Corinthian order

The corinthian order is one of the three main classical orders (styles) of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order and Ionic order.

The Corinthian is the most decorative of the three orders. It has thin columns that have grooves running vertically up the sides. The most important difference with the other orders is the big capital (top part of the column), which is decorated with leaves and scrolls.

History

The oldest known example of a Corinthian column is in the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae in Arcadia, ca 450–420 BC. This column stands inside the temple and does not form part of the wall. The oldest use of the Corinthian order on the outside of a structure is the round Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens. It was put in place around 334 BC.

Examples of Corinthian order architecture

• Greece
  • Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, Athens
  • Temple of Olympian Zeus (Athens)
• Rome
  • Pantheon, Rome (illustration)
  • Temple of Mars Ultor
• Renaissance and Baroque
• Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts
  • United States Capitol (illustration)
  • St. La Salle Hall, Manila
  • Don Enrique T. Yuchengco Hall, Manila
  • Enrique M. Razon Sports Center, Manila
• Ukraine
  • Great Lavra Belltower (fourth tier - 8 columns)
• Germany
  • The Reichstag, Berlin

Corinthian Order Media

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  Corinthian columns from the Pantheon, Rome, unknown architect, c.114-124 AD, which provided a prominent model for Renaissance and later architects

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  Corinthinan peripteros of the Temple of Bacchus, Baalbek, Lebanon, unknown architect, 150-250

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  Frieze and capitals of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, Athens, unknown architect, 330s BC, one of the earliest examples

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  Bucrania with festoons decorating the Temple of Vesta from Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli

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  Corinthian columns of the Arch of Septimius Severus, in the Forum Romanum

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  Corinthian columns of the Arch of Septimius Severus in Leptis Magna

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  Figure of the Buddha, within a Corinthian capital from Gandhara, Musee Guimet, Paris, unknown architect, 3rd–4th century

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  Vincenzo Scamozzi offers his version of the Corinthian capital, in a portrait by Veronese (Denver Art Museum)

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  Ancient Greek capital from Tarentum with addorsed sphinxes, 4th–3rd centuries BC, made of limestone, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Related pages

• Classical order
• Doric order
• Ionic order
• Tuscan order
• Composite order

Other websites

• A simple overview of the three classical orders