Architecture and Speculative Masonry

By RALPH E. LEGEMAN Grand Master of Indiana

Part 3

AS WE continue with the study of the Middle Chamber lecture, we come to

THE IONIC

The lecture starts with a generalization:

The Ionic bears a kind of mean proportion between the more solid and delicate orders.

We have seen that the Tuscan was the heaviest and the stubbiest order, with a column seven diameters high. Then we had the Doric, with a column eight diameters high. Now we have the Ionic, and we continue:

Its column is nine diameters high;

We have found that the entablature is basically the same in the various orders, merely varying in proportions (with relationship to the column), and detail, such as mouldings and ornaments. While in the Tuscan and the Doric we have found no great variation in the column capital, we now come to the first major variation:

Its capital is adorned with volutes,

These volutes form the major mark of identification of the Ionic order. They are the ornaments on the upper portion of the column capital. (See Figure 10)

The origin of these volutes can be attributed to several sources. Some similarity can be seen in the lotus leaf of Egyptian wall paintings. There is some similarity to the nautilus shell, also to the horns of a ram. Thus it may have been influenced by nature, yet it could have been strictly a geometrical form. There is a very complicated formula by which the Ionic volute can be drawn, and there is a very simple way of using a string and a shell, as shown by Figure 11.

And its cornice has dentils.

The dentils are the ornamental squares in the entablature, as shown in Figure 12.

This same Figure 12 shows a comparison between the Greek and the Roman, and it identifies all parts mentioned in the lecture.

There is both delicacy and ingenuity displayed in this pillar, the invention of which is attributed to the lonians, as the famous temple of Diana at Ephesus was of this order.

The delicacy can be explained by the reduced diameter of the columns and the reproportioning of the entablature, as already explained. The ingenuity can be explained by the addition of ornament, based either upon natural form or a geometrical pattern as explained in connection with the volutes of the column capital.

The major difference between the Greek and the Roman Ionic, as shown by Figure 12, lies in the placement of these volutes. In the Greek examples they were usually placed parallel with the line of the entablature above, showing directly on two sides of the capital. In the Roman examples they were usually turned to form a 45 degree angle with the entablature, thereby showing the same on all four sides of the capital. This also is shown by Figure 10.

The Middle Chamber lecture attributes the invention of the order to the Ionians. It further refers to the famous Temple of Diana at Ephesus, which is on the mainland across the Agean Sea from Greece proper. This Temple was also known as the Temple of Artemis, and was built in 330 B.C. on the site of two previous Temples. It was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world, yet there is nothing left of this Temple. Our conception of it is limited to the imagination of the restorationists who have delved into the buried ruins. Materials from this Temple have been utilized in the erection of later buildings in several different parts of the world.

As to a visual presentation of the Ionic Order, as found in the early examples, a view of the Erectheion on the Acropolis at Athens is shown in Figure 13. This building was unusual for more than one reason. It was of irregular planning, without the usual formality of Greek Temples. Furthermore, it consisted of three distinct elements, each as a separate and distinct shrine. Figure 13 shows this Temple from the west. Both the eastern portico and the northern portico were distinctly Ionic in design. The southern portico, (shown to the right in the picture) is known as the Caryatid portico, and it might be a clue to the next statement in the lecture:

It was said to have been formed after the model of an agreeable young woman, dressed in her hair, as in contrast to the Doric order, which was formed after that of a strong, robust man.

In this southern or Caryatid portico, six draped female figures were substituted for the usual columns. (See Figure 14.) These figures were about seven feet and nine inches high and similarly spaced to the columns on the north portico, but resting on a solid marble wall above the level of the ground. All figures face southward, the three western leaning on their right (outer) legs, and the three eastern on their left legs, thus correcting a possible optical illusion that would have been presented if they all had been alike, or straight.

In the January issue this series will continue with the detailed description of the other two orders, the Corinthian and the Composite.

Pronunciation (Phonetic)

caryatid--kari-at'id (both "a's" short; both "i's" short)
dentils -- den'tils ("e" and "i" short)
diana--Di-an'a ("i" long; "ana" as Anna) [or "Dee-ah'-nah" -Ed.]
ephesus -- Eff'e-sus (first "e" short, the second long)
ionic--I-on'ic (first "i" long, second short; "o" short)
volutes---vo-lutes' ("o" and "u" long)

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