Archaeology | Capitals | Corinthian | Corinthian column capital | Artwork profile

White marble

H. 49,5cm; lower diam. 39 cm; abacus’ side max. 53 cm

Middle of the II century AD


Report

Corinthian column capital

Corinthian column capital dressed, over the lower part, with two crowns of acanthus leaves (h. of the first crown 14 cm; of the second crown 26 cm). The leaf features flat and large midribs flanked by deep, crisp and rather short grooves which are obtained with the use of the drill, thus creating a strong light and dark play. The large voids take the shape of vertical, drop-like holes. The tip of the leaves are broken away, while the chipped points show an indented margin. Amidst the foliage of the second crown spring the cauliculi which have ridged shaft and a large rim with everted sepals roughly separated by means of a Y-shaped incision; from them spring the strongly grooved calyx leaves which support the volutes, now missing, and the helices; the latter are joined at the centre and are made of a flat strip ending in a slightly protruding bulge, a reminder of the spiral. The abacus’ rosette, of which only the shape survives, is supported by a stem bearing two indented and open leaves; the surface shows an intense use of the drill (h. of the kalathos with rim 42 cm). Where preserved, the abacus is carved with a cavetto and plain ovolo mouldings (h. 8 cm), while its rather shallow rosette has a roughly square shape (h. 8 cm; depth. 8 cm). The exemplar can be dated to the middle of the II century AD, in consideration of the fact that all the elements proper to a Corinthian capital, such as the abacus’ rosette and its stem, are still present and of its highly plastic value, which is patent in the use of the drill, in the well-outlined lobes, in the ridged cauliculi and in their rim carved with Y-shaped incisions.