IONIC ORDER, the second order of architecture, in point of time, among the Greeks. When the novelty of the Doric order had abated, the desire of producing something new soon led the way to the invention of another species; and in erecting the temple of Diana, they sought a new order from similar traces. imitating the proportion and dress of women. The diameter of the columns was made an eighth part of their height; the base with folds, representing, the shoe; the capitals with volutes, in form of the elided hair worn upon the right and left ; and the cymatium, for the locks pending on the ffirehead from the crown. This order they called ionic, after the name of the country in which it was invented.
Such is the account given by Vitrtwins, but it will scarcely obtain credit in the present day. Many other suggestions have been substituted, with 11101•C or less reason ; but how the order originated must ever remain a of conjecture. maintain that the idea of the capital was suggested by the curls of a lady's hair. a-s Vitruvins ; others, by the horns of rams slain for sacrifice; others, h the use of twigs placed upon the and others, who adhere to the notion of Vitruvius respecting the model wooden hut, suppose the same idea to have arisen from the splitting and bending, or curling- downwards, of the tops of the wooden props, under the weight of the roof-timbers. Others, again, suppose the order to have arisen naturally from the Doric, but these do not pretend to account for the origin of the capital, which forms the most striking and distinctive feature, and on the pre-existence of which all their theory depends. having found a fair type of the Grecian-aide in some of the edifices of Egypt, N•e may naturally look to that fir the origin of the bade, but we cannot say that we•meet with anything very satisthetory in this quarter. It is true, we have some approach to the final) of the Ionic capital in some Egyptian buildings; we find, for instance, the volutes arranged in a somewhat sintilar manner, though in larger numbers, yet we cannot say that the is so striking as to satisfy us as to their identity. Again, we have in the sante country capitals composed of the heads of Isis, with the curls the head-dress hanging down at each corner of the capital, and this ought almost to soine rest content with the Vitruvian tittles, lint we fear not others. The capitals which bear the greatest resemblance to the Ionic, are found amongst the ruins of Persepolis, where the volutes are introduced in a very similar manner, although there is more than two such volutes in ea•It capital.
The Greeks were well acquainted with the Persians when the Ionic order was introduced, and we would suggest this as a not unlikely account of the origin of the order ; but this, like all the other suggestions, fall flr short of satisfaction.
In this order, the capital becomes the chief characteristic, which is sufficient to distinguish it from any other, although from the preceding or Doric order it is distinguishable by many other marked differences, such as the empluyment of a distinct base ; the much-altered proportions ; the increased and ilitli!rent contour of the flutes, and the introduc tion of the fillets ; the increased ornamentation of the entab lature ; and by many other variations.
The Ionic capital has not all its sides similar, the similar sides being arranged in pairs, of which two, which may be termed the flees, are ranged parallel to the architrave; and two others, at right angles to the thee, and underneath the architrave, which may be called the sides. Spiral hands or volutes, as they are called, ornament each side of the thee, and are connected together by a band passing across the upper portion of the thee. The volutes, in fact, may be said to be formed by a band passing over the top of the shaft, and curled up at each extremity on either side of the shaft. The band being of the saute with of the column, would naturally form a cylindrical roll on each side, and thus may be supposed to have been formed the baluster side of the capital. These balusters, however, are not perfectly cylindrical. but hollowed out both vertically and horizontally, and, if' we continue our simile, we may suppose the band composed of some compres sible or yielding mass, and the roll to be tied up tightly in the middle, so as to make the intermediate sections of the roll gradually to di In 1111A both ways towards the middle. Other wise, we may suppose the balusters to represent two tubes ur horns, so placed together that the larger ends, or mouths, are at the greatest distance from each other, and abut against the back of the volutes. This arrangement gives the balusters a much lighter appearance, which is considerably enhanced by their being usually decorated with carving.