ORDER

One of the five orders of architecture. Whose distinguishing feature is the volute of its capital. In the Grecian Ionic the volutes appear the same in the front and rear, being connected on the Hanks by a baluster like form: through the external angles of the capitals of the corner columns, however, a diagonal volute is introduced. The Romans gave their Ionic four diagonal volutes, nnd curved the sides of the abacus. The Greek volute continues the fillet of the spiral along the face of the abacus, whereas in the Roman its origin is behind the ovolo. lu some Grecian specimens a neck is added below the echinus, sculptured with (lowers and leaves. The height of the column is about nine diameters, and the base varies considerably in different examples. When a pedestal is MM it is somewhat higher nnd more ornamental than tho Doric pedestal. The < usually made the entablature of this order very simple. The architrave has two fascia-, the frieze plain, nnd the cornice of few subdivisions;but the modern Ionic is seldom with le than three fascia?, the frieze is often cushioned, nnd the cornice is deeper and not unfrequently modillioned, its profile being much varied. The dentil is also much used in the bed mouldings. The shaft is cut with twenty-four flutes separated by fillets. Some of the most celebrated examples of the orier are the temple on the lly us, of Minerva Polias at Athens Priene, Bacchus nt Teos, Apollo Didyma;us at Miletus, For tuna Virilis and the Coliseum nt Rome. The profile above given is after Palladio. [s. 629]