How Ancient Leaves Became Features of Timaru’s Architecture?
A basket, acanthus plant, and a roof tile.
Lets start at the Middle Ages, 900 years between fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance between 500-1500 AD.
Architecture evolved from classical Roman grandeur to more practical, fortified, and religiously focused buildings, known as Romanesque and then later the French Gothic style. This spread across Europe and dominated cathedral construction in the 1500s. Buildings like St Mary’s in Timaru were inspired by this style, known as Gothic Revival, based on the architecture of medieval Europe and the architectural fashions in Britain 1800s.
In 1416, the world's oldest known architecture textbook, De Architectura (On Architecture), written by Marcus ‘Vitruvius’ Pollio we think around 100 BCE, was rediscovered in a Swiss monastery library and translated into Italian, French, Spanish, and English.
Vitruvius, a military engineer and architect under Emperor Augustus, wrote this guide for Roman architects. Its rediscovery inspired people to incorporate the classical style of ancient Greece and Rome into their buildings. You can see it in Timaru’s Custom House, the Roman Catholic’s Basilica to Victorian, Edwardian shops in town, Arts and Crafts homes, and even modern designs like the Tekapo Buildings.
Vitruvius believed that the ideal human body follows specific mathematical ratios, and these proportions could be used as a guide in architecture to reflect the harmony of nature and the human form. His writings inspired Leonardo da Vinci’s famous drawing, "Vitruvian Man" (circa 1490). And many more artists like Francesco Di Giorgio Martini.
The Greeks adopted columns from the Egyptians, Minoans and Mycenaeans and had three distinct orders. Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Romans evolved to Tuscan, and Composite styles.
Base: The bottom of the column, often adorned in Ionic and Corinthian styles but plain in the Doric.
Shaft: The elongated middle section, typically fluted for visual appeal.
Capital: The top section, unique to each order, which transitions the column to the load above.
DORIC
Simple, round design with a square top. Fluted shaft. (Masculine). (Greek)
IONIC
Volutes (scroll-like ornaments). Slender, fluted shaft. (Feminine) (Greek)
CORINTHIAN
Ornate and intricate acanthus leaves, votive basket. Fluted shaft. (Greek and Roman)
Vitruvius described the three classical Greek orders; Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, as having distinct proportions and symbolic meanings. Vitruvius believed that architects should choose the right order for the right building, matching the style to the function and symbolism of the structure.
The Doric order, the simplest and sturdiest, represented strength and masculinity, with plain capitals and no base. It was used for military and civic buildings where durability and solidity were essential.
The Ionic order was more slender and elegant, symbolizing grace and femininity, with its scroll-like volutes and decorative elements. It was suited for temples and buildings that needed a balance of strength and beauty. The scrolls called volutes means to roll up. On the Ionic capital he said like the graceful curls of a woman’s hair. He suggests that just as women are more delicate and adorned than men, the Ionic order is more decorative and refined than the sturdy Doric style. This aligns with his broader theme that architecture should reflect natural forms and human ideals.
The Corinthian order, the most ornate and decorative, was associated with luxury and refinement, inspired by the delicate form of a maiden. Its elaborate capitals, adorned with acanthus leaves, made it ideal for grand temples and prestigious structures. Vitruvius emphasized that architects should choose the appropriate order based on a building’s function and symbolism, ensuring harmony between design and purpose.
Vitruvius wrote about the Corinthian column, which dates back over 2,500 years. When you look up at the buildings in Timaru's CBD, you’ll notice capitals adorned with acanthus leaves, inspired by the work of the Greek architect Callimachus (c. 310–240 BCE).
Legend has it that Callimachus (meaning “very skillful”) was inspired by a grave of a young girl from Corinth, where her nurse had placed a votive basket of toys and covered it with a tile. An acanthus plant grew from the grave, wrapping around the basket, which led Callimachus to designe columns for the Corinthians based on this model, establishing balanced proportions and setting the principles for the Corinthian style.
Ancient Corinth, one of Greece's most important cities, was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BCE but was later reestablished as a Roman colony by Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. The Corinthian column, born from this city’s wealth and influence, became a symbol of luxury.
By contrast, the Doric order was simpler, embodying Spartan rigor, and the Ionic order represented the cosmopolitan balance of the Ionians.
After the Ottoman conquest in 1458 and an earthquake in 1858, Corinth was reduced to ruins. So the writings by Vitruvius' were critical to understanding the origins of buildings that had been ruined, and lost and revived the interest in classical architecture.
Jean Baptiste Coignard published the book in French in 1684.
In 1762, British architects James Stuart and Nicholas Revett published a survey of Greek architecture, sparking the Greek Revival movement across Europe and America. The acanthus leaf quickly spread worldwide, influencing architecture, furniture, and art.
Both Greeks and Romans made use of the Acanthus mollis in the form of garlands, with which they adorned their buildings, their furniture, and even their clothing.
The origin of the Corinthian order, engraving (Paris: J.-B. Coignard, 1684), illustrated in Claude Perrault's Vitruvius, 2nd ed. (1684).
A picture of the leaves of Acanthus Montanus ( Nees).caliban.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de/mavica/index.html part of www.biolib.de. An acanthus (A. mollis) flowering in the ruins of the Palatine Hill, Rome, May 2005
