Corinthian order

The Corinthian order is a very fancy style used in old buildings by the Greeks and Romans. It is the most decorated of the three main styles. The other two are the Doric order and the Ionic order. The Corinthian style is known for its beautiful column tops, called capitals.

Corinthian peripteros of the Temple of Bacchus, Baalbek, Lebanon, unknown architect, 150–250

A Corinthian capital looks like an Ionic capital but has extra details. You might see small scrolls called volutes at the corners. These sit above rows of leaves called acanthus leaves. On top of the capital is a flat piece called an abacus, often with a flower in the middle.

When people started building again in the style of ancient times during the Renaissance, they added two more styles: the Tuscan order and the Composite order. The Corinthian style has columns with lines called flutes and very fancy capitals covered with leaves and scrolls. The name Corinthian comes from the ancient Greek city of Corinth, though it may have been created in Athens.

Description

The Corinthian order is the most decorative of the three main ancient styles used in buildings. It began in Greece and later became popular in Rome. The style is named after the Greek city of Corinth. One story says a sculptor named Callimachus created the design after seeing acanthus leaves growing around a basket left on a girl’s grave.

Frieze and capitals of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, Athens, unknown architect, 330s BC, one of the earliest surviving examples

In Greek buildings, the Corinthian style was used mostly during the Late Classical Period, around 430 to 323 BC. Early examples were found in a temple at Bassae. Later, Romans adopted the style and used it in many important buildings, like the Temple of Mars Ultor in Rome and the Colosseum. Roman architects focused on the proportions, making columns slimmer and adding detailed carvings to the tops.

The Corinthian style also influenced other regions. In places like Gandhara, artists mixed Greek designs with local traditions, often adding Buddhist figures to the column tops. During the Renaissance in Italy, architects studied and reused the Corinthian style, finding new ways to decorate and vary the designs.

History

Ancient Greek capital from Tarentum with addorsed sphinxes, 4th–3rd centuries BC, made of limestone, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

The oldest known Corinthian column is in the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae, from about 450–420 BC. This column was inside the temple, while the outside used simpler styles. Another early example is the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, built around 334 BC, where the Corinthian style was used on the outside.

Later, the Roman writer Vitruvius shared a story about how the Corinthian style began. He said an architect named Callimachus was inspired by a small basket left on a grave, with plants growing through it. This idea helped shape the Corinthian style. The style was used in many buildings for many years, even as new styles developed.