An acroterion, acroterium, (pl. akroteria)[1] is an
architectural ornament placed on a flat pedestal called the acroter or
plinth, and mounted at the apex or corner of the
pediment of a building in the
classical style.[2] An acroterion placed at the outer angles of the pediment is an acroterion angularium (angulārium means ‘at the corners’).
The acroterion may take a wide variety of forms, such as a statue, tripod, disc, urn,
palmette or some other sculpted feature. Acroteria are also found in
Gothic architecture.[3] They are sometimes incorporated into furniture designs.[4]
Etymology
The word comes from the
Greekakrōtḗrion (ἀκρωτήριον 'summit, extremity'), from the comparative form of the adjective akros (ἄκρος, 'extreme, endmost'). It was
Latinized by the
Romans as acroterium.[5]Acroteria is the plural of both the original Greek[6] and the Latin form.[7]
According to Webb, during the
Hellenistic period the winged victory or
Nike figure was considered to be "the most appropriate motif for figured akroteria.”[1]
Neoclassical pediment with acroteria of the Grave of Alexandrina Grejdanescu and Barbu Grejdanescu,
Bellu Cemetery,
Bucharest,
Romania, unknown architect or sculptor,
c.1871
^
abWebb, Pamela A. (1996). Hellenistic Architectural Sculpture: Figural motifs in western Anatolia and the Aegean islands. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 26.
^McCarver (ed.).
"Glossary of architectural terms". McArver Ancient History. Greek Architecture. Porter-Gaud School. Archived from
the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
^Smith, Philip (1875).
"Acroterium". In Thayer, Bill (ed.). A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. University of Chicago. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
^Hopkins, Owen (2022). Reading Architecture - A Visual Lexicon. Laurence King. p. 35.
ISBN978-1-52942-034-0.
^Mariana Celac, Octavian Carabela and Marius Marcu-Lapadat (2017). Bucharest Architecture - an annotated guide. Ordinul Arhitecților din România. p. 85.
ISBN978-973-0-23884-6.
^Mariana Celac, Octavian Carabela and Marius Marcu-Lapadat (2017). Bucharest Architecture - an annotated guide. Ordinul Arhitecților din România. p. 171.
ISBN978-973-0-23884-6.