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 the outer angles of the pediment is an ''acroterion angularium'' (' means ‘at the corners’).
The acroterion may take a wide variety of forms, such as a statue, tripod, disc, urn,
palmette
The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art ...
or some other sculpted feature. Acroteria are also found in
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...
. They are sometimes incorporated into furniture designs.
Etymology
The word comes from the
Greek ' ( 'summit, extremity'), from the comparative form of the adjective ' (, 'extreme, endmost'). It was
Latinized by the
Romans as '. ''Acroteria'' is the plural of both the original Greek and the Latin form.
According to Webb, during the
Hellenistic period
In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
the winged victory or
Nike figure was considered to be "the most appropriate motif for figured akroteria.”
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
(New York City)
File:Marble akroterion of the grave monument of Timotheos and Nikon MET GR97.jpg, Akroterion of the grave monument of Timotheos and Nikon, 350–325 BC, marble, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
File:Monument Gordon 06.JPG, Acroterion on the Gordon Monument in Waterloo
See also
*
Antefix
*
Finial
*
List of classical architecture terms
References
External links
*{{cite encyclopedia , url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9003592/acroterion , encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica , title=Acroterion , id=article 9003592
Ornaments (architecture)
Ancient Greek architecture
Roofs
Ancient Roman architectural elements