The five noble orders of architecture
by Perce J. George
Mannum Lodge #97, Grand Lodge of South Australia
Our rituals, as a general rule are reasonably straight forward and self
explanatory, but on occasion some matters are only touched upon briefly and in
consequence, can leave one puzzled about their full meanings. One such matter is
the phrase,
"FIVE HOLD A LODGE IN ALLUSION TO THE FIVE NOBLE ORDERS OF
ARCHITECTURE, NAMELY THE TUSCAN, DORIC, IONIC, CORINTHIAN AND COMPOSITE."
But what are the peculiarities of these different orders? First, let us look
at the term, "Noble." A diligent search through many encyclopedias,
dictionaries, books of knowledge and books specifically relating to
architecture, has failed to reveal the term and this suggests that it is only
used in Masonic literature, but is not conclusive.
However, Mitchell Beazley's Pocket Guide to Architecture refers to these five
orders as "Classical Orders", so it can be assumed that both of these terms are
synonymous. Even though it is the peculiarities of the separate orders which
will be the main subject matter of this article, it is first prudent that we
make a study of their similarities. Some columns, but not all, are supported by
a Pedestal, usually of square section. This can take the form of a square,
shallow, plain block, but where a higher pedestal is used, say up to a third of
the height of the complete unit, it consists of a Base, a Dado, which can be
plain or ornamented and a Cornice. The column proper is also divided into two or
three named parts.
First the Base, which is a series of annulets or ring-like mouldings, the
Shaft and the Capital, which by its design, is the manner by which each order is
recognised. It is interesting to note that the Greeks were the first to
establish the orders and the Romans followed suit, making some alterations,
modifications and additions.
We will begin by examining the details of the Doric Order, because it was the
First to be established by the Greeks. It was the one which they employed
predominantly in their buildings. The general consensus is that the column was
developed from earlier wooden forms. This, from the resemblance of cornice
details to the forms used in early carpentry. By the seventh century B.C., the
type had arrived at a definite form and subsequent improvements led to the
production of the perfected order of the fifth century B.C.
Examples are to be found in the Parthenon and the Propylaea at Athens, and
was in continual use by the Greeks until the second century B.C. An outstanding
feature of the Greek Doric column is that it has no base and a more substantial
shaft than the other orders. It is generally treated with twenty flutes and it
terminates in a simple capital of a group of annulets, a convex curved moulding
which is referred to as the Echinus and a square slab called the Abacus on top.
The Roman Doric was derived from the Greek, but the design was probably
influenced by the appealing aspect of a more slender shaft developed by the
Etruscans. This column was not frequently used, but examples may be viewed in
the Colosseum and the Theatre of Marcellus. The Roman Doric also differs from
the Greek in that it incorporates a base and has some changes to the profile of
the capital.
Although departing from the principle of explaining the orders
chronologically, it is fitting to introduce at this point, the Tuscan Order.
Established by the Sixteenth century Italians, it is of comparative recent
origin. A much simplified example of the Doric, it is unfluted and has no
adornments on the capital. It is also known as the Roman Doric order referred to
earlier.
The next Noble order to emerge was the Ionic which attained full development
by the sixth century B.C. Primarily a creation of the artisans of Asia Minor,
which is the Asian portion of Turkey, where some partially developed examples of
the order have been located, it appeared in Greece in the fifth century B.C. The
one complete example of Greek Ionic can be seen in the Erectheum. This is a
temple built from Pentelic marble on the Acropolis in Athens. Greek Ionic
columns are slenderly proportioned, their height generally being about nine
times their lower diameter and usually having twenty four flutes. The capital is
characterised by spiral scrolls known as Volutes.
These scrolls are viewed at front and rear of the capital. The Roman Ionic
differs from the Greek in the manner that the volutes protrude from the capital
forming four corners. In both the Greek and the Roman, echinus mouldings are
used in conjunction with the scrolls and are generally highly ornamented.
The Corinthian is the most elaborate and highly decorated of all the orders,
attaining its period of full development around the middle of the fourth century
B.C. Strangely enough, the Greeks made very little use of it by comparison with
the other orders. However, an excellent example is the circular Choragic
Monument of Lysicrates at Athens which was
erected in the year 335 B.C., but the most notable of the Corinthian temples is
that of Zeus, also at Athens, the construction of which was begun in the second
century B.C. and was completed by the Emperor Hadrian in the second century A.D.
The Greek Corinthian column, except for its distinctive capital, is similar to
the Ionic, but is even more slender. Legend has it that the design of the
beautiful capital, devised of Acanthus leaves, can be attributed to Callimachus,
who was a Hellenistic Greek poet and critic.
This is remarkable because his actual stock in trade was schoolteacher and
library worker at Alexandria. The Romans made use of the Corinthian Order in
many works of imperial architecture. They gave it a special base, made carved
additions to the cornice and made various innovations in the capital with more
flamboyant leafage than the Greek, and in some cases using human and animal
figures. The Pantheon in Rome, built by Agrippa in the year 27 B.C., rebuilt by
the Emperor Hadrian in the second century A.D. and now a Christian church,
embodies the prevailing examples of this order.
Hailing back momentarily to the manner in which the volutes or scrolls of the
Ionic order protrude from four corners, this configuration lent itself to the
addition of the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order and it was thus that the
Romans devised the Composite Order as early as the first century A.D. However,
it was not until the sixteenth century that the codifiers actually named it
Composite. It has since been employed extensively in public buildings worldwide.
We, as freemasons, are accustomed to seeing the Ionic, Doric and Corinthian
columns in a free standing situation representing Wisdom, Strength and Beauty
alongside the pedestals of the principal officers, but it must be realized that
columns in their normal situations as parts of buildings, as well as being
aesthetically pleasing, perform the function of supporting the upper portions of
the structure. These upper parts are called Entablatures and can take several
forms. In a building such as the Temple of Apollo at Didyama, the long
rectangular entablature is around all four sides, whereas in the Pantheon, a
triangular portion is added at the front of the porchway or entrance. This
triangular entablature is used where a raked roof is employed and is consistent
with the roof line. Entablatures, like Columns, are divided into named parts,
such as the Architrave, which is directly above the columns. The portion above
the architrave is called the Frieze, usually ornately ornamented. Above the
frieze is the Cornice. In the case of a triangular portion being used, it also
has named
parts. The Cornices completely surround the triangular facade, which is called
the Pediment, the upper, angled cornices being referred to as Raking Cornices.
Apart from the Noble or Classical Orders, many adaptions and departures from
orthodoxy can be observed when travelling around cities or the countryside. For
instance, at the entrance to the Town Hall in Angaston, (a town north of
Adelaide) there are two pillars which look like extended Australian Rules
footballs topped with the volutes of the Ionic order. Also, many false columns
which are really parts of the walls, display the characteristics of the capitals
of all the orders.
It is also interesting to note columns or pillars derived from the
architecture of countries other than Greece and Italy, such as Egypt. The
sculptors of this country depicted many conventional designs inspired by such
plants as palms, lotus and papyrus, mainly in the Ptolemaic period. The
Egyptians and also the Greeks made use of Caryatids which are columns sculpted
in the form of women. A wonderful example is to be viewed in the ruins of the
Erechthion on the Acropolis in Athens, where the Caryatid columns are completely
preserved. It is interesting to note that these figures are completely clothed,
but the arms are terminated above the elbows.
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