An arch of triumph is a monument built to commemorate a military victory, although it was actually used to celebrate a ruler. The first triumphal arches were built by the Romans in ancient times and each one was dedicated to a victorious general. The classical triumphal arch is an autonomous structure, quite separate from the city gates or walls.
In its simplest form, a triumphal arch consists of two massive pilasters joined by an arch, topped by a flat superstructure or attic in which it can contain a statue or display commemorative inscriptions. The structure was to be decorated with carvings, notably winged female figures of Victory (mythology) (very much resembling angels), a pair of which typically occupy the curved triangles next to the top of the curved arch. More elaborate triumphal arches have other secondary arches flanking them, typically a pair.
The ABA rhythmic motif—of a central arch-shaped opening flanked by smaller ones—was adapted in classical architecture, particularly from the Renaissance onwards, to articulate the walls of the structures. The openings can take the form of a niche or be "blind", with continuous masonry behind them.
Roman triumphal arches
The tradition dates back to the architecture of Ancient Rome and is related to the Senate's custom of celebrating Roman triumphs for especially successful generals, by voting. They originated sometime in the Roman Republic.[1] They were called fornices "Arch (architecture)") (singular: fornix) and carried images that described and commemorated victory and triumph. It is known that several fornixes were erected in Rome at the time, two of them erected by Lucius Stertinius"), the first in 196 BC to commemorate his victories in Hispania. Scipio Africanus built another fornix on the Capitoline Hill in 190 BC, and Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogius built one in the Roman Forum in 121 BC. C.[2] None of these structures have survived, so they appear to have been temporary structures and little is known about their appearance.[1].
Most of the triumphal arches were erected during the Roman Empire. Pliny the Elder, in the 19th century, describes them as honorary monuments of unusual importance, erected to commemorate triumphs. In the century arches were erected to celebrate other events, such as the triumphal arch that remains in Ancona, erected by a grateful city to celebrate Trajan's improvements in its bay. By the turn of the century, thirty-six triumphal arches could be laid out in Rome. Only three of them have survived today: the arch of Titus (year 81), the arch of Septimius Severus (203-205) and the arch of Constantine (312).[3][4].
Arc de Triomphe (Origin)
Introduction
An arch of triumph is a monument built to commemorate a military victory, although it was actually used to celebrate a ruler. The first triumphal arches were built by the Romans in ancient times and each one was dedicated to a victorious general. The classical triumphal arch is an autonomous structure, quite separate from the city gates or walls.
In its simplest form, a triumphal arch consists of two massive pilasters joined by an arch, topped by a flat superstructure or attic in which it can contain a statue or display commemorative inscriptions. The structure was to be decorated with carvings, notably winged female figures of Victory (mythology) (very much resembling angels), a pair of which typically occupy the curved triangles next to the top of the curved arch. More elaborate triumphal arches have other secondary arches flanking them, typically a pair.
The ABA rhythmic motif—of a central arch-shaped opening flanked by smaller ones—was adapted in classical architecture, particularly from the Renaissance onwards, to articulate the walls of the structures. The openings can take the form of a niche or be "blind", with continuous masonry behind them.
Roman triumphal arches
The tradition dates back to the architecture of Ancient Rome and is related to the Senate's custom of celebrating Roman triumphs for especially successful generals, by voting. They originated sometime in the Roman Republic.[1] They were called fornices "Arch (architecture)") (singular: fornix) and carried images that described and commemorated victory and triumph. It is known that several fornixes were erected in Rome at the time, two of them erected by Lucius Stertinius"), the first in 196 BC to commemorate his victories in Hispania. Scipio Africanus built another fornix on the Capitoline Hill in 190 BC, and Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogius built one in the Roman Forum in 121 BC. C.[2] None of these structures have survived, so they appear to have been temporary structures and little is known about their appearance.[1].
The arches of Rome became increasingly elaborate over the centuries. At first they were very simple, temporary and symbolic entrance gates to the city, built in brick or stone with a semicircular arch heading and hung with trophies of captured weapons. Later arches were built with high-quality marble, with a large central arch in the middle, its roof treated as a barrel vault, and sometimes two smaller arches, one on each side, adorned with a complete architectural order, of columns and entablature, enriched with symbolic or narrative bas-reliefs. Some triumphal arches were crowned by a statue or a currus triumphalis, a group of statues representing the emperor or general on a chariot. The festive Corinthian order was the usual one.
The single arch was the most common, but triple arches were also built, of which the triumphal arch of Medinaceli (around year 2) or the triumphal arch of Orange (around year 21) are the oldest surviving examples. From the century onwards, many examples of the arcus quadrifrons, a square triumphal arch erected over a crossroads, with arched openings on all four sides, were built, especially in North Africa.[3].
Roman triumph practices changed significantly at the beginning of the imperial period, when princeps Augustus decreed that triumphs and triumphal honors should be limited to members of the imperial family; In practice, this meant the reigning emperor or his predecessors. The term fornix was replaced by arcus ("arc"). While republican fornices could be erected by a triumphator at his discretion and expense, imperial triumphal arches were sponsored by decree of the senate, or sometimes by wealthy holders of high office, to honor and promote the emperors, their office and the values of the empire.[5] The arches were not necessarily built as entrances, but - unlike many modern triumphal arches - they were often erected across paths and were intended to be crossed, not surrounded.[6].
Arch building in Rome and Italy declined after the time of Trajan (98-117), but remained widespread in the provinces during the 2nd centuries; They were often erected to commemorate imperial visits.[3].
Triumphal arches after Roman times
Roman-style triumphal arches were revived during the Renaissance, when there was growing interest throughout Europe in the art and architecture of Ancient Rome. Between the century and the century, kings and emperors erected numerous triumphal arches in a conscious imitation of the Roman tradition. One of the first was the "Aragonese Arch" in the Castel Nuovo in Naples, built by Alfonso V in 1443, although, like the later Porta Capuana, it did not stand alone, but rather connected to part of the entrance to the castle. Numerous temporary triumphal arches were erected for festivities such as the Royal Entrances") from the late Middle Ages onwards. Emperor Maximilian I commissioned the artist Albrecht Dürer to design an elaborately decorated monumental arch" in engraving for him (3.75 meters high, on 192 different sheets), which was never intended to be built, but was printed in an edition of 700 copies and distributed to be painted with colors and pasted on the walls of large rooms. Louis XIV also built triumphal arches.
One of the best-known triumphal arches in the world is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, located in Place Charles de Gaulle, at the west end of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, erected to commemorate the military triumphs of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Arches for the same purpose were erected in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Romania, Russia and Spain, among other countries. The monument to the Revolution in Mexico is considered the largest triumphal arch in the world (67m), since there is no way to verify that the arch in Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, is larger (supposedly 70m).
Temporary triumphal arches are still built, and are intended to be used in a celebratory parade or ceremony, to be dismantled later.
• - Arch (construction) "Arch (construction)").
• - Triumphal arch "Triumphal arch (church)").
• - City gate.
• - Arc de Triomphe of Paris (France).
• - Arc de Triomphe of Barcelona (Spain).
• - Victory Arch (Madrid, Spain).
• - Pyongyang Triumphal Arch (North Korea).
• - Arch of the Federation (Venezuela).
• - Arch of the Federation (Santa Ana de Coro) "Arch of the Federation (Santa Ana de Coro)") (Venezuela).
• - Triumphal arch of Carabobo (Venezuela).
• - Monument to the Revolution "Monument to the Revolution (Mexico)") (Mexico).
• - Paifang.
• - Pylon.
• - Ishtar Gate.
• - Puerta del Sol.
• - Torana.
• - Torii.
• - Boyacá Bridge.
• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Arcos de Triomphe.
• - Brief description of the ornaments and triumphal arches of the Villa of Madrid, by invention and direction of Colonel D. Francisco Sabatini, 1765. Archived April 22, 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
References
[1] ↑ a b "Triumphal arch." Encyclopædia Britannica (2010).
[2] ↑ F. B. Sear y Richard John. "Triumphal arch." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. 30 de julio de 2010.
[4] ↑ ¿Qué es un arco de triunfo? Ante todo, una puerta monumental constituida por dos pilonos macizos, unidos por una bóveda de medio punto, que corona un ático, mas rectangular de albañilería, cuyo objeto es el de sostener unas estatuas. El arco esta enmarcado además con dos o cuatro columnas, que pueden hallarse adosadas a los pilonos o colocadas sobre pedestales salientes, los cuales sostienen a su vez un entablamento que pasa exactamente por encima de la arquivolta y separa el ático de la puerta. Partiendo de esta fórmula, son muchas las combinaciones posibles. Gilbert, Picard (p. 123). Traducción del Dr. J. A. Gutiérrez-Larraya. Imperio Romano. Barcelona: Ediciones Garriaga S. A., 1965.
[5] ↑ Zaho, Margaret Ann (2004). Imago triumphalis: the function and significance of triumphal imagery for Italian Renaissance rulers. Peter Lang. p. 18–25. ISBN 978-0-8204-6235-6.: https://archive.org/details/imagotriumphalis00annz
[6] ↑ Honour, Hugh; Fleming, John (2005). A world history of art. Laurence King Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85669-451-3.
Most of the triumphal arches were erected during the Roman Empire. Pliny the Elder, in the 19th century, describes them as honorary monuments of unusual importance, erected to commemorate triumphs. In the century arches were erected to celebrate other events, such as the triumphal arch that remains in Ancona, erected by a grateful city to celebrate Trajan's improvements in its bay. By the turn of the century, thirty-six triumphal arches could be laid out in Rome. Only three of them have survived today: the arch of Titus (year 81), the arch of Septimius Severus (203-205) and the arch of Constantine (312).[3][4].
The arches of Rome became increasingly elaborate over the centuries. At first they were very simple, temporary and symbolic entrance gates to the city, built in brick or stone with a semicircular arch heading and hung with trophies of captured weapons. Later arches were built with high-quality marble, with a large central arch in the middle, its roof treated as a barrel vault, and sometimes two smaller arches, one on each side, adorned with a complete architectural order, of columns and entablature, enriched with symbolic or narrative bas-reliefs. Some triumphal arches were crowned by a statue or a currus triumphalis, a group of statues representing the emperor or general on a chariot. The festive Corinthian order was the usual one.
The single arch was the most common, but triple arches were also built, of which the triumphal arch of Medinaceli (around year 2) or the triumphal arch of Orange (around year 21) are the oldest surviving examples. From the century onwards, many examples of the arcus quadrifrons, a square triumphal arch erected over a crossroads, with arched openings on all four sides, were built, especially in North Africa.[3].
Roman triumph practices changed significantly at the beginning of the imperial period, when princeps Augustus decreed that triumphs and triumphal honors should be limited to members of the imperial family; In practice, this meant the reigning emperor or his predecessors. The term fornix was replaced by arcus ("arc"). While republican fornices could be erected by a triumphator at his discretion and expense, imperial triumphal arches were sponsored by decree of the senate, or sometimes by wealthy holders of high office, to honor and promote the emperors, their office and the values of the empire.[5] The arches were not necessarily built as entrances, but - unlike many modern triumphal arches - they were often erected across paths and were intended to be crossed, not surrounded.[6].
Arch building in Rome and Italy declined after the time of Trajan (98-117), but remained widespread in the provinces during the 2nd centuries; They were often erected to commemorate imperial visits.[3].
Triumphal arches after Roman times
Roman-style triumphal arches were revived during the Renaissance, when there was growing interest throughout Europe in the art and architecture of Ancient Rome. Between the century and the century, kings and emperors erected numerous triumphal arches in a conscious imitation of the Roman tradition. One of the first was the "Aragonese Arch" in the Castel Nuovo in Naples, built by Alfonso V in 1443, although, like the later Porta Capuana, it did not stand alone, but rather connected to part of the entrance to the castle. Numerous temporary triumphal arches were erected for festivities such as the Royal Entrances") from the late Middle Ages onwards. Emperor Maximilian I commissioned the artist Albrecht Dürer to design an elaborately decorated monumental arch" in engraving for him (3.75 meters high, on 192 different sheets), which was never intended to be built, but was printed in an edition of 700 copies and distributed to be painted with colors and pasted on the walls of large rooms. Louis XIV also built triumphal arches.
One of the best-known triumphal arches in the world is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, located in Place Charles de Gaulle, at the west end of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, erected to commemorate the military triumphs of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Arches for the same purpose were erected in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Romania, Russia and Spain, among other countries. The monument to the Revolution in Mexico is considered the largest triumphal arch in the world (67m), since there is no way to verify that the arch in Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, is larger (supposedly 70m).
Temporary triumphal arches are still built, and are intended to be used in a celebratory parade or ceremony, to be dismantled later.
• - Arch (construction) "Arch (construction)").
• - Triumphal arch "Triumphal arch (church)").
• - City gate.
• - Arc de Triomphe of Paris (France).
• - Arc de Triomphe of Barcelona (Spain).
• - Victory Arch (Madrid, Spain).
• - Pyongyang Triumphal Arch (North Korea).
• - Arch of the Federation (Venezuela).
• - Arch of the Federation (Santa Ana de Coro) "Arch of the Federation (Santa Ana de Coro)") (Venezuela).
• - Triumphal arch of Carabobo (Venezuela).
• - Monument to the Revolution "Monument to the Revolution (Mexico)") (Mexico).
• - Paifang.
• - Pylon.
• - Ishtar Gate.
• - Puerta del Sol.
• - Torana.
• - Torii.
• - Boyacá Bridge.
• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Arcos de Triomphe.
• - Brief description of the ornaments and triumphal arches of the Villa of Madrid, by invention and direction of Colonel D. Francisco Sabatini, 1765. Archived April 22, 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
References
[1] ↑ a b "Triumphal arch." Encyclopædia Britannica (2010).
[2] ↑ F. B. Sear y Richard John. "Triumphal arch." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. 30 de julio de 2010.
[4] ↑ ¿Qué es un arco de triunfo? Ante todo, una puerta monumental constituida por dos pilonos macizos, unidos por una bóveda de medio punto, que corona un ático, mas rectangular de albañilería, cuyo objeto es el de sostener unas estatuas. El arco esta enmarcado además con dos o cuatro columnas, que pueden hallarse adosadas a los pilonos o colocadas sobre pedestales salientes, los cuales sostienen a su vez un entablamento que pasa exactamente por encima de la arquivolta y separa el ático de la puerta. Partiendo de esta fórmula, son muchas las combinaciones posibles. Gilbert, Picard (p. 123). Traducción del Dr. J. A. Gutiérrez-Larraya. Imperio Romano. Barcelona: Ediciones Garriaga S. A., 1965.
[5] ↑ Zaho, Margaret Ann (2004). Imago triumphalis: the function and significance of triumphal imagery for Italian Renaissance rulers. Peter Lang. p. 18–25. ISBN 978-0-8204-6235-6.: https://archive.org/details/imagotriumphalis00annz
[6] ↑ Honour, Hugh; Fleming, John (2005). A world history of art. Laurence King Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85669-451-3.