Atlas (architecture): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
VisualWikitext
imported>AusLondonder
→References: Remove inaccurate category
 
imported>The wub
→Gallery: add Seven Dwarfs at Walt Disney Studios
 
Line 5: Line 5:
[[File:Paris 45 rue Saint-Roch 2012 02.jpg|thumb|[[Beaux Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]] atlantes on Rue Saint-Roch no. 45, Paris, by [[Bruno Pellissier]], 1917]]
[[File:Paris 45 rue Saint-Roch 2012 02.jpg|thumb|[[Beaux Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]] atlantes on Rue Saint-Roch no. 45, Paris, by [[Bruno Pellissier]], 1917]]


In European [[architectural sculpture]], an '''atlas''' (also known as an '''atlant''', or '''atlante'''<ref> Hersey, George, The Lost Meaning of Classical Architecture, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1998 p. 129 </ref>  or '''atlantid'''; plural '''atlantes''')<ref name="atlex">[http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/Aru.html ''Aru-Az'''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704103828/http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/Aru.html |date=2008-07-04 }}, Michael Delahunt, [http://www.artlex.com/ ArtLex Art Dictionary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050424084418/http://www.artlex.com/ |date=2005-04-24 }}, 1996–2008.</ref> is a support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of a [[column]], a [[Pier (architecture)|pier]] or a [[pilaster]]. The Roman term for such a sculptural support is '''[[Telamon#In architecture|telamon]]''' (plural telamones or telamons).<ref name="atlex" />
In European [[architectural sculpture]], an '''atlas''' (also known as an '''atlant''', or '''atlante'''<ref>Hersey, George, ''The Lost Meaning of Classical Architecture,'' MIT Press, Cambridge (MA) 1998, p. 129.</ref>  or '''atlantid'''; plural '''atlantes''')<ref name="atlex">[http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/Aru.html ''Aru-Az'''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704103828/http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/Aru.html |date=2008-07-04 }}, Michael Delahunt, [http://www.artlex.com/ ArtLex Art Dictionary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050424084418/http://www.artlex.com/ |date=2005-04-24 }}, 1996–2008.</ref> is a support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of a [[column]], a [[Pier (architecture)|pier]] or a [[pilaster]]. Another Greek term for such a sculptural support is '''[[Telamon#In architecture|telamon]]''' (plural telamones or telamons).<ref name="atlex" />


The term ''atlantes'' is the Greek plural of the name [[Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]]—the [[Titan (mythology)|Titan]] who was forced to hold the sky on his shoulders for eternity. The alternative term, ''telamones'', also is derived from a later mythological hero, [[Telamon]], one of the [[Argonauts]], who was the father of [[Telamonian Aias|Ajax]].  
The term ''atlantes'' is the Greek plural of the name [[Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]]—the [[Titan (mythology)|Titan]] who was forced to hold the sky on his shoulders for eternity. The alternative term, ''telamones'', also is derived from a later mythological hero, [[Telamon]], one of the [[Argonauts]], who was the father of [[Telamonian Aias|Ajax]].  
Line 11: Line 11:
The [[caryatid]] is the female precursor of this architectural form in Greece, a woman standing in the place of each column or pillar. Caryatids are found at the treasuries at [[Delphi]] and the [[Erechtheion]] on the Acropolis at Athens for Athene. They usually are in an [[Ionic order|Ionic context]] and represented a ritual association with the goddesses worshiped within.<ref>Harris, Cyril M., ed., ''Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture'', Dover Publications, New York,  1983.</ref>  The Atlante is typically life-size or larger; smaller similar figures in the decorative arts are called [[Term (architecture)|terms]].  The body of many Atlantes turns into a rectangular pillar or other architectural feature around the waist level, a feature borrowed from the term.  The pose and expression of Atlantes very often show their effort to bear the heavy load of the building, which is rarely the case with terms and caryatids.  The [[herma]] or herm is a classical boundary marker or wayside monument to a god which is usually a square pillar with only a carved head on top, about life-size, and male genitals at the appropriate mid-point. Figures that are rightly called Atlantes may sometimes be described as herms.
The [[caryatid]] is the female precursor of this architectural form in Greece, a woman standing in the place of each column or pillar. Caryatids are found at the treasuries at [[Delphi]] and the [[Erechtheion]] on the Acropolis at Athens for Athene. They usually are in an [[Ionic order|Ionic context]] and represented a ritual association with the goddesses worshiped within.<ref>Harris, Cyril M., ed., ''Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture'', Dover Publications, New York,  1983.</ref>  The Atlante is typically life-size or larger; smaller similar figures in the decorative arts are called [[Term (architecture)|terms]].  The body of many Atlantes turns into a rectangular pillar or other architectural feature around the waist level, a feature borrowed from the term.  The pose and expression of Atlantes very often show their effort to bear the heavy load of the building, which is rarely the case with terms and caryatids.  The [[herma]] or herm is a classical boundary marker or wayside monument to a god which is usually a square pillar with only a carved head on top, about life-size, and male genitals at the appropriate mid-point. Figures that are rightly called Atlantes may sometimes be described as herms.


Atlantes express extreme effort in their function, heads bent forward to support the weight of the structure above them across their shoulders, forearms often lifted to provide additional support, providing an architectural motif. Atlantes and caryatids were noted by the Roman late Republican architect [[Vitruvius]], whose description of the structures,<ref>Vitruvius, ''De Architectura'', 6.7.6.</ref> rather than surviving examples, transmitted the idea of atlantes to the Renaissance architectural vocabulary.
Atlantes express extreme effort in their function, heads bent forward to support the weight of the structure above them across their shoulders, forearms often lifted to provide additional support, providing an architectural motif. Atlantes and caryatids were noted by the Roman late Republican architect [[Vitruvius]], whose description of the structures,<ref>Vitruvius, ''De Architectura'', 6.7.6.</ref> rather than surviving examples, transmitted the idea of atlantes to the Renaissance architectural vocabulary.


==Origin==
==Origin==
Not only did the Caryatids precede them, but similar architectural figures already had been made in [[ancient Egypt]] out of [[monolith]]s. Atlantes originated in Greek Sicily and in [[Magna Graecia]], [[Southern Italy]]. The [[:Image:Agrigento Telamon.jpg|earliest surviving atlantes]] are fallen ones from the Early Classical [[Greek temple]] of Zeus, the ''Olympeion'', in [[Agrigento]], Sicily.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://phdiva.blogspot.com/2008/05/vitruvius-caryatids-and-telamones.html| title = Dorothy King, "Doric Figured Supports: Vitruvius' Caryatids and Atlantes: 5.2 Atlantes and Telamones"}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Atlantes also played a significant role in [[Mannerism|Mannerist]] and [[Baroque architecture]].  
Not only did the Caryatids precede them, but similar architectural figures already had been made in [[ancient Egypt]] out of [[monolith]]s. Atlantes originated in Greek Sicily and in [[Magna Graecia]], [[Southern Italy]]. The [[:Image:Agrigento Telamon.jpg|earliest surviving atlantes]] are fallen ones from the Early Classical [[Greek temple]] of Zeus, the ''Olympeion'', in [[Agrigento]], Sicily.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://phdiva.blogspot.com/2008/05/vitruvius-caryatids-and-telamones.html| title = Dorothy King, "Doric Figured Supports: Vitruvius' Caryatids and Atlantes: 5.2 Atlantes and Telamones"}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Atlantes also played a significant role in [[Mannerism|Mannerist]] and [[Baroque architecture]].  


During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the designs of many buildings featured glorious atlantes that looked much like Greek originals. Their inclusion in the final design
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the designs of many buildings featured glorious atlantes that looked much like Greek originals. Their inclusion in the final design
Line 20: Line 20:


==Mesoamerica==
==Mesoamerica==
Similar carved stone columns or pillars in the shape of fierce men at some sites of Pre-Columbian [[Mesoamerica]] are typically called [[Atlantean figures]]. These figures are considered to be "massive statues of [[Toltec]] warriors".<ref name="Evans-p42">{{cite book|last=Evans|first=Susan|title=Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History|year=2008|publisher=Thames & Hudson Ltd.|location=London|pages=42}}</ref>
Similar carved stone columns or pillars in the shape of fierce men at some sites of Pre-Columbian [[Mesoamerica]] are typically called [[Atlantean figures]]. These figures are considered to be "massive statues of [[Toltec]] warriors".<ref name="Evans-p42">{{cite book|last=Evans |first=Susan |title=Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History |year=2008|publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=London |pages=42}}</ref>


==Examples==
==Examples==
Line 54: Line 54:
File:Dijon geants.jpg|Renaissance atlantes in the courtyard of the {{ill|Maison Maillard|fr}}, [[Dijon]], France, attributed to [[Hugues Sambin]], 1561
File:Dijon geants.jpg|Renaissance atlantes in the courtyard of the {{ill|Maison Maillard|fr}}, [[Dijon]], France, attributed to [[Hugues Sambin]], 1561
File:Fontainebleau - Le château - PA00086975 - 077.jpg|Renaissance fireplace with atlantes in the ballroom of the [[Palace of Fontainebleau]], France, unknown architect, unknown date
File:Fontainebleau - Le château - PA00086975 - 077.jpg|Renaissance fireplace with atlantes in the ballroom of the [[Palace of Fontainebleau]], France, unknown architect, unknown date
File:Saronno Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli Esterno Facciata Portale.jpg|[[Mannerism|Mannerist]] atlantes of the [[Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli]], [[Saronno]], Italy, designed by [[Pellegrino Tibaldi]], 1596-1613
File:Saronno Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli Esterno Facciata Portale.jpg|[[Mannerism|Mannerist]] atlantes of the [[Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli]], [[Saronno]], Italy, designed by [[Pellegrino Tibaldi]], 1596-1613
File:Hôtel de Ville (ancien) - Façade sur rue - Portail - Toulon - Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - APMH00004290.jpg|[[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] atlantes of the Hôtel de Ville doorway, [[Toulon]], France, by [[Pierre Puget]], 1656
File:Hôtel de Ville (ancien) - Façade sur rue - Portail - Toulon - Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - APMH00004290.jpg|[[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] atlantes of the Hôtel de Ville doorway, [[Toulon]], France, by [[Pierre Puget]], 1656
File:Titelblad Termes, Supports, et Ornemens, pour embellir les maisons et Jardins Termes des 4 Saisons de l'Année (titel op object) Termes, Supports, et Ornemens, pour embellir les maisons et Jardins (serietitel op object), RP-P-1964-1092.jpg|Baroque designs of [[caryatid]]s (left) and atlantes (right), each symbolizing a season of the year, by [[Jean Le Pautre]], {{circa}}1670–1680, etching on paper
File:Titelblad Termes, Supports, et Ornemens, pour embellir les maisons et Jardins Termes des 4 Saisons de l'Année (titel op object) Termes, Supports, et Ornemens, pour embellir les maisons et Jardins (serietitel op object), RP-P-1964-1092.jpg|Baroque designs of [[caryatid]]s (left) and atlantes (right), each symbolizing a season of the year, by [[Jean Le Pautre]], {{circa}}1670–1680, etching on paper
File:Andrea brustolon, sedie con etiopi, 1700-15 ca. 09.jpg|Baroque atlantes of an armchair, by [[Andrea Brustolon]], {{circa}}1700-1715, wood and upholstery, [[Ca' Rezzonico]], [[Venice]]
File:Andrea brustolon, sedie con etiopi, 1700-15 ca. 09.jpg|Baroque atlantes of an armchair, by [[Andrea Brustolon]], {{circa}}1700-1715, wood and upholstery, [[Ca' Rezzonico]], [[Venice]]
File:Herkulen Gartensaal Schloss Schleissheim.jpg|[[Rococo]] atlantes in the [[Schleissheim Palace]], [[Munich]], Germany, probably by [[Joseph Effner]], early 18th century
File:Herkulen Gartensaal Schloss Schleissheim.jpg|[[Rococo]] atlantes in the [[Schleissheim Palace]], [[Munich]], Germany, probably by [[Joseph Effner]], early 18th century
File:Celestiral atlantid - Japanisches Palais, Dresden - DSC08161.JPG|[[Chinoiserie]] atlas of the [[Japanisches Palais]], [[Dresden]], Germany, designed by [[Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann]], [[Zacharias Longuelune]] or [[Jean de Bodt]], 1715-1731
File:Celestiral atlantid - Japanisches Palais, Dresden - DSC08161.JPG|[[Chinoiserie]] atlas of the [[Japanisches Palais]], [[Dresden]], Germany, designed by [[Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann]], [[Zacharias Longuelune]] or [[Jean de Bodt]], 1715-1731
File:Dresden Zwinger Paul Heermann Nr A7 06395 SHoppe2022.jpg|Rococo atlas of the [[Zwinger (Dresden)|Zwinger]], [[Dresden]], Germany, designed by Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, 1719<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hall|first1=William|title=Stone|date=2019|publisher=Phaidon|isbn=978-0-7148-7925-3|page=185|url=|language=en}}</ref>
File:Dresden Zwinger Paul Heermann Nr A7 06395 SHoppe2022.jpg|Rococo atlas of the [[Zwinger (Dresden)|Zwinger]], [[Dresden]], Germany, designed by Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, 1719<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hall|first1=William|title=Stone|date=2019|publisher=Phaidon|isbn=978-0-7148-7925-3|page=185|url=|language=en}}</ref>
File:Sans Souci 2.jpg|Rococo atlantes at [[Sanssouci]], [[Potsdam]], Germany, by [[Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff]], 1748<ref>{{cite book|last1=Irving|first1=Mark|title=1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die|date=2019|publisher=Cassel Illustrated|isbn=978-1-78840-176-0|page=215|url=|language=en}}</ref>
File:Sans Souci 2.jpg|Rococo atlantes at [[Sanssouci]], [[Potsdam]], Germany, by [[Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff]], 1748<ref>{{cite book|last1=Irving|first1=Mark|title=1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die|date=2019|publisher=Cassel Illustrated|isbn=978-1-78840-176-0|page=215|url=|language=en}}</ref>
Line 82: Line 78:
File:6, Kniazia Romana Street, Lviv-1.jpg|Gothic Revival atlantes on Kniazia Romana Street no. 6, [[Lviv]], [[Ukraine]], designed by [[Adolf Piller]] and [[Roman Volpel]], 1913
File:6, Kniazia Romana Street, Lviv-1.jpg|Gothic Revival atlantes on Kniazia Romana Street no. 6, [[Lviv]], [[Ukraine]], designed by [[Adolf Piller]] and [[Roman Volpel]], 1913
File:Grave of the colonel Paul Străjescu Family in the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest, Romania (01).jpg|[[Art Deco]] atlantes of the Grave of the Străjescu Family in the [[Bellu Cemetery]], [[Bucharest]], Romania, by George Cristinel, 1934<ref>{{cite book|last1=Criticos|first1=Mihaela|title=Art Deco sau Modernismul Bine Temperat - Art Deco or Well-Tempered Modernism|date=2009|publisher=SIMETRIA|isbn=978-973-1872-03-2|page=79|url=|language=Romanian, English}}</ref>
File:Grave of the colonel Paul Străjescu Family in the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest, Romania (01).jpg|[[Art Deco]] atlantes of the Grave of the Străjescu Family in the [[Bellu Cemetery]], [[Bucharest]], Romania, by George Cristinel, 1934<ref>{{cite book|last1=Criticos|first1=Mihaela|title=Art Deco sau Modernismul Bine Temperat - Art Deco or Well-Tempered Modernism|date=2009|publisher=SIMETRIA|isbn=978-973-1872-03-2|page=79|url=|language=Romanian, English}}</ref>
File:Galerie de Florence de Voldère à Paris 2.JPG|[[Postmodern architecture|Postmodern]] atlantes of the [[Florence de Voldère]] art gallery ([[Avenue Matignon]] no. 34), Paris, [[Jean-Jacques Fernier]], 1998<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pss-archi.eu/immeubles/FR-75056-49551.html|website=www.pss-archi.eu|title=34, avenue Matignon|access-date=19 November 2023}}</ref>  
File:Galerie de Florence de Voldère à Paris 2.JPG|[[Postmodern architecture|Postmodern]] atlantes of the [[Florence de Voldère]] art gallery ([[Avenue Matignon]] no. 34), Paris, [[Jean-Jacques Fernier]], 1998<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pss-archi.eu/immeubles/FR-75056-49551.html|website=www.pss-archi.eu|title=34, avenue Matignon|access-date=19 November 2023}}</ref>
File:Teamdisneyburbankbuilding.jpg|[[Seven Dwarfs#Disney Dwarfs|Seven Dwarfs]] atlantes on the Team Disney building, [[Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)|Walt Disney Studios]], Burbank, California
</gallery>
</gallery>


Line 94: Line 91:


===Bibliography===
===Bibliography===
*{{cite journal|last=King|first=Dorothy|title=Figured supports: Vitruvius' Caryatids and Atlantes|journal=Quaderni Ticinesi|volume=XXVII|year=1998|url=http://phdiva.blogspot.com/2008/05/vitruvius-caryatids-and-telamones.html}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*{{cite journal|last=King|first=Dorothy|title=Figured supports: Vitruvius' Caryatids and Atlantes|journal=Quaderni Ticinesi|volume=XXVII|year=1998|url=https://phdiva.blogspot.com/2008/05/vitruvius-caryatids-and-telamones.html}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Telamones|volume=26}}
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Telamones|volume=26}}


Latest revision as of 23:48, 8 November 2025

Script error: No such module "redirect hatnote". Template:Short description

File:Sankt Florian Stift Haupttor Atlant links.jpg
Baroque atlas at St. Florian Monastery, Austria, by Leonhard Sattler
File:La Porta Nuova (Palerme) (6881310634).jpg
Atlantes depicting the Moors defeated by Charles V, Porta Nuova, Palermo
File:Paris 45 rue Saint-Roch 2012 02.jpg
Beaux Arts atlantes on Rue Saint-Roch no. 45, Paris, by Bruno Pellissier, 1917

In European architectural sculpture, an atlas (also known as an atlant, or atlante[1] or atlantid; plural atlantes)[2] is a support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of a column, a pier or a pilaster. Another Greek term for such a sculptural support is telamon (plural telamones or telamons).[2]

The term atlantes is the Greek plural of the name Atlas—the Titan who was forced to hold the sky on his shoulders for eternity. The alternative term, telamones, also is derived from a later mythological hero, Telamon, one of the Argonauts, who was the father of Ajax.

The caryatid is the female precursor of this architectural form in Greece, a woman standing in the place of each column or pillar. Caryatids are found at the treasuries at Delphi and the Erechtheion on the Acropolis at Athens for Athene. They usually are in an Ionic context and represented a ritual association with the goddesses worshiped within.[3] The Atlante is typically life-size or larger; smaller similar figures in the decorative arts are called terms. The body of many Atlantes turns into a rectangular pillar or other architectural feature around the waist level, a feature borrowed from the term. The pose and expression of Atlantes very often show their effort to bear the heavy load of the building, which is rarely the case with terms and caryatids. The herma or herm is a classical boundary marker or wayside monument to a god which is usually a square pillar with only a carved head on top, about life-size, and male genitals at the appropriate mid-point. Figures that are rightly called Atlantes may sometimes be described as herms.

Atlantes express extreme effort in their function, heads bent forward to support the weight of the structure above them across their shoulders, forearms often lifted to provide additional support, providing an architectural motif. Atlantes and caryatids were noted by the Roman late Republican architect Vitruvius, whose description of the structures,[4] rather than surviving examples, transmitted the idea of atlantes to the Renaissance architectural vocabulary.

Origin

Not only did the Caryatids precede them, but similar architectural figures already had been made in ancient Egypt out of monoliths. Atlantes originated in Greek Sicily and in Magna Graecia, Southern Italy. The earliest surviving atlantes are fallen ones from the Early Classical Greek temple of Zeus, the Olympeion, in Agrigento, Sicily.[5] Atlantes also played a significant role in Mannerist and Baroque architecture.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the designs of many buildings featured glorious atlantes that looked much like Greek originals. Their inclusion in the final design for the portico of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg that was built for Tsar Nicholas I of Russia in the 1840’s made the use of atlantes especially fashionable. The Hermitage portico incorporates ten enormous atlantes, approximately three times life-size, carved from Serdobol granite, which were designed by Johann Halbig and executed by the sculptor Alexander Terebenev.

Mesoamerica

Similar carved stone columns or pillars in the shape of fierce men at some sites of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica are typically called Atlantean figures. These figures are considered to be "massive statues of Toltec warriors".[6]

Examples

Gallery

See also

References

Template:Sister project Template:NIE Poster Template:Reflist

Bibliography

  1. ↑ Hersey, George, The Lost Meaning of Classical Architecture, MIT Press, Cambridge (MA) 1998, p. 129.
  2. ↑ a b Aru-Az' Template:Webarchive, Michael Delahunt, ArtLex Art Dictionary Template:Webarchive, 1996–2008.
  3. ↑ Harris, Cyril M., ed., Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture, Dover Publications, New York, 1983.
  4. ↑ Vitruvius, De Architectura, 6.7.6.
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Dead link
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Atlas_(architecture)&oldid=3171881"