The Death of Ornamentation…
- arturonp05
- Feb 3, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 16, 2025
Good morning guys! Today I have a gripping topic I want to discuss; it’s ornamentation in architecture.
Some buildings have decorative elements and this architectural tool is known as ornamentation simply put, ornamentation means to add decorative elements to enhance or elaborate the appearance of something. (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2024) Ornamentation can often be found on entablatures, columns and on the tops of buildings, around entryways, windows, and especially in mouldings. Throughout history up until the Renaissance, and even later often for religious buildings, ornamentation was very important, usually having symbolic meaning. (Ornamentation | Decorative, Aesthetic, Ornamental | Britannica, n.d.) The anthemion petal motif was extremely popular on ancient Greek cornices (Anthemion | Architecture | Britannica, n.d.)
Victorian representation of Ancient Greek lotus-palmette design
It is clear that there is more to ornamentation than we may think at first, it can also be described as a language that can tell us the purpose of a building or how important it is, this is often seen in elements that are needed for structural or functional support. They are enriched with ornamentation to, be made more beautiful and interesting. For example, corbels in their most simple form can be just a triangle but instead, they are often decorated as scrolls. Likewise with gates, simply they can simply be metal bars but instead are often representative of detailed metalwork that may present local wildlife or religious references. (Ornamentation | Decorative, Aesthetic, Ornamental | Britannica, n.d.) Another example is keystones, in their simplest form they can just be a stone however, they can often include portraits of important historical, political, or religious figures, and sometimes they can just purely display an image of the original owner of the building. (Sculpted Keystones - Bob Speel’s Website, n.d.) Sometimes ornamentation doesn’t even have to provide structural value, it can simply be there to provide beauty and symbolic importance. For instance, bollards or lamp posts.
In Western architecture it is common to use elements inherited from ancient Greek and Roman architecture to, indicate a building is important or prestigious, (Team, 2019) such as the design on top of columns which represents the acanthus plant, found in the Mediterranean and used by both ancient Greeks and Romans. (Acanthus | Ornamental Motif, n.d.) Some other examples include the portico, in more modern buildings it is often flattened and although it provides no shelter like its original designs it can still indicate the entrance of a building. Another thing that was extremely common on buildings and structures in Victorian Britain was busts of the Monarch included as ornamentation to commemorate their reign.
Bust of Queen Victoria
It is important to acknowledge though that sometimes ornamentation can be much less serious for example in a pub called Hen and Chickens in London there is imagery of Hen and Chickens on the gable end.
Hen & Chickens Theatre Bar, St Paul's Road & Canonbury Road, Islington
In modern architecture, ornamentation is rarely used as it can be considered outdated, expensive, and unnecessary. However, in some recent constructions, it is beginning to make a resurgence, (Davidson, 2021) which in my opinion is great! After all, beauty nourishes the soul!
Bibliography:
ornamentation noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com. (2024). Oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ornamentation?q=ornamentation
Ornamentation | Decorative, Aesthetic, Ornamental | Britannica. (n.d.). Www.britannica.com. https://www.britannica.com/topic/ornamentation-architecture#:~:text=ornamentation%2C%20in%20architecture%2C%20applied%20embellishment
Acanthus | ornamental motif. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/acanthus-ornamental-motif
anthemion | architecture | Britannica. (n.d.). Www.britannica.com. https://www.britannica.com/technology/anthemion
Sculpted Keystones - Bob Speel’s Website. (n.d.). Www.speel.me.uk. Retrieved May 3, 2024, from http://www.speel.me.uk/gp/keystone.htm
Team, R. G. (2019, June 18). Influences of Western Architecture over time. RG Group. https://rg-group.co.uk/news/influences-of-western-architecture-over-time/
Davidson, J. (2021, November 23). Why Do New Buildings Look So Basic? Curbed. https://www.curbed.com/2021/11/ornament-modern-architecture-nature-microscopic.html
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