A gutta (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

of the

Doric order The Doric order is 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 t ...

classical architecture Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De archit ...

. 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 above the frieze had rectangular protrusions termed '' mutules'' 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

skeuomorph A skeuomorph (also spelled skiamorph, ) is a derivative object that retains ornamental design cues (attributes) from structures that were necessary in the original. Skeuomorphs are typically used to make something new feel familiar in an effort t ...

ic 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

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

s 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 in Rome, an early work of Giulio Romano (1520–21), has a narrow "simplified entablature" with guttae but no tryglyphs. The stone fireplace in the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the president of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval room has three lar ...

has Ionic columns at the side, but the decorative wreath in the centre of the

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

has sets of guttae below (only five to a set).See gallery The Baroque Černín Palace in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

(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 Greece, ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in Magna Graecia. The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order dating from about 550 to 450 BCE that ...

, Italy. File:RomanDoricOrderEngraving.jpg, Theater of Marcellus: cone-shaped guttae pictured below the

in the

. File:Villa Lante al Gianicolo.jpg, Villa Lante al Gianicolo, guttae but no triglphs. Giulio Romano, 1520–21. File:Praha, Hradčany, Černínský palác, fasáda 01.jpg, Černín Palace in

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

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

, and guttae, Museu de Belles Arts de València. 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 architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

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

, with guttae on the Ionic fireplace.

Notes

References

* Summerson, John, '' The Classical Language of Architecture'', 1980 edition, Thames and Hudson ''World of Art'' series, {{ISBN, 0500201773 Architectural elements Columns and entablature