What is a cushion capital?
A cushion capital (also cubic or block capital) is a capital shaped like a cube whose lower corners are rounded off, so that the square top flows smoothly into the round shaft of the column. It is a characteristic element of Romanesque architecture, especially in the 11th and 12th centuries. In Dutch it is called a teerlingkapiteel (teerling = die, cube).
Shape
The principle is geometrically simple: imagine a cube and a sphere intersecting. At the top the capital is square and meets the abacus and the arch or vault above. At the bottom it is round and fits seamlessly onto the shaft. Each face thus forms a semicircular surface, the shield or lunette.
The shields were often plain and sometimes painted. Later they were also decorated with reliefs, foliage or geometric motifs.
Application
- In Romanesque churches, monasteries and crypts, particularly in the German and Dutch-speaking regions.
- In arcades between nave and aisles, and in windows with small central colonnettes.
- In Romanesque Revival architecture of the 19th and early 20th centuries, which reused the form.
How to recognise it
Look at the transition from square to round: if it is resolved with rounded lower corners and flat semicircular shields, it is a cushion capital. If the capital has foliage curling outwards, it is more likely a leaf capital; a capital that flares out like a funnel towards the top is a calyx capital.
Related terms
- Capital in architecture
- Leaf capital
- Calyx capital
- Crocket capital
- Romanesque architecture
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