Meyer Franz. A Handbook of Ornament

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NATURAL

FORMS.

Artificial

Foliage.

Plate

25.

42 NATI! HAL

FORMS.

Plate

2o,

Artificial

Foliage.

Artificial

Foliage.

—

The

Laurel, the

Olive,

and the

Vine. 43

Pi^TE

26.

AimnciAL

Foliage.

—

Details

from a

relief on

the lectern,

catheclral, Limoges,

(Lifevre).

Oraameut,

Louis

XVT.

style,

(F. A. M., Cours

d'oruement).

Moderu

Fronoh

ornament,

(F,

M.).

TfiE

Laurel,

and

the

Olive:

(Plates

27,

28.)

The

Laurel

and the

Olive

owe their

introduction

into ornamen-

tation

their

symbolical

significance.

Both played

a conspicuous

part in the

tree

worship of

the

ancient Greeks. The Laurel

was

sacred to

Apollo. It

was

the

symbol

of atonement; singers and

con-

quering

heroes were

crowned

with it;

and in

similar

sense it

still used

as a symbol

of glory.

The

Olive was sacred to

Athene;

Olive branches were the prize

victory

the Olympian

games. La Rome

the victorious, Laurel-

crowned,

heroes were

met on

their return

home

slaves bearing

wreaths

of Olive

boughs. The

Olive branch

the

symbol

of peace.

Plate 27. The

Laurel,

&c.

from Nature.

Laurel

(Laurus

nohilis).

Evergreen; blossoms yellowish white;

fruit

ball

or egg

shaped,

blue

black.

Olive

(Olea

europea).

Evergreen; blossoms

small,

white; fruit oval,

greenish,

black.

Plate 28. The

Laurel,

&c.

—2.

Branches,

Greek vase,

conventional

painting,

(Owen

Jones).

Branches,

beaker, in

the silver treasure, Hildesheim, Roman,

Original of

chased silver,

museum, Berlin.

Fragment,

Roman

marble relief.

Branch,

inlarsia

panel, Palazzo Ducale,

Mantua,

(Meurer).

Branch, spaurail,

Louis

XVL style,

(Li^vre)

Hand, French

Renascence.

The

Vine.

(Plates

29,

30.)

Although the

Vine does not occui

frequently, it is

not

un-

popular element of

artistic decoration. The

Antique

and MedievaJ

styles, in

particular, show a certain preference

for

the vine.

Antiquity the

Vine

(Vitis

vinifera)

the

attribute of Bac-

chus.

Vine leaves and lyy,

sometimes in connection

with Laurel,

encircle

the brows

Bacchantes, and

adorn

their

drinking

vessels

and

utensils,

the thyrsus,

kantharos,

&c.

44 NATURAL

FORMS.

Plate

27.

The

Laurel, and the

Olive.

NATURAL

FOKMS.

The

Laurel,

the Bay,

and

the

Olive.

Plate

28.

NATURAL FOilJiS.

Plate 29.

The Vine:

Natural.

NATURAL

FORMS.

The

Vine: Artificial.

Plate 30.

The Vine,

the

Lotus, the

Papyrus,

and the

Palm.

The

ecclesiastical

art of

the Middle

Ages adopted the Vine,

toge-

ther with ears

of Corn,

as the

symbol

of Christ.

Later

styles, and

Modern

art,

have

adopted

the

Vine

both

the

antique

and

medieval senses.

Plate 29. The

Vine.

1. Natural branch.

Plate 30.

The Vlve.

1. Scroll

ornament,

Roman

rplief.

Eoman ornament,

vertical Border.

Early Gothic

ornament, Notre Dame,

Paris,

(Lifevre).

Renascence

ornament,

Italian

pilaster.

Renascence

ornament,

frieze, Venice,

IGth

century,

(Griiner).

The

Lotus,

the

Papyrus,

and the

Palm.

(Plate

31.)

The Lotus

and the Papyrus

are

plants of ancient oriental civi-

lisation; and play an important part in

the

social life,

of the

Egyptians,

Hindoos,

Assyrians, and other nations. The

dried

stalks

these

vpater

plants

were

used

as fuel,

made

into

mats and

other

plaited

a*i-ti-

cles;

their roots served as

food; the

pith as wicks for

lamps. The

paper of the ancients was

made of

Papjrrus.

ITiis explain sits appear-

ance

in the ornamental art of these nations,

and

its

special

luxuriance,

Egyptian style. Spoons and other utensils

were decorated

with

Lotus

flowers

and

calices; the capitals of Columns

imitate the

flowers

buds

of the Lotus: the, shaft resemples a

bound group

stalks; the

base

reminds- us of the root leaves of

these water

plants; their mural

Painting shows Lotus and Papyrus motives

in the most comprehensive

manner.

The Lotus was sacred

Osiris

and Isis, and was the sym-

bol of the

recurring fertilisation of the

land

the Nile,

and,

in a

higher sense, of

immortality.

The Palm, of which a few

varieties

exist

in 'the East

and South

'of Europe,

is also used in ornamental art.

Palm leaves or

branches were

used at

the entry of kings

into

Jerusalem,

at the feasts

of Osiris in

Egypt,

at the" Olympian games in

Greece,

and in the

triumphal pro-

cessions

of anciont Rome. They were the

symbol of

victory,

and of

peace.

this

latter sense they have been

received

into the

ritual

of the

Christian church. The late

Renascence

and following

styles

down to

the present day have

made

decorative

use of

palm leaves.

The symbolic

significance in a

higher sense, as

the

token

eternal

peace, has secured for the

Palm leaf a place in

Modern

art

tombs

and

.similar monoments.

The decorative

effect,

of dried

palm

fronds

NATUEAL

FORMS. 49

The

Lotus,

the

Papyrus,

and

the Palm.

Meyer, Handbook of

Ornament.

Plate 31.

NATURAL FORMS.

Plate

32.

The Ivy:

Natural, and Artificial.