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 ...

, a metope (μετόπη) is a rectangular architectural element that fills the space between two

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 ...

s in a

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

, which is a decorative band of alternating triglyphs and metopes above the

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can a ...

of a building 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 ...

. Metopes often had painted or sculptural decoration; the most famous example are the 92 metopes of the

Parthenon marbles The Elgin Marbles (), also known as the Parthenon Marbles ( el, Γλυπτά του Παρθενώνα, lit. "sculptures of the Parthenon"), are a collection of Classical Greek marble sculptures made under the supervision of the architect and sc ...

some of which depict the battle between the

Centaur A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as bein ...

s and the

Lapiths The Lapiths (; grc, Λαπίθαι) are a group of legendary people in Greek mythology, whose home was in Thessaly, in the valley of the Peneus and on the mountain Pelion. Mythology Origin The Lapiths were an Aeolian tribe who, like the Myr ...

. The painting on most metopes has been lost, but sufficient traces remain to allow a close idea of their original appearance. In terms of structure, metopes may be carved from a single block with a triglyph (or triglyphs), or they may be cut separately and slide into slots in the triglyph blocks as at the Temple of Aphaea. Sometimes the metopes and friezes were cut from different stone, so as to provide color contrast. Although they tend to be close to square in shape, some metopes are noticeably larger in height or in width. They may also vary in width within a single structure to allow for corner contraction, an adjustment of the column spacing and arrangement of the Doric frieze in a temple to make the design appear more harmonious.

Ancient architecture

The triglyph frieze is part of the Doric order, found in ancient Greece in the 7th century BC. Chr. and was mainly used in temple architecture. But even later, the Doric order and with it the metopes were used as a structuring and decorative principle of order in Greek architecture. In the early days, the metopes were open and could contain vases or sacrificial skulls. Later, the free spaces were closed with panels made of different materials. These plates could be painted or provided with reliefs.

Gallery

MRSAS PA 14 09 2018 31.jpg, Triglyphs and metopes from the Temple C (Selinus) at Selinus, 560 BC, in the Antonino Salinas Regional Archeological Museum (

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) Image:Metope-1.jpg, A metope (L) and triglyph (R) cut from one block from Stratos Image:Metope-2.jpg, Triglyph blocks with slots for the insertion of metopes in the Marmaria at Delphi Image:Brauron-10.jpg, Metopes made from marble slotted into the frieze of the Stoa at Brauron Image:Paestum Museum (6120213537).jpg, Section of metope frieze from a temple near

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 ...

, c. 510 BC Image:Metope-3.jpg, Metopes with sculptural decoration in the Doric frieze of the Treasury of the Athenians at Delphi Image:Aphaia-temple-3.jpg, Frieze of the Temple of Aphaea with triglyphs slotted for metopes Image:Angle del temple d'Hefest de l'àgora d'Atenes.JPG, The entablature of the ''Hephaisteion'' (temple of Hephaistos) in Athens, showing Doric frieze with sculpted metopes Extérieur du château de Maisons-Laffitte 01.JPG, Metope on a façade of the Château de Maisons-Laffitte from France, an example of

French Baroque architecture French Baroque architecture, sometimes called French classicism, was a style of architecture during the reigns of Louis XIII (1610–43), Louis XIV (1643–1715) and Louis XV (1715–74). It was preceded by French Renaissance architecture and Ma ...

, by

François Mansart François Mansart (; 23 January 1598 – 23 September 1666) was a French architect credited with introducing classicism into Baroque architecture of France. The '' Encyclopædia Britannica'' cites him as the most accomplished of 17th-century Fr ...

Extérieur du château de Maisons-Laffitte 02.JPG, Another metope of the Château de Maisons-Laffitte Paris Hôtel de Beauvais2189.JPG, Doric frieze of the Hôtel de Beauvais from Paris File:Metopes - Indianapolis Public Library.jpg, Early 20th century Americanized metopes, using bison in place of cow skulls (

bucranium Bucranium (plural ''bucrania''; Latin, from Greek ''βουκράνιον'', referring to the skull of an ox) was a form of carved decoration commonly used in Classical architecture. The name is generally considered to originate with the practic ...

)

References

* Robertson, D. S. (1929). ''Handbook of Greek and Roman Architecture''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

External links

* {{commons category-inline, Metopes Ancient Greek architecture Ancient Greek sculpture Ancient Roman architectural elements Ancient Roman sculpture Columns and entablature Architectural sculpture

Ancient architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links