marble akroterion MET DT259543.jpg, Ancient Greek pair of volutes on an

akroterion An acroterion, acroterium, or akroteria 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. An acroterion placed at th ...

, 350–325 BC, marble, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:MANNapoli 9991 Young Dionysos Tigre mosaic.jpg, Roman volutes around a mosaic of young Dionysos drinking and riding a tiger, late 4th century BC, mosaic, National Archaeological Museum, Naples, Italy File:Didyma 2013-03-25zd.jpg, Ancient Greek foliage volutes (aka rinceaux) on a

from the ruins of the Temple of Apollo at

Didyma Didyma (; grc, Δίδυμα) was an ancient Greek sanctuary on the coast of Ionia in the domain of the famous city of Miletus. Apollo was the main deity of the sanctuary of Didyma, also called ''Didymaion''. But it was home to both of the tem ...

, Turkey, unknown architect or sculptor, 300-150 BC File:4148 - Milano - Antiquarium - Voluta di capitello ionico - sec. IaC-IdC - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 14-July.2007a.jpg, Roman volute of an Ionic capital, 1st century BC or AD, unknown stone, Antiquarium di Milano, Milan, Italy File:Panel of Tellus, Ara Pacis, Rome (II).jpg, Roman foliage volutes in an arabesque on the Ara Pacis, Rome, unknown architect and sculptors, 13-9 BC File:Approach to Grand stupa of Sanchi, north face India 2015.jpg, Buddhist volutes on the Great

Stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

of Sanchi ( Madhya Pradesh, India), unknown architect, 3rd century-100 BC File:Altar of the Scribes 03 (51221770574).jpg, Roman volutes at the top of a funerary altar, 25-50 AD, marble,

Terme di Diocleziano Terme (formerly spelled ''Termeh''; Ancient Greek: Thèrmae, Θέρμαι) is the seat of Terme District, Samsun Province, Turkey. Terme is located on Terme River, about 5 km from its mouth, on the eastern end of the Çarşamba Plain. Term ...

, Rome File:Flickr - Gaspa - File, padiglione di Traiano (2).jpg, Ancient Egyptian volutes on a Composite capital from Trajan's Kiosk, Agilkia Island, Egypt, 98-117, unknown architect Ephesos 2013-03-26zf.jpg, Roman volutes of Composite capitals of the Library of Celsus,

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...

, Turkey, unknown architect, 110 Hagia Sophia (15468276434).jpg, Byzantine volutes of an Ionic capital in the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey, by Anthemius of Tralles or Isidore of Miletus, 6th century File:Bury Bible - F1v - Frater Ambrosius.jpg, Romanesque foliage volutes on a page from the Bury Bible, by Master Hugo, 1135-1140, illumination on parchment, Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, the UK File:Anneau portail de la Vierge Notre-Dame de Paris.jpg, Gothic volutes on the wrought-iron on a door of Notre Dame de Paris, unknown architect or blacksmith, 12th or 13th centuries File:Sant' Agostino (Rom).jpg, Renaissance volutes of the Sant'Agostino, Rome, by multiple architects, 1483 File:Italia centrale, cassone con teste di gorgoni, xvi sec. 02.JPG, Renaissance volutes on a cassone, 16th century, most probably walnut, Villa medicea di Cerreto Guidi,

Cerreto Guidi Cerreto Guidi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence. Cerreto Guidi borders the following municipalities: Empoli, Fucecchio, Lamporecchio, Larciano, San M ...

, Italy File:Fontainebleau - Le château - PA00086975 - 078.jpg, Renaissance

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

volutes on the ceiling from the King's Staircase, Palace of Fontainebleau, France, by Francesco Primaticcio, 1541-1545 File:Church of the Gesù, Rome.jpg,

volutes on the upper part of the facade of the Church of the Gesù, Rome, by Giacomo della Porta, 1584 file:Leisthaus-hameln-details.jpg, Northern Renaissance volutes on the Leisthaus,

Hamelin Hamelin ( ; german: Hameln ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. H ...

, Germany, by the master builder Cord Tönnis, 1585-1589 Charlottenburg Palace, 1695-1746, Berlin (20) (40185455721).jpg, Baroque volutes of a cartouche with putti, above a mirror in the bedchamber of the Mecklenburg Apartment, Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin, unknown architect, 17th century File:Santa Maria della Salute a Venezia dettaglio.jpg, Baroque volutes on the Santa Maria della Salute,

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy, by Baldassare Longhena, 1631-1687 Carpet with Fame and Fortitude MET DP212204.jpg, Baroque foliage volutes on a carpet with fame and fortitude, by the Savonnerie manufactory, 1668–1685, knotted and cut wool pile, woven with about 90 knots per square inch, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Holy-water stoup with relief of Mary of Egypt MET DT3860.jpg, Baroque volutes on a holy-water stoup with relief of Mary of Egypt, by Giovanni Giardini and Benedetto Luti, 1702,

lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. As early as the 7th millennium BC, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines, ...

, silver, and gilded bronze, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Design for a Clock, from 'Disegni Diversi' MET DP830829.jpg, Baroque volutes on a design for a clock from 'Disegni Diversi', by Giovanni Giardini and Maximilian Joseph Limpach, 1714-1750, etching and engraving, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Rocailles, RP-P-1964-2654.jpg, Combinations of Rococo C and S-shaped volutes, by Franz Xaver Habermann, 1731-1775, etching,

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...

, Amsterdam, the Netherlands File:Rocailles, RP-P-1964-2656.jpg, Combinations of Rococo C and S-shaped volutes, by Franz Xaver Habermann, 1731-1775, etching, Rijksmuseum File:Rocailles, RP-P-1964-2681.jpg, Combinations of Rococo C and S-shaped volutes, by Franz Xaver Habermann, 1731-1775, etching, Rijksmuseum File:Rocailles, RP-P-1964-2666.jpg, Combinations of Rococo C and S-shaped volutes, by Franz Xaver Habermann, 1731-1775, etching, Rijksmuseum Side table (commode en console) MET DP105703.jpg, Rococo C and S-shaped volutes on a side table (commode en console), by Bernard II van Risamburgh, 1755-1760, Japanese lacquer, gilt-bronze mounts and Sarrancolin marble top, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Rolduc bibliotheek.jpg, Rococo C and S-shaped volutes in the library of Rolduc, Kerkrade, Germany, by

Joseph Moretti Joseph Moretti (died 1 May 1793) was a German architect of Italian birth of the late baroque era. Born in Milan, he primarily worked in the cities of Aachen, Liège, and Maastricht. His first important design was the design for the library at the ...

, 18th century Nuova zelanda, isola del nord, maori, prua di piroga taurapa, 1800-20 ca.jpg, Māori volutes on a canoe sternpost, late 18th-early 19th century, wood and sheel, Musée du Quai Branly, Paris File:Japanese - Tsuba with Scrollwork Design - Walters 51148.jpg, Japanese volutes on a tsuba, unknown date, shakudo and gold, Walters Art Museum Pair of Spindle Vases - OA 11090 - Louvre (08).jpg, Neoclassical foliage volutes on a vase, by the

Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known fo ...

, 1814, hard-paste porcelain with platinum background and gilt bronze mounts, Louvre File:Nine-light candelabrum MET DP155343.jpg, Rococo Revival C and S-shaped volutes of a cartouche on the base of a nine-light candelabrum, 1835–1836, gilded silver, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Fenêtre sur le toit du Palais de Justice.JPG, Baroque Revival volutes of a dormer window ( oeil-de-boeuf type) on the building of préfecture de police de Paris, Île de la Cité, by Victor Calliat, mid-19th century File:Grave of Alexandrina Grejdanescu and Barbu Grejdanescu in the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest, Romania (02).jpg, Neoclassical volutes of a pediment with acroteria of the Grave of Alexandrina Grejdanescu and Barbu Grejdanescu, Bellu Cemetery, Bucharest, Romania, unknown architect or sculptor, 1871 File:Interior of the George Severeanu Museum in Bucharest (13).jpg, Rococo Revival volutes on a wall in the

George Severeanu Museum George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

, Bucharest, unknown architect, 1900 File:47BIS Avenue Kléber, Paris (01).jpg, Rococo Revival volutes above the door of Avenue Kléber no. 47bis, Paris, unknown architect, 1908 File:Grille of the Cheney Silk Company Building, New York City, 1925, designed by the French metalworking company Ferrobrandt.jpg, Art Deco volutes on some decorative ironwork of the Madison Belmont Building (

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...

no. 181–183) in New York City, by Ferrobrandt, 1925 File:Edgar brandt, porte da ascensore in ferro, vetro e bronzo, francia 1926 02.jpg, Art Deco volutes on a pair of elevator doors, by Edgar Brandt, 1926, wrought iron, glass, and patinated and gilded bronze, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum,

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

File:77 avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris 8e 5.jpg, Art Deco volutes on some ironwork of Avenue des Champs-Élysées no. 77 in Paris, unknown architect, () File:1 Piața Mihail Kogălniceanu, Bucharest (03).jpg, Art Deco volutes in a relief panel on Piața Mihail Kogălniceanu no. 1, Bucharest, unknown architect, 1930 File:Michael graves per swid powell design, vaso, 1989.jpg,

Postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

volutes of a vase inspired by the Ionic capital, deisgned by Michael Graves for Swid Powell, 1989, glazed porcelain, Indianapolis Museum of Art,

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, US Cambridge - Gonville and Caius College - 0913.jpg, New Classical volutes of Ionic and Corinthian columns in the Gonville and Caius College Hall, Cambridge, UK, with capitals inspired by those from the Temple of Apollo at Bassae, by John Simpson, 1998

Gallery

See also