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 flanks 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, and 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. In some Grecian specimens a neck is added below the echinus, sculptured vyith flowers and leaves. The height of the column is about nine diameters, and the base varies considerably in diffierent examples. When a pedestal is used it is somewhat higiier and more ornamented than the Doric pedestal. The Greeks usually made the entablature of this order very simple. The architrave has two fascijE, the frieze plain, and the cornice of lew subdivisions; but the modern Ionic is seldom with le than three fasciae, the frieze is often cushioned, and the cornice is deeper and not un frequently 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 order are the temple on the Uy us, of Minerva Polias at Athens and Priene, Bacchus at Teos, Apollo Didymteus at Miletus, For tuna Virilis and the Coliseum at Rome. The profile above given is after Palladio. lONlC [s. 624]