Gadrooning is a decorative motif consisting of convex curving shapes in
relief
Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
in a series. In furniture and other
decorative arts
]
The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose aim is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. This includes most of the objects for the interiors of buildings, as well as interior design, but typically excl ...
, it is an ornamental carved band of tapered, curving and sometimes alternating concave and convex sections, usually diverging obliquely either side of a central point, often with rounded ends vaguely reminiscent of flower petals. Gadrooning, derived from
Roman art, Roman sarcophagi
A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek σάρξ ' meaning "flesh", and φ ...
and other antiquities, was widely used during the
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...
, and in the classicising phases of 18th- and 19th-century design.
In medieval European metalwork, gadroons on circular dishes are often tapering, ending in a point on a central circular zone, and run diagonally across the surface in a spiral. Similar – but typically not tapered – designs were popular in
Rococo
Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
porcelain
Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...
and metalwork. In
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
or
Neoclassical works, they are normally thinner and straighter.
Gadrooning is also observed on late 17th and 18th century glasses. It is produced with a second gather of glass leading a complex and ornate design due to the added layer of glass. In some cases the gadrooning has a fringe which is drawn out to several points, leading to a flame-like appearance. This is known as flammiform (flamiform, alternative spelling) gadrooning.
Gallery
three ornate vessels (2).jpg, Three Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
goblets decorated with gadroonings, 1520-1525
Italian - Bowl - Walters 44203.jpg, Italian late 16th-century enameled copper footed bowl, with several registers of gadrooning (Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially ...
)
Italian - "Cassone" - Walters 6535.jpg, Walnut cassone
A cassone (plural ''cassoni'') or marriage chest is a rich and showy Italian type of chest, which may be inlaid or carved, prepared with gesso ground then painted and gilded. ''Pastiglia'' was decoration in low relief carved or moulded in ...
in the form of an antique sarcophagus
A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...
, Rome, 16th century (Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially ...
)
ATSF Holloware Creamer Dscn0985 crop.jpg, American railroad holloware creamer jug with gadrooning on the lower body, in Regency taste, early 20th century
gadrooned ale glass.jpg, A Georgian ale glass from the around the mid-18th century. It has wrythened gadrooning to the lower half of the bowl.
Gadrooned golden vase of Psusennes I.jpg, A golden vase of king Psusennes I
Psusennes I (; Greek Ψουσέννης) was the third pharaoh of the 21st Dynasty who ruled from Tanis between 1047 and 1001 BC. ''Psusennes'' is the Greek version of his original name Pasibkhanu or Pasebakhaenniut (in reconstructed Late Egypti ...
of Egypt from the 11th century BC
See also
*
greebling
Greebles, also called greeblies (singular: greebly) or nurnies, are small relief details used to give visual complexity to a model. The act of decorating a model with greebles is known as greebling. While greebling originated as a technique in f ...
References
BrownOwl's Antiques Glossary: Letter G Retrieved 29 August 2007.
Decorative arts
Ornaments
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