Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The raised spaces between the channels themselves (within a triglyph) are called femur in Latin or meros in Greek.
What is the definition of metope?
Definition of metope : the space between two triglyphs of a Doric frieze often adorned with carved work.
What is a frieze in Greek architecture?
frieze, in Greco-Roman Classical architecture, the middle of the three main divisions of an entablature (section resting on the capital). The frieze is above the architrave and below the cornice (in a position that could be quite difficult to view).
What is the purpose of the Triglyph?
Triglyphs. Triglyphs are an aesthetic feature of Doric temples that do not serve any function besides design. The triglyph is meant to represent the end of a wooden beam, which would have supported the weight of the roof in pre-historic Greek buildings.
Why did the Triglyph element come into use?
Why have triglyphs and metopes? They started as a natural part of wooden temples, back in the early days when people in Greece were building temples out of logs. The triglyphs were the ends of the wooden beams of the roof, and the metopes were the spaces between the beams.
What is Triglyph Greek temple?
A triglyph is a aesthetic, or visual design, feature of the oldest style of Greek temple architecture, called the Doric Order. Triglyphs are panels with three vertical lines, and represent the wooden beams used in prehistoric buildings to support the roof.
What does the term Peripteral mean?
Definition of peripteral 1 : having a row of columns on all sides : peristylar. 2 : relating to or characterized by the motions of the air surrounding a moving body.
What does frieze mean in art?
A frieze is a decorative band, usually, but not always, above a doorframe or on the wall near the ceiling. You may find a frieze of sculptured angels too formal for the trim of your bedroom wall. You might not think of a frieze in the same category as a painting or a statue, but it can be a true work of art.
Why is it called a frieze?
The frieze that we are featuring as our word today is from the Latin word frisium, meaning “embroidered cloth.” That word evolved from phrygium and Phrygia, the name of an ancient country of Asia Minor whose people excelled in metalwork, wood carving, and (unsurprisingly) embroidery.
What are triglyphs and decorated metopes?
John Wood’s The Circus Bath, Somerset (1754), triglyphs and decorated metopes. Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them.The rectangular recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric frieze are called metopes.
What is the origin of the word triglyph?
Origin of triglyph 1555–65; < Latin triglyphus < Greek tríglyphos thrice-grooved, equivalent to tri- tri- + glyph(ḗ) glyph + -os adj. suffix C16: via Latin from Greek trigluphos three-grooved, from tri- tri- + gluphē carving.
What is a triglyph in architecture?
As a science, the designs and styles of appearance have to coexist with engineering features to make it strong and stable enough for practical use. The triglyph is a carved panel with three vertical columns on its surface. It’s a design feature of the oldest style of Greek temple architecture, called the Doric Order.
Why are there triglyphs in Greek temples?
It’s a design feature of the oldest style of Greek temple architecture, called the Doric Order. Triglyphs are purely aesthetic, meaning for appearance’s sake, but they may indicate what Greek buildings would have looked like before they had the engineering prowess to make temples out of stone.
