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Egyptian

Corinthian capital, 200s CE

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Egyptian

Title

Corinthian capital

Year

200s CE

Medium

Limestone

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • limestone

Dimensions

35.6 x 57.1 cm (14 x 22 1/2 inches)

Type

  • Sculpture,
  • Architectural Elements

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

39.132

About

This Corinthian-style capital is a form that was common throughout the Byzantine world. Based on Roman prototypes, its naturalistic ornamentation consists of superimposed rows of scrolling acanthus leaves that bend to support a flat tablet. The capital is carved on all four sides, indicating that it rested on a freestanding column. Arranged in a colonnade, a succession of these columns would have supported architectural elements such as springing arches or a horizontal architrave. During the Middle Ages, the leafy decoration of the Corinthian capital was transformed by the introduction of figures, animals, and geometric designs, as can be seen in the Romanesque capital at left, and in the capitals of the portal on the center of the wall.

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Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Corinthian capital with the accession number of 39.132. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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