Pilaster

For the racehorse, seePilaster (horse).For the building material, seePlaster.

Two decorativeCorinthianpilasters in theChurch of Saint-Sulpice(Paris)

Inarchitecture,apilasteris both a load-bearing section of thickened wall orcolumnintegrated into a wall, and a purely decorativeelementinclassical architecturewhich gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an extent of wall. As an ornament it consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall surface, usually treated as though it were a column, with acapitalat the top,plinth(base) at the bottom, and the various other column elements. In contrast to a Classical pilaster, anengaged columnorbuttresscan support the structure of a wall and roof above.

In humananatomy,a pilaster is a ridge that extends vertically across thefemur,which is unique tomodern humans.Its structural function is unclear.

Definition

A pilaster is foremost a load-bearing architectural element used widely throughout the world and its history where a structural load is carried by a thickened section of wall or column integrated into a wall.

It is also a purelyornamentalelement used inClassical architecture.As such it may be defined as a flattened column which has lost its three-dimensional and tactile value. ".

In Classical architecture

In discussingLeon Battista Alberti's use of pilasters, which Alberti reintroduced into wall-architecture,Rudolf Wittkowerwrote: "The pilaster is the logical transformation of the column for the decoration of a wall.

A pilaster appears with acapital.andentablature,also in "low-relief"or flattened against the wall. Generally, a pilaster often repeats all parts and proportions of an order column; however, unlike it, a pilaster is usually devoid ofentasis.

Pilasters often appear on the sides of a door frame or window opening on thefacadeof a building, and are sometimes paired with columns orpillarsset directly in front of them at some distance away from the wall, which support a roof structure above, such as aportico.These vertical elements can also be used to support a recessedarchivoltaround a doorway. The pilaster can be replaced by ornamentalbracketssupporting the entablature or a balcony over a doorway.

When a pilaster appears at the corner intersection of two walls it is known as acanton.

As with a column, a pilaster can have a plain or fluted surface to its profile and can be represented in the mode of numerous architectural styles. During theRenaissanceandBaroquearchitects used a range of pilaster forms.In thegiant orderpilasters appear as two storeys tall, linking floors in a single unit.

The fashion of using this decorative element fromancient GreekandRoman architecturewas adopted in theItalian Renaissance,gained wide popularity withGreek Revival architecture,and continues to be seen in some modern architecture.

Gallery

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  Two fragments of French pilasters, made of oak, in theCooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum(New York City)
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  Illustrations ofIonicpilasters withfestoonson their capitals, from Germany, in the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
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  Illustrations ofCorinthianpilasters, from Germany, in the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
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  Part of aRenaissanceCorinthianpilaster of theHôtel du Vieux-Raisin(Toulouse,France)
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  Pilaster inStrasbourg(France), being Renaissance andLouis XIV styleat the same time
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  A pair of pilasters flanking a door inLyon(France)
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  Two pilasters inLviv,(Ukraine)
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  Capital of aDoricpilaster fromLviv
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  Corinthianesque capital of a pilaster fromGrottaferrata(Italy)
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  Colossal orderof Composite pilasters. 1st and 2nd floors of a 19th-century building, 8avenue de l'Opéra(Paris)
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  Two pairs of Ionic pilasters flanking a door in Paris
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  A pair of Doric pilasters flanking a door inMontpellier(France)
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  A pair of Doric pilasters flanking a door inEnkhuizen(theNetherlands)
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  House from 1663, decorated with Corinthian pilasters, inWorkum(the Netherlands)
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  Doric pilasters on theJesuit ChurchofSibiu(Transylvania,Romania)
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  Egyptian Revivalhathoricpilaster on the Foire du Caire building (Paris)

See also

• Glossary of architecture
• Classical order
• Lesene
• Post and lintel

References

• Lewis, Philippa, and Gillian Darley (1986).Dictionary of Ornament.New York: Pantheon.