GREEK ANTAE OR PILASTERS Doric Pilasters. The plan adopted by the Greeks in their Doric temple structures, was one that would necessarily increase the im portance of the column shafts, and required a sharp demarcation between the fluted columns and the contrasting plain wall surface. In the early temples with an entrance porch, the side walls were carried forward, and their ends were finished by a pilaster treatment on their front, returning on the two sides; while two columns were placed be tween-them. These slightly projecting pilasters, termed antae, used by the Greeks, are employed for the most part upon the ends of walls. An elevation of the front of such a building (Plate XXXV), gives us the effect of an entrance porch composed of two columns and two pilasters, the latter supporting, on each side, the ends of the entablature overhead. In Greek architecture these pilasters are seldom used in important positions, on account of the extreme importance given to the column, and the resulting fact that the Greeks so arranged the plans of their buildings as very seldom to require the use of a pilaster in any important location. Of course, being placed behind a series of columns in this fashion would naturally render the pilaster very unobtrusive, and this effect was emphasized by its manner of treat ment as a part of the wall itself. The shafts of these pilasters are always plain, and never given any entasis, being the same width at the top as at the bottom. The capitals differ very radically from the capitals of the column, inasmuch as they consist of merely a series of fine mouldings below the abacus and set on top of one or more fascias, as in Fig. 91. The contrast offered by the plain surface of these pilas ters to the fluted columns with which they are ordinarily used, is very effective, while by their very character, when seen from any distance, they tend to become a part of the wall to which they were attached.
These pilasters are sometimes -given a base the same as the columns, but their cap and base are more customarily formed by the mouldings which are placed at the base and top of the wall against which these ante are placed. In the Doric Order they generally have a plain projecting plinth base, with no mouldings, although sometimes the shaft descends directly to the stylobate or platform, as in the column of the same Order.
Ionic Pilasters. With the Ionic column the Greeks employed many different types of pilaster capitals, some being very elaborate in their form and ornamentation. The Ionic antæ, the same as the Doric antæ, have for their bases the lines of the base of the walls; and for the crowning mouldings of their capitals, the mouldings are covered with ornaments, eggs-and-darts, beads and reels, honeysuckles, etc. The capital of the Ionic ante receives from the school of Pythius sculptured decorations of great variety. The best type is undoubtedly that which we find used in the Erechtheum, with the various examples of the Ionic ornamented capital and column which we have already illustrated. Two of these pilasters are shown in Fig. 92. These antæ capitals are moulded and carved quite elaborately, while along the surface of the frieze in each instance runs the same treatment as is used to adorn the neck of the accompanying capital. These pilasters are given a moulded base, much the same as that employed on the columns, although the members are ornamented with more horizontal lines than are used on the column base. It will be observed that these pilasters follow the same general treatment as those used with the Greek Doric Order; and they should be compared, in all the examples illustrated, with the columns, shown elsewhere, with which they were used.
Fig. 93 shows side by side a comparative column and pilaster treatment from the Temple of Minerva at Priene. This illustrates the size of the pilaster as regards the column diameter at the neck and base. As will be seen, it approximates a mean between these two dimensions. The capital of the pilaster is shown one-half on each side of the center line, to indicate the treatment both of the end and of the face. The same treatment was applied to the square detached columns or piers employed in this temple. In Fig. 94 are shown the end and face of a pilaster cap from the Temple of Apollo at Miletus. These pilasters, each ornamented differently, were used attached to a wall surface, and were connected with each other by a carved and ornamented frieze. The end of the pilaster, therefore, is shallow in width and depth, and only the face is regarded in reference to the Column width.