![]() ![]() For whatever, reason, Stuart and Revett did not include a shaded engraving of the east portico capitals.įigure 3. The west elevation capitals have scrolled flourishes between the palmettes and anthemions that are lacking on the otherwise identical east portico capitals. It should be noted that Stuart and Revett’s illustration of the Erechtheum column capital, shown here, is of a capital of an engaged column on the temple’s west elevation, while the British Museum column is from the east portico. ![]() A cast-concrete copy now stands in its place on the Acropolis. For better or worse, the column has been spared the weathering that has worn the rest of the temple. The British Museum acquired Elgin’s collection of antiquities in 1816 where it has remained ever since. Thomas Bruce, 7 th Lord Elgin removed the column along with the famous Parthenon sculptures between 18. Their original beauty can be better appreciated by observing the north corner column of the Erechtheum’s east portico, on display in the British Museum ( figure 3). II, Chap.II.Įxposure to the elements, including the polluted air of modern Athens, has eroded much of the crispness of the Erechtheum’s marble capitals. The egg-and-dart motif is repeated on the abacus. Bead-and-reel bands highlight each of the ridges in the sides of the volutes. The central swag in the canals, a characteristic feature of Greek Ionic capitals, emphasizes the drapery-like character. The Erechtheum’s volutes are the most complex of all Greek Ionic capitals, having a series of tightly spaced creases or canals resembling fine drapery. A beautifully carved braided band tops the echinus. The band is decorated with foliage ornaments, in this case stylized palmettes alternating with anthemions or honeysuckle motifs ( figure 2). Although the temple is best known for its unique Caryatid porch, the Erechtheum’s distinctive Ionic order has been employed to adorn countless buildings throughout the western world.Īs shown in Stuart and Revett’s detailed illustration, the order’s exquisitely detailed capitals are distinguished by a wide band or necking between the astragal and the egg-and-dart echinus. It was through this famous latter work that the Erechtheum gained widespread admiration. The Erechtheum was the subject of more in-depth study and comprehensive illustrations in the second volume of James Stuart and Nicholas Revett’s The Antiquities of Athens (1790). The temple was first recorded in modern times by Julien-David LeRoy, who published drawings and a description of the Erechtheum in his 1758 treatise, The Ruins of the Most Beautiful Monuments of Greece, Historically and Architecturally Considered. Located in the shadow of the Parthenon, the Erechtheum was erected between 421 and 406 BC ( figure 1). The Ionic of the Erechtheum is commonly acknowledged to be the most beautiful of the Greek Ionic orders. Senior Architectural Historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and a member of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America‘s Advisory Council ![]()
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