Rosette (design)

For other uses, seeRosette (disambiguation).

Rosette designs fromMeyer'sHandbook of Ornament

Marble rosettes ofRucellai Sepulchre

Arosetteis a round,stylizedflower design.

Origin

The rosette derives from the natural shape of thebotanical rosette,formed by leaves radiating out from the stem of a plant and visible even after the flowers have withered.

History

The rosette design is used extensively in sculptural objects fromantiquity,appearing inMesopotamia,and in funeralsteles' decoration inAncient Greece.The rosette was another important symbol of Ishtar which had originally belonged to Inanna along with theStar of Ishtar.

It was adopted later inRomanesequeandRenaissancearchitecture, and also common in the art ofCentral Asia,spreading as far as India where it is used as a decorative motif inGreco-Buddhist art.

Ancient origins

One of the earliest appearances of the rosette in ancient art is in early fourth millenniumBCEgypt.Another earlyMediterraneanoccurrence of the rosette design derives fromMinoanCrete;Among other places, the design appears on thePhaistos Disc,recovered from theeponymousarchaeological site in southern Crete.

• 
  Thalea funerary stele with three rosette designs at the top, fromc. 150BCE.Hellenisticwork fromSmyrna(nowİzmir,Turkey).
• 
  Rosette design at the bottom of a statue of theBuddha,circa 1st centuryCE.Greco-Buddhistart found inGandhara

Modern use

The formalised flowermotifis often carved in stone or wood to createdecorative ornamentsfor architecture and furniture, and inmetalworking,jewelry designand theapplied artsto form a decorative border or at the intersection of two materials.

Rosette decorationshave been used for formalmilitary awards.They also appear in modern, civilian clothes,and are often worn prominently in politicalor sportingevents. Rosettes sometimes decorate musical instruments, such as around the perimeter of sound holes ofguitars.

Gallery

• 
  Mohenjo-daropriest
• 
  Mesopotamian,Sumerianbull
• 
  Cylinder seal

See also

• Six petal rosette