AROUND THE GLOBE
 
Short Talk
The Doric Order: The capital of the Doric Order is the simplest of the three, consisting of a ring where the fluted column ends, a tapering neck called the echinus, and a flat, square block called the abacus. The Doric sits directly on the stylobate, (a continuous pedestal) with no base. The proportions of the Doric column are based on the height being roughly six or seven times the diameter of the column at the base. There are usually twenty flutes separated from each other by arrises. The flute is a long rounded vertical ridge that runs up the column shaft. The arris is the line that separates one flute from another. Doric columns tend to be relatively short and squat. To the Greeks they were based on the proportions of a male figure. Building such as the Parthenon in Athens built around 450 BCE use these to great effect. Later they were used for public buildings in more modern times to convey an impression of simplicity and solidarity. Robert Adams used them in such august buildings as the entrance to the University of Edinburgh. Where did it start? The origins of the Doric order are obscured though many of its features possibly derived from timber structures. Archeologist finds such as pottery show a resemblance to similar designs and even to some Egyptian remains from the colonnades of the funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut show a similarity towards Doric style. The use of the Doric Order: The Doric order is so called because it was the architectural style of the Dorian Greeks who occupied the Greek mainland and its colonies around 1200 BCE. Their origins are uncertain, coming from the margins of the Greek world somewhere in northern Greece. In the early Greek republics the use of this order signified a building associated with the Dorians. The Roman architectural author Vitruvius claimed that the columns, and hence the order, were traditionally thought to be derived from the proportions of a man. It is the least decorative of the orders and in more recent times is usually associated with utilitarian buildings. The masculinity of the style is particularly suitable for military architecture, prisons or other buildings that are seen as robust or aggressive. And yet it was used by the Greeks for their temple on the Acropolis to house the statue of Athena, the goddess of the Athenians, possibly to convey the strength of Athena rather than her beauty. The Iconic Order The Iconic Order: The capital on the Iconic Order is decorated (as opposed to the unadorned Doric) and is recognizable by distinctive scrolled spiral volutes on both sides. The Iconic column is supported by a base, consisting of two convex moldings, each called a torus, above and below a concave moulding, called a Scotia. The whole column is approximately nine times the height of the Orders as a whole. Where did it start? The Iconic order is a later development than the Doric. It was first seen in the Greek communities of Ionia, situated on the west coast of what is now Turkey. Again it appears that the order stems from similar designs taken from Phoenicians and Syrian ivory and metalworks. Buildings from the near east from the tenth century show a similar scroll design. The use of the Iconic Order: The column and its capital are the opposition of the Doric. Whereas the Doric is seen as a masculine figure the Ionic order is definitely feminine. The idea of the columns and capitals stem from the scrolls being curls from the head of a woman and the vertical fluting is said to represent her dress. The particular design is used for buildings that are usually associated with learning or scholarly pursuits.


Bro. Pemberton is a member of United Masters Lodge #167, a lodge of Masonic research in Auckland, New Zealand. In the May 2010, Vol. 38 no. 2 issue of their publication, by the same name, Bro. Pembertn authored an article titled The Five Orders of Architecture and MSA have received permission to reprint which we will do in two parts. Sept 2010 will be part 1 and OCt. 2010 will be the part 2.


Return