Acanthus motif

Dublin Core

Title

Acanthus motif

Description

The acanthus motif is an ornament based on the shape of an acanthus leaf. It is widely used as decoration in Corinthian and Composite capitals.
Because of the life cycle of the acanthus plant, which dies in summer but grows again in autumn, acanthus motifs are believed to symbolize rebirth and prosperity (3). It also represents immortality.
The acanthus motif has a long history. It appeared already in ancient architecture; one of its oldest forms is found in the Greek Temple of Apollo Epicurius, dated 450–420 BC (1). The origin of this decoration has been described by the Roman architect Vitruvius: "that a basket which was covered with a tile having been accidentally placed on the ground over a root of acanthus [...] Callimachus, a famous architect, happening to pass by, was delighted with the novelty and beauty of this appearance, and being about to make some pillars at Corinth, imitated the form of the basket surrounded with acanthus"(2). With the invention of the Composite column in Augustan times, this motif continued to be widely used in Rome, and was later adapted to Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic architectures.

References:
(1) Wikipedia (10 April 2022).
(2) Big Messages in Small Details: Nature in Roman Archaeology on JSTOR (10 April 2022).
(3) THE WORD ACANTHUS on JSTOR (10 April 2022).

Creator

Le Nguyen Diem Ha

Citation

Le Nguyen Diem Ha, “Acanthus motif,” Augustus in Saigon!?, accessed December 23, 2024, https://augustusinsaigon.uni-trier.de/items/show/37.

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