In all examples of this order, except the temple of Apollo at Delos, the hexastyle temple at Paestum, the portico of Philip king of Macedon, and the Doric portico at Athens, the face of the triglyph tablet, and that of the cpistyle or architrave, are in one vertical plane; so that the fillet named regula, and the gutty under the cup of the epistyle, being regulated by the breadth of the tri glyph, will, at each external angle, only touch at their internal points, and leave a void space at the external an gle of the epistyle cups. This is exemplified in the tem ples of Minerva, Theseus, and the propylca at Athens ; the temple of Minerva at Sunium; Jupiter Nemeus, Ju piter Pannellenius, Minerva at Syracuse; Concord at Agrigcntum ; the hypethral temple at Paestum, and also of Silenus and Jupiter at the same place. And where the face of the epistyle, and that of the triglyph tablet, are in one vertical plane, the gotta: will be six in number under each regula, at every external angle or return, that is, making twelve on the two sides. In the Doric portico at Athens, the temple of Apollo at Delos, and the hexastyle temple at Pzustum, the face of the metopes and that of the epistyle are in one vertical plane. The triglyphs, regula, and gotta', project from the plane of the epistyle, and at the returns meet at the external an gles; and though the guttx appear six on each face, yet the guttx at the angle being common to both faces, the whole make only eleven.
In the cornice, the corona forms the most prominent feature in the temple of Concord at Agrigentum, and of Jupiter at Silenus. Instead of having the crowning ovolo, the cornice terminates with a face receding within the corona. This is so contrary to usual practice and proprie ty, that we are led to suspect, that a defect in the stones, which formed the upper division of the cornice, may have been supplied by having an ovolo fixed in this recess. In every specimen of pure Doric, the cornice has mimics. In examples to he found in Sicily, the drops from the soffit of the mutules are cylinders of greater height than diameter; but in all the best examples, they are not more than half their diameter in height, and in some instances considerably less. In the temple of Theseus, the drops arc frustums of cones; but, in the same specimens, those under the regula upon the epistyle have both a concave and convex flexure.
The hexastyle temple at Paestum, instead of mutulcs, has the soffit formed into coffers; but, in this specimen, it is only the capital and triglyphs which bear any affinity to the Greek Doric ; and even on the capital, in place of annulets, there is a row of delicate leaves crushed to gether between two astragals; and the triglyph being placed at the returning angle, they are over the centre of the columns; so that this specimen partakes more of the degenerate Roman than the pure Greek.
Having investigated what relates to the primary and secondary divisions of this order, and also noted the po sitions and relative proportions of the leading features, we shall add a farther statement respecting its columns, founded upon Table I. In this additional Table, the diameter at the base is considered the same in all, viz. unity. The whole numbers represent diameters. The figures to the right hand of the point are decimal parts of the diameter. The examples are arranged increasing in altitude.
From this Table it is evident, that the ancients did not scrupulously adhere to any precise proportions in their columns for different edifices; but not knowing the dates of the construction of the several specimens, we are unable to determine whether these differences existed at the same time, or succeeded each other in consequence of a change of taste. It may also be observed, that, of
seventeen examples, the upper diameters of six are less than three-fourths, and eleven greater. The diminution of the superior diameter in the temple of Theseus is .772, which is something less than a mean between three fourths and four-fifths : the half sum of these fractions being .775. This example of the temple of Theseus is one of the best of the Greek Doric, and may be taken as a rule; or in practice, to make the superior diameter three-fourths of the inferion, is still more simple, and sufficiently correct.
In every Greek Doric, the vertical face of the epistyle or architrave projects beyond the superior diameter, but is within the inferior one.
In the temple of Theseus, the height of the abacus is nearly of the diameter, and the ovolo and annu lets together are very nearly equal to the abacus. The height of the annulets is very nearly one-fifth of the ovolo. The horizontal dimension of the abacus extends, on each side, very nearly six times its height. The neck of the capital is nearly half the height of the annulets. In the temple and the Doric portico at Athens, the ovolo or echinus is of an elliptical shape ; but in every other instance or Greek capitals, it is hyperbolical, excepting the single instance of the portico of Philip, king of Macedon.
From the preceding dimensions and observations, we establish the following proportions for the construction of the Doric order : Considering the diameter that of a circle, at the lower end of a shaft the column is six dia meters in height. The thickness of the upper end of the shaft is three-fourths of the lower, or it diminishes one-fourth of the diameter. The height of the capital is half a diameter. That of the ovolo, with the annu lets, and that of the abacus, arc each one-quarter of the upper diameter. The annulets are one-fifth of one of the parts. The horizontal dimension of each face of the abacus is six times its height. The entablature is divided into four equal parts; the upper one is the height of the cornice ; the remaining- are divided equally be tween the architrave and frieze. The inner edge of the angular triglyph is placed in a vertical line with the axis of the column. The height of the triglyph is divided into five equal parts; three of these parts give the dis tance of its returning face, and determine also that of the epistyle, and consequently include the breadth of the triglyph. The height of the capital of the triglyph is one-seventh of its whole height, and the capital of the metope one-ninth. The breadth of the triglyph is di vided into nine equal parts, giving two to each glyph, one to each semi-glyph, and one to each of the three in ter-glyphs. The metopes are square. The height of the cornice is divided into five equal parts ; the lower is given to the fillet, the mutule, and drops ; the next two to the corona ; and the remaining two parts arc subdi vided and disposed amongst the several members, in the manner shewn in Plate CLVIII. The projection of the cornice is equal to its height ; it is divided into four equal parts, giving three to the projection of the corona. The subdivisions in the Plate shcw the profiles of the smaller members. In this example, the column is taken from the temple of Theseus, and the entablature from that of at Athens.