Archaeology | Capitals | Composite | Composite column capital with plain leaves | Artwork profile

White marble

Tot. h. 33 cm; abacus’ side 35 cm; max. diag. 41 cm; base diam. 27 cm

Second half of the IV cent. AD


Report

Composite column capital with plain leaves

Composite capital with a single crown of plain leaves; these are separated at the base, rather slender, almost rectilinear, in shape and slightly thinned in the upper part, where the curved top is broken away; the central leaves are not yet completely flattened over the kalathos (h. of the plain leaves’ crown 22 cm).

The echinus is plain (h. 5 cm) and slightly projecting below the abacus, which has concave sides (h. 4 cm) and the typical uncarved lobes in place of the abacus flowers (h. 4.8 cm); the scroll running through the volute channel is here substituted with a thin astragal that originally reached the outer margin of volutes, merging into it, as the traces on the volute discs show; the latter are now almost completely lost. A plain astragal divides the echinus from the rim of the kalathos. The latter (h. of the kalathos with rim 24 cm) is expanded either at the top and bottom, thus giving the impression of being tensed. The corners of the abacus are missing.

The typological characteristics outlined, such as the extremely simplified leaves, as well as the comparison with some examples found in Ostia, allow us to date our composite capital with plain leaves around the middle of the IV century AD.