An acroterion, acroterium, or akroteria is an architectural ornament placed on a flat pedestal called the ''acroter'' or

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

, and mounted at the apex or corner of the

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

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 o ...

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. I ...

. They are sometimes incorporated into furniture designs.

Etymology

The word comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

' ( '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.” Image:Marble akroterion MET DT259543.jpg, Greek akroterion, 350–325 BC, marble, in the

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 100 ...

(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 Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

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

Etymology

See also

References

External links