"Atlantid" redirects here. For the family of sea snails, see
Atlantidae. For the companions of Artemis, see
Atlantids. For the racial category, see
Atlantid race.
Architectural support sculpted in the form of a man
In European
architectural sculpture, an atlas (also known as an atlant, or atlante[1] or atlantid; plural atlantes)[2] is a support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of a
column, a
pier or a
pilaster. The Roman term for such a sculptural support is telamon (plural telamones or telamons).[2]
The term atlantes is the Greek plural of the name
Atlas—the
Titan who was forced to hold the sky on his shoulders for eternity. The alternative term, telamones, also is derived from a later mythological hero,
Telamon, one of the
Argonauts, who was the father of
Ajax.
The
caryatid is the female precursor of this architectural form in Greece, a woman standing in the place of each column or pillar. Caryatids are found at the treasuries at
Delphi and the
Erechtheion on the Acropolis at Athens for Athene. They usually are in an
Ionic context and represented a ritual association with the goddesses worshiped within.[3] The Atlante is typically life-size or larger; smaller similar figures in the decorative arts are called
terms. The body of many Atlantes turns into a rectangular pillar or other architectural feature around the waist level, a feature borrowed from the term. The pose and expression of Atlantes very often show their effort to bear the heavy load of the building, which is rarely the case with terms and caryatids. The
herma or herm is a classical boundary marker or wayside monument to a god which is usually a square pillar with only a carved head on top, about life-size, and male genitals at the appropriate mid-point. Figures that are rightly called Atlantes may sometimes be described as herms.
Atlantes express extreme effort in their function, heads bent forward to support the weight of the structure above them across their shoulders, forearms often lifted to provide additional support, providing an architectural motif. Atlantes and caryatids were noted by the Roman late Republican architect
Vitruvius, whose description of the structures,[4] rather than surviving examples, transmitted the idea of atlantes to the Renaissance architectural vocabulary.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the designs of many buildings featured glorious atlantes that looked much like Greek originals. Their inclusion in the final design
for the portico of the
Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg that was built for Tsar
Nicholas I of Russia in the 1840’s made the use of atlantes especially fashionable. The Hermitage portico incorporates ten enormous atlantes, approximately three times life-size, carved from
Serdobol granite, which were designed by
Johann Halbig and executed by the sculptor
Alexander Terebenev.
Mesoamerica
Similar carved stone columns or pillars in the shape of fierce men at some sites of Pre-Columbian
Mesoamerica are typically called
Atlantean figures. These figures are considered to be "massive statues of
Toltec warriors".[6]
^Evans, Susan (2008). Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd. p. 42.
^Robertson, Jean; Hutton, Deborah (2022). The History of Art: A Global View: Prehistory to the Present. Thames & Hudson. p. 505.
ISBN978-0-500-02236-8.
^Irving, Mark (2019). 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die. Cassel Illustrated. p. 215.
ISBN978-1-78840-176-0.
^Irving, Mark (2019). 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die. Cassel Illustrated. p. 217.
ISBN978-1-78840-176-0.
^Droth, Martina; Sheriff, Mary D.; Scott, Katie; Hellman, Mimi; Bremer-David, Charissa (2009). Taking Shape - finding sculpture in the decorative arts. The Henry Moore Foundation. p. 192.
ISBN978-1-905462-21-6.
^"Café Bibent". pop.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^Criticos, Mihaela (2009). Art Deco sau Modernismul Bine Temperat - Art Deco or Well-Tempered Modernism (in Romanian and English). SIMETRIA. p. 79.
ISBN978-973-1872-03-2.