n.
[L. acrolthus, Gr. 'akroli`qos with the ends made of stone; 'a`kros extreme + li`qos stone.]
(Arch. & Sculp.) A statue whose extremities are of stone, the trunk being generally of wood. Elmes.
Acrolith
| Dictionary: Ac·ro·lith |
n.
| Architecture: acrolith |
A statue or sculptured figure in which only the head, hands, and feet are of stone, the rest being usually of wood.
| Word Tutor: acrolith |
IN BRIEF: A sculptured figure with wood torso and stone or marble head and extremities.
| Wikipedia: Acrolith |
An acrolith was a statue made in Classical antiquity, in which the trunk of the figure was made of wood, and the head, hands, and feet were made of marble. The wood was concealed either by drapery or by gilding; only the marble parts were exposed to view.
Greek etymology: acros and lithos, English translation: "height" or "extremity" and "stone".
Earlier, similar sculptures used ivory instead of marble, and normally gold on the body. Acroliths are frequently mentioned by Pausanias (100s CE), the best known example being the Athene Areia ("Warlike Athena") of the Plataeans.
Examples of acrolithic sculptures
- Athene Areia of the Plataeans
- Colossus of Constantine
- Antinous Mondragone
References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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 | Dictionary. Webster 1913 Dictionary edited by Patrick J. Cassidy Read more |
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| Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Acrolith". Read more |
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