A gutta (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

pl. guttae, "drops") is a small water-repelling, cone-shaped projection used near the top of the architrave of the

Doric order The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of c ...

classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect ...

. At the top of the architrave blocks, a row of six ''guttae'' below the narrow projection of the taenia (fillet) formed an element called a regula. A ''regula'' was aligned under each

triglyph Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The rectangular recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric frieze are ...

of the Doric frieze. In addition, the underside of the projecting

geison {{other Geison ( grc, γεῖσον – often interchangeable with somewhat broader term cornice) is an architectural term of relevance particularly to ancient Greek and Roman buildings, as well as archaeological publications of the same. The ge ...

above the frieze had rectangular protrusions termed ''

mutule This page is a glossary of architecture. A B C The Caryatid Porch of the Erech ...

s'' that each had three rows of six ''guttae''. These mutules were aligned above each triglyph and each metope. It is thought that the guttae were a skeuomorphic representation of the pegs used in the construction of the wooden structures that preceded the familiar Greek architecture in stone. However, they have some functionality, as water drips over the edges, away from the edge of the building.

Outside the Doric

In the strict tradition of classical architecture, a set of guttae always go with a triglyph above (and vice versa), and the pair of features are only found in entablatures using the Doric order. In Renaissance and later architecture these strict conventions are sometimes abandoned, and guttae and triglyphs, alone or together, may be used somewhat randomly as ornaments. The Doric order of the

Villa Lante al Gianicolo Villa Lante al Gianicolo is a villa in Rome on the Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo). It is a summer house designed by Giulio Romano in 1520-21 for Baldassare Turini, as one of Romano's first independent commissions after the death of his master Raph ...

in Rome, an early work of

Giulio Romano Giulio Romano (, ; – 1 November 1546), is the acquired name of Giulio Pippi, who was an Italian painter and architect. He was a pupil of Raphael, and his stylistic deviations from High Renaissance classicism help define the sixteenth-cent ...

(1520–21), has a narrow "simplified entablature" with guttae but no tryglyphs. The stone fireplace in the Oval Office has Ionic columns at the side, but the decorative wreath in the centre of the lintel has sets of guttae below (only five to a set).See gallery The Baroque

Černín Palace The Czernin Palace ( cs, Černínský palác) is the largest of the baroque palaces of Prague, which has served as the offices of the Czechoslovak and later Czech foreign ministry since the 1930s. It was commissioned by the diplomat Humprecht ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

(1660s) has triglyphs and guttae as ornaments at the top of arches, in a facade using an eclectic Ionic order.

Gallery

File:Metope - Temple of Poseidon - Paestum - Italy 2015 (2).JPG, So-called "Temple of Poseidon",

Paestum Paestum ( , , ) was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, whi ...

, Italy. File:RomanDoricOrderEngraving.jpg,

Theater of Marcellus The Theatre of Marcellus ( la, Theatrum Marcelli, it, Teatro di Marcello) is an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, Italy, built in the closing years of the Roman Republic. At the theatre, locals and visitors alike were able to watch performances o ...

: cone-shaped guttae pictured below the

in the

. File:Villa Lante al Gianicolo.jpg,

, guttae but no triglphs.

, 1520–21. File:Praha, Hradčany, Černínský palác, fasáda 01.jpg,

(1660s) has triglyphs and guttae as ornaments at the top of arches. File:Detall de la portada de Sant Pius V, València.JPG,

Dentils A dentil (from Lat. ''dens'', a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice. Dentils are found in ancient Greek and Roman architecture, and also in later styles such as Neoclassical, Federal, Georgian Rev ...

triglyphs Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The rectangular recessed spaces between the tri glyphs on a Doric frieze ar ...

, and guttae,

Museu de Belles Arts de València The Museu de Belles Arts de València (; es, link=no, Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia; English: "Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia") is an art gallery in Valencia, Spain, founded in 1913. It houses some 2,000 works, most dating from the 14th–17 ...

. File:CLOSE- UP OF TRIGLYPHS, ALSO PILASTER CAP ON S. W. CORNER OF BUILDING - Christ Episcopal Church, Church and Saint HABS ALA,49-MOBI,33-10.tif, Triglyphs and

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

cap, Christ Episcopal Church, Mobile, Alabama. File:Ambassador Rick Olson with President Barack Obama.jpg, US Ambassador Rick Olson with President Barack Obama, in the Oval office, with guttae on the Ionic fireplace.

Notes

References

* Summerson, John, ''

The Classical Language of Architecture ''The Classical Language of Architecture'' is a 1965 compilation of six BBC radio lectures given in 1963 by Sir John Summerson. It is a 60-some page discussion of the origins of classical architecture and its movement through Antiquity, Renaissan ...

'', 1980 edition,

Thames and Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...

''World of Art'' series, {{ISBN, 0500201773 Architectural elements Columns and entablature