Æsthetics, the science of the beautiful.

Æsthetic, when applied to ornament, not only means “beautiful,” hut that beauty was the sole aim of its production, and distinguishes it from symbolic and mnemonic ornament. See page 143.

Allegory, the representation of one thing under the image of another. It was mostly confined to human figures, but to aid its comprehension attributes were added. Among the Pagans strength was shown as Hercules with his club; health as a woman with a serpent; rivers were represented as gods with crowns of sedge or rushes; towns as gods or goddesses with mural crowns. Among the Christians, a man holding a lamb, or a shepherd with his flock, was an allegorical representation of Christ the Good Shepherd; the seven cardinal virtues and the seven deadly sins were represented by allegorical figures, and each had its proper attributes.

Alternation, two different forms in succession, or alternating with each other. Figs. 67, 75, and 76.

Anthemion, a radiating ornament with a palmate outline; the honeysuckle ornament of the Greeks.

Attributes, the things assigned to any one. Amongst the Pagans the eagle and thunderbolt to Jupiter, the trident to Neptune, the peacock to Juno, &c. Amongst the Christians the nimbus was the attribute of divinity, saintship, or martyrdom, the lily of chastity, &c.

Balance, equilibrium or counterpoise. In compositions that are not symmetrical the weight of the masses must be alike on either side of a central axis; in those of symmetrical outline with different fillings there must be equality of weight in the fillings. Renaissance ornament affords many admirable examples of balance. See page 46, and Figs. 126 and 131.

Banding, decorating by means of horizontal stripes, mostly filled with ornament. Figs. 116 and 117.

Catenary, the curve formed by a chain hanging from two points. Fig. 27.

Cauliculus, the shoot or stem of a plant forming the volutes under the angles of the abacus, and those in the centre of each face of a Corinthian capital; in modern works this name is mostly confined to the central spirals, the outer ones being called volutes. Figs. 180, 181, 185, 187 and 188.

Checkering, covering a surface with a square pattern like a chess-board, in which the colour or the ornament alternates. The outline is formed by equidistant vertical and horizontal lines crossing one another. Figs. 98 and 99.

Colour, apart from the literal meaning of the word, is a vague technical term to express character and contrast in ornament.

Complexity, interweaving or intricacy; the opposite of simplicity. Ornament in which the leading forms are not apparent, is mainly to be found in Celtic, Saracenic, Moresque, and Gothic ornament. It is also characteristic of the decadent periods of all historic styles.

Contrast, the opposition of dissimilar figures or positions, by which one contributes to the effect of the other; e. g. the straight line with the circle, vertical and horizontal lines alternating; in colour black with white, &c.; ornamental forms where flat and sharp curves contrast with one another; a plain space alternating with an ornamented one, or an enriched moulding round a plain panel, or vice versÂ, &c. See page 43.

Conventional. This is a word of great elasticity. In early decoration natural objects were highly conventionalized through the want of skill in the artists, who could not copy, but only portray their impressions, thus the Egyptians and early Greeks represented water by the zig-zag. These early conventionalized forms were sometimes perpetuated through religious conservatism, after the artists had become skilful. All ornament is more or less conventional, but the term is usually applied to designate that ornament in which the most beautiful and characteristic floral forms have been abstracted and adapted to the material employed and the effect wanted. The styles most characterized by conventional ornament are the Greek and the early Gothic; they are equally effective as ornament in their respective countries, but the Greek has all the grace and vigour of the highest plant form, while Gothic has mostly only the vigour. Figs. 49-54. The Romans and the Renaissance architects also successfully conventionalized. Figs. 91 and 129. Convention now too often means leaving out all grace and vigour. Saracenic-Persian ornament is perhaps the least conventionalized of fairly good ornament. Figs. 49, 53, 54, 118, and 119. Conventional is also used in opposition to realistic ornament.

Counterchange, a pattern in which the ornament and ground are mostly similar in shape but different in colour and alternate with each other. See Figs. 171 and 172.

Cymatium, the capping to a vertical member, as the cymatium of the abacus of the Roman Doric, of the architrave, of the frieze, of the corona. See Appendix on the orders.

Diaper, derived from jasper, originally employed to designate those coloured patterns on stuffs that suggested the flowerings of jasper; subsequently a pattern enclosed in repealing geometrical forms not composed of straight lines; but unhappily employed of late years to designate any repeating patterns enclosed in geometric forms, including checkers and net-work. Figs. 101, 107, 109, and 110.

Emblem, in Latin, means embossed ornament on vessels, inlaid work, and mosaic. In modern English it is a device, and was the animal or thing that was painted on a shield to show the temper or striking quality or achievement of the warrior. It is also used as an allegorical representation of some virtue or quality. We say the cock is an emblem of watchfulness; the lion, of courage; the scales, of justice; the lily, of purity; but the latter may be used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary.

Equilibrium. See Balance. Also Figs. 130 and 160.

Enlargement of Subject, e. g. the figure of Bacchus is wanted for a given space which it does not fill; the due filling of the space may sometimes be attained by the addition of his attributes, as a leopard, a thyrsus, a vine and grapes; accessories even may be wanted, as a satyr, mÆnad, rocks, trees, &c.

Eurythmy, harmony or elegance in ornament; a quality obtained by the use of contrasted but harmonious and dignified forms, expressed in a measured or proportionate quantity.

Even distribution, the plain space and ornament proportionately arranged; Indian ornament gives the most mechanical instance of this, while good Roman and Cinque Cento pilaster panels give the most artistic examples of this arrangement. It is sometimes improperly used to designate the balancing of masses in a design. Figs. 101, 102, 143, &c.

Expression, the method of representing ornament by various means, as in outline by the pencil, pen, or point; in painting, by the brush; and in relief or sunk work by modelling. In another sense expression is giving the proper treatment and character to ornament.

Fanciful, a term sometimes applied to grotesque creations, for example, to the hybrid animals, and the figures ending in foliage, met with in Pompeian and other decorations. Figs. 122, 131, 134, and 135.

Fitness, absolute propriety; beautiful ornament adapted to its purpose and not interfering with the use of the object ornamented. See page 48.

Flexibility, a quality derived from the appearance of plants of free growth; the freedom and elasticity found in natural forms when converted into ornament give a look of flexibility, in opposition to rigid and angular lines which produce a look of inflexibility. See Fig. 54.

Fluted, channelled in hollows, semi-circular, segmental, or elliptical in section; like those on some of the shafts of Greek and Roman columns. See also Figs. 75 and 76.

Geometric, or “geometrical arrangement,” the setting out of all good ornament; also the bounding lines for ornament constructed on a basis of geometry, as in diapers, &c.; the triangle, square, lozenge, diamond, the circle, the hexagon, octagon, and other polygons, are the chief geometrical forms for patterns in ornament. Saracenic decorations are pre-eminently geometric in construction. See Figs. 101, 102, 106, 107, 110, and 172.

Grotesque, from the word grot or grotto. When the fantastic arabesques of ancient Roman decoration were discovered under the baths and in grottoes, they were originally called grotesque, and were imitated in the Vatican. (See Figs. 122 and 128.) The word is mainly used now to describe the coarse and humorous carvings of heads, satyrs, &c., originally used to decorate the built grottoes of the late Renaissance, which gradually overspread all buildings. The word is also used to denote the quaint class of Gothic sculptured creations (Fig. 131), such as winged dragons, grinning monsters, &c., that serve to decorate the ends of dripstone mouldings; gargoyles, bosses, and finials, &c.

Growth is a concise expression for those forms which denote the special vigour shown by plants at certain epochs of their growth, the twist of the stem of creeping plants to get light to the flowers, the bursting of the bud from a capsule, or the clasp of a tendril. Examples are to be met with in the volutes of Greek Corinthian capitals, in the base of the tripod on the choragic monument of Lysikrates, in Renaissance sculpture, and in early Gothic.

Guilloche, snare-work; an ornament composed of parallel curved lines flowing and crossing each other; these forms may best be illustrated by the bending of ropes round circular pins so as to cross one another. See Figs. 37, 38, 39, and 40.

Hieroglyphic, sacred carving, mostly applied to Egyptian picture and symbolic writing. See Fig. 162.

Idealistic, used by some writers as equivalent to conventional, in opposition to “realistic”.

Imbrication, overlapping scale-like ornaments; as seen in fir-cones, the hop, and curved tiles on roofs, are examples of imbrication. The bark of the Chili pine is a peculiar instance of horizontal imbrication which is something like that of a Roman roof. It is used as decoration on roofs, torus mouldings, and small columns, and is a common way of filling certain spaces on Italian majolica. See Fig. 26, A, B, C.

Inappropriate ornament, that which is improperly applied, so as to spoil the appearance, or interfere with the use of an object; is false, out of scale, or redundant. See page 21.

Independent ornaments. Things that are beautiful, quaint, or curious, that may be attached to a wall or surface, as festoons, shields, medallions, trophies, &c. See page 21, also Fig. 133.

Interchange is when running vertical or horizontal patterns are divided by a vertical or horizontal axis, the colour of the ground on either side of it being different, the ornament on each side of the axis being of the colour of the opposite ground. See Figs. 173, 174.

Interlacing, ornament composed of bands, ribbons, ropes, rushes, osiers, &c., woven together, or crossing at intervals, as seen in Celtic, Byzantine, and Saracenic ornament; among examples of interlaced work may be mentioned braided, trellis, basket, and woven work. Figs. 22, 23.

Intersection, the points at which lines or other forms cut one another.

Monotony, sameness of tone; often shown in excessive repetition; a very undesirable feature in ornament: patterns within diapers without contrasting elements; mouldings coming together whose widths and profiles are nearly equal; panelling without sufficient variety in size; carved ornament of nearly equal relief—in short, any lack of variety in the composition, modelling, or colour of ornament produces monotony.

Mnemonic, ornament in which written signs or other elements are used for the purpose of aiding the memory. See page 130. Figs. Fig. 162, Fig. 163.

Naturalistic, those forms that are used for decoration, that resemble the spots and eyes on butterflies’ wings, or the markings on the skins of reptiles and quadrupeds, or on the feathers of birds; mostly found in the ornament of savage tribes.

Network, as opposed to checkers, are squares set lozengewise or forming diamonds; but the word is commonly applied to any figures in outline, rectilinear or otherwise, covering a surface. See Fig. 102.

Order, regular disposition; a pleasing sequence in the arrangement of opposed forms. Order is of such vital importance in a design that ornament can scarcely have any existence without it.

Powdering, sprays, flowers, leaves, and other decorative units sprinkled on a ground; “powdering” is a favourite method of decoration with the Japanese, and was with the MediÆvals. See pp. 63, 80, and 83, and Figs. 85, 103, and 105.

Proportion, the harmonic spacing of lines and surfaces; of the length, width, and projection of solids; the ratio between succeeding units in flowing ornament, and the relation between the spaces occupied by the ornament and its ground.

Radiation, the divergence from a point of straight or curved lines. Radiating ornament is improved by the point being below the straight or curved line from which the radiation starts. Explained at page 44. See Figs. 49, 50, and 51.

Realistic, a style of decoration in which forms are applied without alteration from natural forms or objects, or without apparent alteration; it is opposed to the “conventional,” and is rarely found in the best periods of good historic styles. See Figs. 1 and 146.

Repetition, a succession of the same decorative unit. For explanation see pages 40-43. and Figs. 3, 9, and 32.

Reeded, convex forms applied to a flat or curved surface, producing the reverse effect of “fluting”; some of the columns in Egyptian architecture are reeded, being sculptured to represent a bundle of reeds tied together. See Figs. 76A and 76B.

Repose, rest; the absence of apparent movement in ornament; this apparent movement may be seen in some flamboyant tracery and Saracenic work, and in some bad paper-hangings, &c.; also the absence of spottiness. See page 45.

Scale, the relative proportion of the different parts of a decorative composition to each other, to the whole, and to the thing ornamented. If a design is composed of different organic forms, they should, as a rule, keep their natural proportion to each other. Attributes are, however, often made to a much larger scale in Greek coins and engraved gems. Equality in scale need not be used when parts are cut off from each other by inclosing mouldings, as in isolated panels, pilasters, medallions, spandrels, &c.; the inclosed spaces may be filled with other subjects of smaller or larger scale, as with landscapes, heads, or inscriptions; the frieze of a room, from its greater importance, may have its decoration larger in scale than the panels of the door or shutters. The scale employed in the decoration of rooms, of floors, or of pieces of furniture, may increase or destroy their importance; hence, except in rare instances, the human figure should not exceed its natural size, and may want to be much smaller. And this precaution is equally important in the use of plants; if the flowers or leaves in ornament are made gigantic, they destroy the scale of the room or floor; though it may be known that leaves four feet in diameter or six feet long actually exist.

Scalloping or scolloping, forming an edge with semi-circles or segments, the convex side being outwards.

Scroll, a roll of paper or parchment. As a unit in ornament, it is usually applied to two spirals, each attached to the opposite ends of a curved stem, each spiral coiling the reverse way, but the word is often applied to ornament composed of a meander with spirals.

Series, usually the sequence of several dissimilar forms at regular intervals, as the bead and reel in bead-mouldings, the sequence of the same text in Saracenic work, and also a sequence of forms similar in shape but in an increasing or decreasing order, as branches of plants with leaves getting smaller from bottom to top.

Setting out, the planning of a scheme of decoration; the first constructive lines or marking-out of the ornament; the skeleton lines of a design. See pages 26, 40, and 68.

Soffit, an architectural term applied to the under side of any fixed portion, as the soffit of a beam, an architrave, a cornice, an arch, or a vault.

Spacing, the marking of widths in mouldings, panels, stiles and rails, borders, &c. Equality of division in decoration is, in most cases, ineffective, and should be guarded against; harmonious variety in such widths and distances is desirable for getting a good effect. See pages 42, 62, 65, and 68-71. Also Figs. C, D, 88 and 89.

Spiral, the elevation of a wire continuously twisted round a cylinder, or cone, also the plan of one twisted round a cone; in ornament the word spiral, when used as a substantive, mostly means the latter form. The curved line forming a volute (as in the Ionic capital) and the outline of the wave ornament; the line of construction in univalve shells. See Figs. 24, 41, 42, 43, 178, &c.

Stability, firmness and strength in the general appearance of a design; in climbing plants this appearance can only be given by their attachment to a central upright or to the vertical sides of the frame; the straight line is the chief factor of stability in ornament. See page 42. Where many curved lines are used in the decoration of long panels, straight-lined forms must be introduced to counteract the effect of instability in the curved ones. See Figs. 123 and 128. This is especially the case in pilasters which are architectural features of support; and for the same reason the heavier forms should be kept at the bottom and the lighter ones at the top.

Style, originally meant handwriting. In historic styles it means the expression of the taste and skill of the people who produced the work of art, whether it be architecture, sculpture, or painting. Bygone styles are useful for study, and may be copied or paraphrased, but can never be re-created, because the genius, knowledge, opportunities, and surroundings of any later period are unlikely to be the same. We classify them under the head of conventional (sometimes called idealistic), realistic, and naturalistic. It is also used to express good drawing or modelling, which conveys the elegance, grace, or vigour of the best natural forms. Sometimes it is applied to a composition in which those qualities arc expressed, in contradistinction to the ill-drawn, flabby, or commonplace.

Spotting. This word has nearly the same meaning as “powdering,” the only difference being that the units of form in such decoration have a geometrical basis and are mostly equidistant, the ground occupying much larger space than the ornament. See Fig. 80.

Stripe, usually applied in ornament to narrow bands.

Suitability, Æsthetic and practical fitness; the great thing to remember is the nature, surface, and shape of the object to be decorated, and to design the ornament accordingly, for it is evident that what would be a good ornament for one object or position might be bad for another.

Superimposed or superposed, an ornament which is laid on the surface of another, such as a large flowing pattern on a ground covered with a smaller pattern, either geometric or floral; or a broad, ribbon-like ornament laid on a pattern formed of narrow and fine lines. This sort of ornamentation is mostly seen in the decoration of the Saracens, but occasionally in that of the Renaissance artists. In the wall-patterns of the Alhambra, we often find two, three, and sometimes four different designs superimposed on each other, the judicious use of different colours and gold preventing confusion in the pattern; the complexity is sometimes of a well-ordered kind. See Figs. 101, 102, and 104.

Subordination. A regular gradation from the most important feature to the least important. See the central panel of ceiling, Fig. 89.

Symbol originally meant a token or a ticket among the Greeks; by the Romans it meant the same, and also a signet. In modern English it means a sign, emblem, or figurative representation. In ornamental art it is mostly used to express some beautiful thing that by knowledge or association brings to the mind some power or dignity connected with religion. Attributes are often used as symbols of the divinity to which they belong—the bow of Diana, the thyrsus of Bacchus (Fig. 167), and the trident of Neptune, &c. In Christian ornament the fish and lamb are mostly symbols of the Saviour. It is sometimes difficult to determine when anything should be called a symbol, an emblem, or an allegorical representation; for instance, whether the Apocalyptic calf is a symbol, an emblem, or an allegorical representation of St. Luke.

Symmetry, equality of form and mass on either side of a central line; absolute sameness in the two sides of a piece of ornament. See Figs. 127 and 130.

Tangential Junction, the meeting of curves at their tangential points, so that they flow into one another without making an angle. The principal constructive lines in foliated ornament and scroll patterns should illustrate “tangential junction,” i. e. the branches and curves should flow out of the central stem. See p. 45, and Figs. 25 and 53.

Uniformity, being of one shape; the square and circle are uniform figures; it is one of the main causes of grandeur and dignity, but if absolute, results in monotony. The Greek temples had apparently uniform columns placed at uniform distances, and monotony was avoided by delicate variations in the size and spacing of the columns.

Unit, the smallest or simplest complete expression of ornament in any scheme of decoration.

Unity, perfect accord in all the parts of a design. Unity is often a characteristic of designs that are very monotonous, so by itself it will scarcely render a design pleasing.

Unsymmetrical, without symmetry, such as the volute. See the word Balance.

Variety, the absence of similarity; a word embracing an infinity of differences, from two things that are not absolutely alike, to two things that are absolutely unlike. The judicious use of variety gives interest to ornament, but uniformity with slight variety gives the most dignity.