Dentil
Adentil(from Lat.dens,a tooth[1]) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in thebedmouldof acornice.[2]Dentils are found in ancientGreekandRoman architecture,and also in later styles such asNeoclassical,Federal,Georgian Revival,Greek Revival,Renaissance Revival,Second Empire,andBeaux-Arts architecture.[3]Dentillationrefers to use of a course of dentils.
History
[edit]Origin
[edit]The Roman architectVitruvius(iv. 2) states that the dentil represents the end of arafter(asser). It occurs in its most pronounced form in theIonic templesofAsia Minor,theLyciantombs, and the porticoes and tombs ofPersia,where it clearly represents the reproduction in stone of timber construction. The earliest example is found carved into the rock of the tomb ofDarius,c. 500 BC, reproducing the portico of his palace. Its first employment inAthensis in the cornice of thecaryatidportico of theErechtheum(480 BC). When subsequently introduced into the bed-mould of the cornice of theChoragic Monument of Lysicratesit is much smaller in its dimensions. In the later temples of Ionia, as in the temple ofPriene,the larger scale of the dentil is still retained.[2]
Later use
[edit]The dentil was the chief feature employed in the bedmould by the Romans and in theItalian Renaissance architecture.As a general rule, the projection of the dentil is equal to its width, thus appearing square, and the intervals between are half this measure. In some cases, the projecting band has never had the sinkings cut into it to divide up the dentils, as in thePantheonat Rome, and it is then called a dentil-band. In the porch of theStudioncathedral atConstantinople,the dentil and the interval between are equal in width, and the interval is splayed back from top to bottom; this is the form it takes in what is known as the Venetian dentil, which was copied from the Byzantine dentil inSanta Sophia,Constantinople. There, however, it no longer formed part of a bed-mould: its use at Santa Sophia was to decorate the projecting moulding enclosing the encrusted marbles, and the dentils were cut alternately on both sides of the moulding. The Venetian dentil was also introduced as a label round arches and as astring course.[2]
Gallery
[edit]-
Dentilwork with afriezeon a column, in theÉglise Saint-Martin de L'Isle-AdamfromL'Isle-Adam(Val-d'Oise,Île-de-France,France) -
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Interior dentilwork -
Dentils on the exterior of theCleveland Museum of Art(Ohio,US)
See also
[edit]- Modillions:more ornate
- Corbel table:more ornate and taller
- Dog-tooth:arch decorations
References
[edit]- ^Craven, Jackie (March 29, 2016)."What Is a Dentil? What Is a Dentil Molding?".Archived fromthe originalon 22 February 2017.Retrieved11 August2016.
- ^abcOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Dentil".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 50.
- ^"Dentil".Buffalo as an Architecture Museum.buffaloah.Retrieved11 August2016.
External links
[edit]
Media related toDentilsat Wikimedia Commons
