Overview of Architectural Orders

Order of architecture consists of various styles of classical or neoclassical architecture that are characterised by the type of column and entablature used as a basic unit (Klein, 2002). A column is made up of a base and capital, and it supports part of the entablature which in itself constitutes the upper horizontal part of a classical building. The nature of the capital is the most distinguishing feature of a particular order, be it Doric, Tuscan, Corinthian, Ionic or Composite. It follows that depending on the type of capital applied by an architecture, it will be classified as Doric, Ionic or Corinthian, which developed from the ancient Greek architecture. Over time, these orders, especially the Corinthian was adopted by the Romans with modifications. Today, these orders are used in what is referred to as Western architecture.

The Corinthian order is the most decorated of all other Greek orders. According to Vitruvius, the Corinthian order was invented by a Greek sculptor called Callimachus of the 5th century BC (Dinsmoor and Anderson, 1973). As an order that was developed much later than the Ionic and Doric, it is more complex and elaborate in nature. The top part of a Corinthian style column otherwise known as capital has an extravagant ornamentation sculptured to resemble leaves and flowers. In fact, some writers contend that Callimachus was inspired by acanthus plant growing out of the tomb of a young girl. Hence, the flamboyant capital of the Corinthian order had a design of scrolls and unfurled acanthus leaves. This design was opulent and was mostly used not for ordinary homes but for Greek Revival mansions and public architecture.

More importantly, the Corinthian columns had distinctive features that separated it from the earlier classical architectural orders. They consisted of fluted or vertically grooved shafts, resting on the base, which were long and narrow. Normally, the shaft had 24 sharp edged flutes and the column was 10 diameters high (Jones, 2014). Atop each shaft, were capitals ornamented lavishly with acanthus flowers and leaves including four scrolls. These capital decorations tended to flare and curl outwards resembling bells hence giving the allure of height. In comparison to other orders like the Ionic columns, the height of Corinthian columns appeared to be proportionally slender and taller. In general, features of the order are slenderness, elegance and flutiness of the column and a decorative capital (Lawrence, 1996). However, it is to be noted that not all Corinthian Capitals are the same although they all have minimum features of leafy flowers. Although the Corinthian column was majorly fluted, it could also be beaded or featured with a chain of husks. This manifested a flexible element in the Corinthian order which attracted many architects.

In comparison with other capitals, the Corinthian ones are more ornamental and delicate. For this reason they depreciate very fast when they are used outdoor. It is even more suggestive that it is for the preceding reason that early Corinthian columns were majorly used for interior architecture. In line with this, the earliest exterior use of Corinthian Columns can only be traced to Athens in the Monument of Lysikrates (Robertson, 1969). In 450 BCE the same order was used internally in the Temple of Apollo Epicurius; and during the Hellenistic period some columns had no flutings. The Romans probably favoured the Corinthian order because of its elegant and slender properties. This can be in Roman architectural monuments like Pantheon in Rome, Temple of Mars Ultor and Maison Carree in Nimes. Notably, this design was majorly used in circular buildings like the temple of Vesta in Rome that has 20 exterior Corinthian columns. Because of these desirable features, Italian architects like Sabastiano Serlio and Jacopo Vignola came up with Composite order, which was a modified version of the Corinthian order.

Once the sculptures were done with the precise carvings, the different parts would be hoisted in a way that each block fitted its place. Mark Wilson Jones notes that the Corinthian order was all about proportions which involved integration of dimensions and ratios with symmetry. This meant that ratio of total column height to column shaft height is 6:5 (Jones, 1989).

Around the world, there are many iconic buildings that have exhibited the input of Corinthian architectural order. In the United States, the Capital Building manifests modified Corinthian column elegances. On different wings of the building including the East Front and West Front, there are 28 fluted columns made of marbles. Its column capitals have been modified to include both the ornamental acanthus leaves and native American Tobacco plants (Jeffrey, 2014). A similar style of column capitals has also been used in the Small Senate Rotunda. The Supreme Court Building is also an example of a Corinthian architectural marvel. Its entrance consists of 16 Corinthian marble columns that backs the decorative entablature and pediment. Another 18 Corinthian columns can be found at the Russel Senate Office Building and Cannon House Office Building which makes a dome. In Europe, the Great Renaissance cathedrals like St. Paul’s and St. Martins, have a touch of Corinthian column (Jenkins, 2006).

Admittedly, the Corinthian order is not the most popular in buildings around the world. Many architectural designs have tended to incorporate either the Ionic or Doric order (Barletta, 2009). However, an architectural order which was developed much later after the two has left marks around the world because of its lavish, ornamental and flexible nature. Some architects have gone as far as modifying the Corinthian order to develop another equally good architectural order. In the end, the Corinthian order remains one of the most admirable architectural designs despite the cost associated with it. It would thus appear that the design is more suited for government buildings and other public architectures.

References

Barletta, B. A. (2009). The origins of the Greek architectural orders. Cambridge University Press.

Dinsmoor, W. B., & Anderson, W. J. (1973). The architecture of ancient Greece: an account of its historic development. Biblo & Tannen Publishers.

Jenkins, I. (2006). Greek architecture and its sculpture. Harvard University Press.

Jones, M. W. (1989). Designing the roman Corinthian order. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2, 35-69.

Jones, M. W. (2014). Origins of Classical Architecture. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Klein, N. L. (2002). The Origins of the Greek Architectural Orders.

Lawrence, A. W. (1996). Greek Architecture. 5th ed. New Haven: Yale University Press

Robertson, D. S. (1969). Greek and Roman Architecture. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

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