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COL

a te n . cient s for supporting statues, whence the name. They“able in theatres, triumphal arches, &c.p as8 - u<e ^ columns have flutes cut in their sides, in planestielg j *= trough their axes, and are otherwise called ckan-y striated columns.

columns make several circumvolutions in the8° Ule j. 0 the shaft, after the manner of a screw, and havethg S lnies several threads or screws following one another incol u 1116 circumference; they are otherwise called spiralla etl ” S- Vignola is said to be the first who discovered thehas ^ < h’ aw * n g this kind of column by rule; but whattttetli e ^ n Presented to us by this author, is only an incorrectSeg m °f drawing the contour of the column on paper, byittorg 61 !*' 8 °f circles, diminishing in altitude as they becomecipi gs elated in their regular succession ; but the true prin-Prirn-:.. forming the shaft ought to be shown from the

surf,h

cl Ples of

the spiral, and described upon the conoidal

‘UC^ rpi 17 , J

ie et) ' barbarous practice of twisting columns has

Scr e(ir ® Uc b used by modern architects, particularly in theex Urn , !, od altar-pieces of churches. The most celebratedQ 0 j* e * S ^ le baldachin of St. Peter’s.

Sp 0 ] e t lnns spirally formed may be seen in the temple ofOi'jw ’ an d are not unfrequent in sarcophagi and other5 _ Q lltal works.

c cnt 0n ', mna > according to their disposition, are angular,sul a , cou plcd, doubled, engaged, flanked, grouped, inserted,Ann i ni0( ^ ia n, or niched.

°r up a?- columns are insulated in the corners of a portico,' v h<nh ep i corners °f a building, (even though attached,)Ca n t t le an gle be right, acute, or obtuse.

S( l"uv e ” PC ‘ columns are placed one at each corner of abitp/ 1 ' 61 '’ ^' or supporting the angular springings of groins,

Co i? ing vaults -

Df lin« ® co ^ um i'is are disposed in pairs, in the same rangeJ’sstej.’ 80 as almost to touch at their bases; as those in the^Uy,^ P or Hco of St. Paul’s, and the peristyle of the

^\^ Ued . columns, in any range of columns, or in peri-Sm 0 „ ettl , to bave their shafts penetrating each other tobuu Vl> e 'third of their diameter; as in the peristyle of the

0f >«-f 0 „Sf columns seem to penetrate a wall from betweena ^ fianh one 'half of their diameter.t) n d is e “ column has a semi-pilaster on each side of it,^ l om one-fourth to one-half its diameter, within** r;j nrir,i faces of the semi-pilasters.

^ es tal^ CC ^ c °lum

An

ns stand in threes or fours on the same

An e d column is let into a wall.

Hf e di an at jd column is free or detached on all sides.tl, 6 hlun, r;i ] C . w?l,s are those two columns of a portico, whichn^ 11 any of ! n t he middle of the range, at a wider interval4^ to t] ler , two ’ n the same range, for giving a freer%\ n,n Qi , ' f! P r * nc ipal entrance. The term is derived froma 1,13 in t ’ tlie name given by Vitruvius to the twoCol nic ked le ; m 'ddle of the colonnade.

>n ,\ C ° Urnn is placed in a niche, with the axis of theQst r ’ ^ P^ne of the wall.

^ 1 Un^ 0ln ica^) accor( ling to their destination, are agricultural,

fyaO^flc. J j ° un dary or limetropkus, chronological, funeral,

s h( t U ^c,ry lstor }ca,l, indicative, itinerary, lactary, legal,s],^i n } an ' m diary, military, phosphorical, rostral,of or zoo phoric.

An' Cl| hnre * coiwm ns are raised for explaining the rules

column is a cylindrical or conical obser-a winding staircase ascending to

an armillary sphere at the top, for observing the motions ofthe heavenly bodies. Such is the Doric order, erected at theHotel de Soissons, at Paris .

Boundary or limetropkus column showed the limits of akingdom, or conquered country. Such was that erected byAlexander the Great at the extremities of the Indies, men-tioned by Pliny .

A chronological column bears an inscription of historicalevents, arranged in order of time. There were two columnsof this kind at Athens, whereon was inscribed the history ofGreece , digested into Olympiads.

A funeral column is placed over a tomb, supporting anurn, or bearing some inscription relative to the deceased. Itsshaft is frequently covered with symbols of grief andmortality.

A gnomonic column is a cylinder, on which the hour ofthe day is represented by the shadow of a style. There aretwo kinds of gnomonic columns : in the one the style is fixed,and the hour-lines are projected on the cylindric surface ; inthe other, the style is moveable, and the hour-lines are drawnto the several heights of the sun in different seasons of theyear.

An historical or triumphal column is usually adorned withbasso-relievos, winding spirally upwards around the shaft,and showing the history of some great personage. The mostcelebrated ancient triumphal columns are those of Trajan andAntoninus Pius at Rome, and Pompey’s Pillar, near Alex-andria, Egypt; of modern ones we have three in London —the Monument, erected in memory of the Great Fire, thaterected in honour of the Duke of York, and another inmemory of Lord Nelson , in whose honour there is an earlierone at Edinburgh ; there is likewise a celebrated columntermed Buonaparte’s Column, in Paris .

Trajan’s Column is of the Doric order, and constructed ofmarble; the face throughout its length is covered withsculptures arranged in a spiral line, running up the shaft,representing his martial exploits; its total height, includinga base or pedestal of 19 feet, is 132 feet, and the diameter ofthe shaft at its junction with the base 13 feet.

The column of Antoninus is similar to that of Trajan bothin its style and general character, though not equal to it inexecution. Its height is 122 feet, including a pedestal of26 feet, and the diameter of the shaft 11 feet 6 incites.

Pompey’s Pillar at Alexandria is of the Corinthian order,and is 92 feet in total height. The shaft, which is 66 feetin height, is of a single block of granite, and polished.

Of the columns in London , the Monument is the mostcelebrated. It is of the Doric order, and has a fluted shaft;its total height is 202 feet, and the diameter of the shaft atits base 15 feet.

At Constantinople were two triumphal columns, similar tothose of Trajan and Antoninus ; that of Constantine isentirely destroyed, and of the other, erected to Arcadius , byTheodosius , only the pedestal and the first course of theshaft remain. Historical columns may also be called memo-rial, honorary, or triumphal columns.

An indicative column is placed on the sea-coast, for show-ing the rise and fall of the waters. Of this kind is theNilometer , at Grand Cairo, which shows the rise and fall ofthe Nile .

Itinerary columns are constructed with several faces, andplaced at the intersection of two or more roads, to point outthe different routes by an inscription placed on each face.

The lactary column was erected in the herb-market atRome , on a hollow pedestal, wherein young children, aban-doned by their parents, out of poverty or inhumanity, wereexposed, to be brought up at the public expense.