Details Of Ornamentation Research Articles

The Southern Chinese Eclectic Style Wall Floral Ornamentation of Sun Yat Sen Mainsion, George Town, Penang

The Sun Yat Sen Mansion, located in the Armenian Street historic district of George Town, Penang, is a shophouse that has been meticulously transformed into a Peranakan private museum. The building has its own history, which stems from Dr. Sun Yat Sen's involvement with the Chinese revolutionary movement. Despite the fact that Sun Yat Sen is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in contemporary China, his political career was marked by continual conflict and repeated exile. Sun Yat Sen Mansion is one example of an architectural heritage building with beautiful ornamentations of Straits Settlement shophouses. Shophouses and townhouses are listed under UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, possess unique architectural and cultural characteristics. The building is influenced by the Southern Chinese Eclectic Style (1840s–1900s), where Chinese masons contributed their methods and supplies. Additionally, ornamental details and ventilation holes have been added. Ornamentation such as floral and fauna has been applied to this building's facade to create eye-catching colours, making for an appreciative sight in these buildings with their own philosophy. Peranakan shophouses with beautiful wall floral ornamentation can be found in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand; however, there is still no documentation based on the philosophy of wall floral ornamentation as references. This paper investigates the floral ornamentation wall motif in façade design and analyses the philosophy of the floral ornamentation on the Sun Yat Sen Mansion. This building has interesting ornamentation that will influence the Southern Chinese eclectic style philosophy. Through the utilization of the Sun Yat Sen Museum as a case study, this inquiry employs a qualitative research methodology to gather data and comprehend wall floral ornamentations that influence the eclectic southern Chinese style. Based on this research, the findings provide an understanding of the philosophy of wall floral ornamentation influences that govern the design of architectural characteristics and façade design on Sun Yat Sen Mansion.

Evolution of pollen grain morphology in Amorimia and allies evidences the importance of palynological apomorphies and homoplasies in Malpighiaceae systematics

Background and aims – Pollen grain morphology is an important morphological character for aiding the systematics of flowering plants. For Malpighiaceae, only a single unpublished palynological study has comprehensively sampled ca 60 of this family’s 75 currently accepted genera. To test the systematic relevance of pollen morphology in Amorimia and allies, we characterised the pollen morphology of these lineages. We scored, coded, and mapped 12 characters onto the most recent molecular phylogeny of Amorimia and allies. Material and methods – We sampled 13 species of Amorimia as ingroup and two species of Mascagnia and Ectopopterys soejartoi as outgroup. Pollen grains were acetolised, characterised, and measured using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Pollen quantitative measurements were submitted to a PCA multivariate analysis. Additionally, quantitative and qualitative characters were scored and coded into 12 characters and mapped onto the molecular phylogeny of Amorimia and allies. Key results – Amorimia and allies are stenopalynous due to all species showing the same pollen type, with some subtle differences between the pollen grains, such as details of ornamentation, shape, size, and thickness of the pollen exine. However, the patterns of pollen grain evolution showed that few qualitative and apomorphic characters are informative for intrageneric distinction (i.e. type and number of apertures), and almost all quantitative and homoplastic characters analysed were informative at infrageneric levels within Malpighiaceae. Conclusion – Our results demonstrate that even though the pollen morphology characters of Amorimia and allies show subtle variation, both qualitative and quantitative apomorphic and/or homoplastic characters are highly informative for intra- and infrageneric levels in Malpighiaceae when analysed in a phylogenetic context.

Architectural Interpretations of Qur’anic and Hadith Influences in Traditional Indonesian Mosques During the Walisanga Era

This research investigates the reception of the Qur’ān within the realm of mosque architecture, traditionally assessed through the study of text integrated into mosque ornamentation. This article introduces a reception studies to Walisanga mosques architecture, encompassing considerations of spatial design, essence, illumination, and interior ambiance. Notably, this study diverges from conventional methods by abstaining from the inclusion of Qur’anic or hadith text. The primary objectives of this article are twofold: a) to elucidate the relationship between the architecture of traditional Indonesian mosques and the Qur’an and Hadith, and b) to unveil how architectural elements within traditional mosques visually interpret QS. 24:35 and the Hadith of Gabriel. In order to achieve a comprehensive analysis, this study employs both semantic and hermeneutic methodologies. The semantic approach is applied to dissect the atomistic structure of QS. 24:35 and the Hadith of Gabriel, with the intent of identifying foundational components that underpin the concept of tajug tumpang in traditional Indonesian mosque architecture. Subsequently, a hermeneutic approach is adopted to explore the interconnection between the verse QS. 24:35, the Hadith of Gabriel, and their architectural manifestations within the context of traditional Indonesian mosque construction.The result of the analysis culminates in the identification of two primary forms of architectural reception of QS. 24:35 and the Hadith of Gabriel within traditional Indonesian mosques. Firstly, instances wherein the textual meanings are directly translatable are actualized through elements such as light, lanterns, trees, and niches, all tailored to the Indonesian cultural milieu. Secondly, fundamental concepts derived from the Qur’an and Hadith, which resist tangible representation, are reinterpreted and incorporated into facets of spatial arrangement, lighting schemes, colour selections, ornamental details, and the harmonization of additional components, all resonating harmoniously with the Indonesian cultural identity.

New hermit crab species (Anomura, Paguroidea) from the upper Miocene St. Marys Formation of Maryland (USA), preserved in their host shells

Two new species of hermit crab are recorded from the upper Miocene (Tortonian) St. Marys Formation of Maryland, named Pagurus hazenorum n. sp. and Paguristes timoni n. sp. and assigned to the families Paguridae Latreille, 1802, and Annuntidiogenidae Fraaije, 2014, respectively. Both new species are morphologically close to present-day congeners, but can be differentiated on details of ornament (tubercles, granules and teeth).

Complementary description and record of Peltidium perturbatum Geddes, 1968 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Peltidiidae) from the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic

Abstract During a survey of the zooplankton community of a protected coastal system on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, several adult females and immature individuals of the usually benthic or epiphytic harpacticoid copepod genus Peltidium, were recovered; they were identified as the Bahamian species P. perturbatum Geddes, 1968. This species has not been recorded from other areas of the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic (NWTA) region after its original description. Based on the examination of the Mexican Caribbean material, a complementary description of this species is presented including new details of antennules, caudal rami, leg 1, and cuticular ornamentation by using SEM analysis. Its finding in the Mexican Caribbean represents the southernmost record of the genus in the Americas and the first record for the Mexican copepod fauna. A key to the known species of the genus in the NWTA is also provided.

Appalachian Fiddle Music: Featuring 43 Fiddlers and 188 of Their Tunes by Drew Beisswenger and Roy Andrade, with Scott Prouty

Reviewed by: Appalachian Fiddle Music: Featuring 43 Fiddlers and 188 of Their Tunes by Drew Beisswenger and Roy Andrade, with Scott Prouty James Ruchala Appalachian Fiddle Music: Featuring 43 Fiddlers and 188 of Their Tunes. By Drew Beisswenger and Roy Andrade, with Scott Prouty. Fenton, MO: Mel Bay Publications, 2021. [212 p. ISBN 9781513466378 (paperback), $24.99; ISBN 9781513459936 (e-book), $19.99.] Music examples, illustrations, bibliography, map, tune indexes. This book is an attempt to provide “a well-rounded survey and exploration of the fiddle music of the Appalachian Region” of the United States (p. 5). The Appalachian region comprises all or part of thirteen states, though this book focuses on only six of those: Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Vir -ginia. The three authors present a brief bullet-point overview of the history and characteristics of the Appalachian fiddle tradition—also called “old-time fiddling.” The tradition started with the immigration of settlers from Great Britain into the region and absorbed the [End Page 89] influence of Native Americans, German immigrants, African American musicians, and published popular and spiritual music. The radio and recording industries popularized some fiddlers early in the twentieth century. In the middle of the twentieth century, surviving culture-bearers became teachers to generations of revivalists both within and without the region. The broad outlines of this history will be well known to most practitioners of old-time fiddling, and this book does not seek to make a broader interpretation of that history. What it does do is delve into the technical and musical detail of what these fiddle players were doing, as far as can be determined from extant recorded performances. The bulk of the book is dedicated to chapters on six Appalachian states, with sections on six to nine representative fiddlers from each state. Old-time music has been recorded in several different contexts, and this book includes musicians from each of them. There are some of the legends of the early recording era, like John Carson, Lowe Stokes, and Charlie Bowman; some whose influence comes to us mainly through field recordings made by researchers or family members, including John M. Salyer, Henry Reed, Bill Stepp, and Luther Strong; and some of the revival-era mentors like Tommy Jarrell, Melvin Wine, and Clyde Daven-port. West Virginia’s Clark Kessinger was a recording artist in the 1920s who lived into the revivalist era. Some figures are lesser known but just as worthy of study, including Emma Lee Dickerson, Osey Helton, and Sarah Singleton. One of the lessons to be derived from this book is the strength of the tradition and the high level of artistry to be found in all these contexts. Roy Andrade offers a short overview of the history of fiddling in each state and a capsule biography of each of the musicians. The bulk of the book—and the collection’s real value—comprises Drew Beisswenger’s detailed transcriptions of the tunes as played by these historic musicians, along with analytical notes. Each transcription includes references to help find the specific recording from which it was made. Most of the performances are from old commercial recordings on 78-rpm records or from field recordings. Many have not been reissued commercially but can be found for streaming or purchase on the internet, and the authors helpfully provide resources for locating these recordings. Most transcriptions of recordings fall somewhere between strictly descriptive and prescr iptive, while the quality and detail of the transcriptions is better than I’ve seen in comparable works. Having done some transcriptions of fiddling, I know that it can be both frustrating and enlightening. Most often, one hears more in the music than can be put on paper. Beisswengers’s transcriptions include many more details of ornamentation than found in comparable books like Jeff Todd Titon’s Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2001) and Miles Krassens’s Masters of Old-Time Fiddling (New York: Oak Publications, 1983), both of which the authors acknowledge as influential. In some cases, the gap between what can be heard and what is notated begins to show. Benton Flippen’s frequent use of slides is...

Reading The Detail In John Ruskin’s Gothic Aesthetics

John Ruskin’s attention to details in art has generally been viewed in terms of objectivity and the rise of realism. This essay traces as an alternate trajectory linking detail with a liberated, individualist subjectivity. It traces this arc from Ruskin’s Gothic ornamental details to a range of modernist details, from Marcel Proust’s madeleine to Prufrock’s coffee spoons, by way of Hegelian theory. It aims to vivify reflection on the place of detail in aesthetics, which, though discussed by writers from Roland Barthes to Jacques Rancière, has yet to receive its full due.

Pollen morphology of Malvaceae s.l. from Cerrado forest fragments: details of aperture and ornamentation in the pollen types definition

We analyzed the pollen morphology of 13 Brazilian native species of Malvaceae s.l. from forest fragments of Cerrado belonging to nine genera [Bastardiopsis (K. Schum.) Hassl., Byttneria Loefl., Ceiba Mill., Eriotheca Schott & Endl., Guazuma Adans., Helicteres L., Heliocarpus L., Luehea Willd. and Pseudobombax Dugand] in search for characters that can expand the knowledge on the pollen morphology of species of the family that occur in areas of fragments. The pollen grains were acetolyzed, measured, described and photographed under light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The species studied were grouped into two pollen types based mainly on the type of aperture [simple aperture (3-porate or 4-colpate) and compound aperture (3-pororate or 3-colporate)], and the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics. Details of apertures (planaperturate, angulaperturate, type of endoaperture, costa, aspis and atrium) and exine ornamentation (verrucate, microreticulate, microreticulate-echinate, reticulate and bireticulate) contributed as secondary data to the segregation of species in an artificial pollen key. The metric characters examined by multivariate analysis allow the distinction of groups of species, based on the length of the apertures and the diameters of the pollen grains. Our results allow the identification among genera and species of Malvaceae s.l. in Brazilian forest fragments.

Transenne marmoree bizantine del tipo ‘a colonne’: uso, attestazioni, varianti stilistiche e diffusione

The essay investigates a particular typology of Byzantine marble transennae from the Late Antiquity and Justinian age. Thanks to some significant archaeological finds - mostly referable to Asia Minor, the Balkans and the Holy Land - it was possible to group and reconsider the pieces in light of their original function, of the stylistic variants (also taking into account the quality of the materials) in order to fix the general chronology and possible chronological variations. The study of this particular typology allows to reflect both on the material data, with the multiple variations suggested by the different types of marble or stone used, but also on the production shops and export routes. The choice of medium, in fact, allows a different elaboration of the ornamental details: such as the definition of small capitals and bases or the decoration of the shafts. The overall study of the occurrences known so far allows us to fix the chronology of the type - datable to the V-VI century - and to reconsider that relating to some fragments examined here.

Islamic architecture in Tbilisi and Batumi: Muslim heritage in Georgia

Georgia’s cultural wealth is the result of the country’s centuries-old history and complex ethnic, religious and political relations. Islam, present in these areas since the seventh century, was of significant importance for the shaping of Georgian architecture. Architectural elements characteristic of Middle Eastern art were thus transferred to a Christian country. Arabs and Persians left behind buildings and ornamental details. The article is the result of field research carried out in Georgia, the purpose of which was to identify the issues of shaping and preserving memory and cultural and religious identity in the Muslim community. Georgian Muslim architecture is heavily neglected and requires increased protection, and above all significant financial resources that are difficult to obtain from a small number of Islamic communities. On the other hand, contemporary trends in Georgian architecture are realized and financed by Muslim businesses.

A new record of rare dinoflagellate species <i>Protoperidinium carum</i> (Abé, 1981) Balech, 1994 for Vietnamese waters and Southeast Asia region

Although there were a number of studies on the section Oceanica of the genus Protoperidinium, most of the published figures did not well revealed the clear features of the anterior intercalary plates. In this paper, Protoperidinium carum was re-described in details of cell morphology, plate patterns and thecal ornamentation, especially the second anterior intercalary plate (2a) is wide pentagonal instead of hexagonal type as in the previous descriptions. This species was illustrated with line drawing, light and scanning electron microscope photographs. P. carum was newly recorded in Southeast Asia and Vietnamese waters.

Two new tardigrade species (Echiniscidae and Doryphoribiidae) from the Salta province (Argentina).

Tardigrades from Argentina are poorly known. Two new species from the Salta province are described in the present contribution: Pseudechiniscus saltensis sp. nov., and Doryphoribius cephalogibbosus sp. nov. The former species belongs to the novaezeelandiae group and, apart from the nominal species of the group, it is similar to nine congeneric species by the following characters: the absence of spines on legs I and lateral papillae, the scapular plate with a transversal fold, the presence of projections at the posterior margin of the pseudosegmental plate, caudal plate not faceted, and cuticular ornamentation in the form of heads (capituli) of endocuticular pillars, protruding through epicuticle and joined by striae. However, the new species differs from all of them in important qualitative (e.g. colour, different division of plates, details of cuticular ornamentation, claws etc.) and morphometric characters. The new species exhibits a unique morphology of gonopore and anus. Doryphoribius cephalogibbosus sp. nov., by the presence of two macroplacoids, dorsal gibbosities, and inhabiting terrestrial environment, belongs to the flavus group and differs from all members of the group in having ten, instead of nine, rows of gibbosities (X:2-4-6- 6-6-6-6-4-2-2+2[LI-III]), with as a peculiar exclusive character, the presence of the two cephalic gibbosities, never reported in other Doryphoribius species. Moreover, the new species differs from the other species of the group by morphometric and more detailed morphological characters. The new species description also gave an occasion to discuss the issue of gibbosity arrangement in other species and address the morphology of claw accessory points.

Pollen morphology of Rubiaceae from Cerrado forest fragments: Pollen unit, polarity and diversity of the types of apertures

The pollen morphology of 23 Brazilian native species of Rubiaceae Juss. from forest fragments of a Cerrado area was analyzed using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in the search for new characters that might increase the knowledge on the pollen morphology of the species, and also aiming to help in the taxonomic characterization of the genera. For LM, the pollen grains were acetolyzed, measured, photographed and described qualitatively, whereas for SEM, the non-acetolyzed pollen grains were observed for further details of ornamentation. The analyzed species were grouped into three pollen types based on pollen unit and polarity, and three subtypes were separated considering the type of apertures; the surface ornamentation details were evidenced within each pollen type. The pollen grains are tetrad (Randia, microreticulate) or monad, apolar and inaperturate (Psychotria, reticulate-retipilate) or 2-porate (Coussarea, microreticulate), isopolar and porate (3-porate – Chomelia, reticulate-retipilate; Faramea, microreticulate-striate; Guettarda, reticulate-retipilate or rugulate; 3–4-porate – Tocoyena, foveolate; 6-porate – Mitracarpus, microreticulate-baculate), colpate (3-colpate – Psychotria, reticulate-retipilate; 7-colpate – Borreria, microreticulate-baculate), colporate (3-colporate – Chiococca and Ixora, microreticulate, Genipa and Simira, reticulate; Coutarea, microreticulate-echinate; Rudgea, microreticulate-baculate; 4-colporate – Manettia, reticulate). The metric data of the pollen grains examined by descriptive and multivariate analysis (Principal component analysis and Cluster analysis) allow the distinction of groups of species based on the size and shape. The results indicate the importance of qualitative and quantitative data and reinforce a wide morphological pollen diversity of Rubiaceae species from forest fragments in Cerrado which confirms the family as eurypalynous.

From colony to rodlet: “A six meter long portrait of the xerophilic fungus Aspergillus restrictus decorates the hall of the Westerdijk institute.”

The extreme xerophilic fungus Aspergillus restrictus is used as a model for a large artwork created out of five microscopic pictures in total measuring 80 cm by 624 cm. The artwork is printed on aluminium and located at the entrance of the Westerdijk Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands. The first picture is made from a colony of the fungus, which has a dimension of 1 cm and the last picture shows details of ornamentation on conidia and phialides of the fungus. The first two pictures of the artwork are made using a unique method of light microscopy in which many hundreds of pictures are made at different focal depths resulting in high detail and resolution of the pictures. For three other pictures, cryo-electron scanning microscopy was used including both a conventional system for lower magnification and a field emission scanning electron microscope for high resolution micrographs. The range of magnification is, at real size, between 78 and 63,000 times. When the observer passes the artwork it acts like a virtual microscope, just by walking past it you zoom-in to the smallest possible details. This coherent increase of magnification of one fungus, with very high quality light- and electron microscopy micrographs, shows different layers of fungal organization and emergent properties. These include the occurrence of secondary outcrops of hyphae and conidiophores in a colony; the formation of a stipe on a thin aerial hyphae; the presence and formation of characteristic structures on stipes, vesicles and phialides and a continuous zone between the forming conidia and phialides.

Generating Kranok patterns with an interactive evolutionary algorithm

The kranok pattern is a classical Thai pattern, often seen in the ornamentation of Thai religious artifacts such as Tripiṭaka cabinets, temple doors and coffins. All Thai trainee artists must practice drawing the kranok pattern because it is a fundamental motif in Thai traditional decorative art. Individual skilled artists and instructors have their own preferred ways of drawing the pattern, and their styles differ in ornamental details. Nevertheless, all make use of similar basic structures. Most trainees learn a range of styles by observing experienced artists. After exploring the methods of drawing used by experts and published in textbooks, we designed an algorithm for automatically generating kranok patterns. We used an interactive evolutionary algorithm (IEA) to improve the aesthetic appeal of the generated patterns in response to users’ feedback. The aim of our work was not to replace artists with machines, but to enhance human artistic expression. Specifically, the work aimed to help users without artistic skills to create kranok patterns in their own style. The algorithm facilitated the creation of a variety of personalized kranok patterns – diverse in their expressive curvature, refinement and proportions – that were satisfying to the varying preferences of a range of users. We also analyzed the proposed algorithm’s behavior in terms of its convergence to generate specific shapes. The proposed method was examined by 28 respondents (27 Thai and 1 foreign) who were selected to include representatives of both sexes as well as experts in both Thai drawing and evolutionary algorithms. The results from our questionnaires showed that all respondents were satisfied with the generated kranok patterns: one respondent was ‘completely satisfied’, seventeen ‘very satisfied’, seven ‘moderately satisfied’, and three ‘slightly satisfied’.

THE HISTORY OF CREATION AND DESIGN FEATURES OF THE BRITISH SERIES OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS “BOOKS FOR THE BAIRNS” (1896–1912)

The 19th century is called the “golden age” of a children’s book. At this time, a variety of children’s literature appeared, first of all in Britain. The model of a decorated book are the books of Kelmscott Press. However, it was precisely at this time that a series of children’s books with a modest design at affordable prices, such as the so-called “one-penny” series “Books for the Bairns”, emerged. Ideologist and permanent editor of Books for the Bairns William T. Stead was a well-known journalist, founder and editor-in-chief of periodicals, public figure, child rights defender and a fighter against child prostitution. In 1912 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but scandalous reports, imprisonment, and his interest in spiritualism made W. Stead’s im- age controversial. The concept of the series, created by Sted, is based on a combination of an adapted simplified literary translation and a detailed step-by-step visual story that accompanies the text. The chief illustrator and visual co-author of W. Sted was the Irish artist B. Le Fanu (Brinsley Le Fanu, 1854–1929). For B. Le Fanu, the illustration of the series was the biggest art project. At his time, B. Le Fanu was known for the illustrations to the works of his father — Sheridan Le Fanu, one of the founders of the Irish mystical novel. They have the characteristic features of the Victorian era. Making illustrations for children’s books, B. Le Fanu does not lose their fantastic nature, but combines them with a realistic drawing. Each cover of the series represents one of the main characters of the book. A simple but vivid picture, one or two characters on the cover, a landscape or interior outlined by several elements — that’s what the covers by B. Le Fanu were like. None of them are decorated with patterns or ornamental details. The artist consistently implemented the concept of simplicity and clarity suggested by W. Sted, but not primitiveness. The best volumes in the series are his illustrations of L. Carroll’s “Alice’s in Wonderland” and M. Servantes’s novel “The Adventures of Don Quixote”. The “Books for the Bairns” series, although not exquisitely designed and illustrated, has become a model for children’s literature publishers for half a century and inspired the appearance of similar series of cheap children’s books in Western Europe and also Russia and Ukraine.

Phragmolites (Gastropoda) from the Late Ordovician of the Peruvian Altiplano

AbstractPhragmolites lissoni new species is described from 11 specimens found in the Sandbian Calapuja Formation near Calapuja in Peru. The deposits are part of the Central Andean Basin. This is the hitherto only systematically described Ordovician gastropod from Peru. The species is from a brachiopod-dominated siliciclastic sequence and is associated with bryozoans. Most specimens are preserved as external molds, but latex casts yield excellent details of shell ornamentation and are used as a basis for evaluating this feature in the genus. The characteristic ornamentation of Phragmolites should be called corrugated lamellae, and the individual elements on these should be referred to as flutes. A descriptive terminology for these is suggested. The development and shape of the corrugated lamellae and flutes could be biomechanical process. A second component in lamellar formation is the alternation between regular incremental growth and formation of a lamella. Phragmolites is mainly found in shallow-water carbonate facies from tropical latitudes in the Sandbian and a mid-latitude presence in Peru is unexpected. Brachiopods from the same section in Calapuja show affinities with faunas of the Mediterranean margin of Gondwana but also weak links with Avalonia. Phragmolites is found abundantly in deeper-water facies in Laurentia, and a broad tolerance to facies and temperature and possible planktotrophy might have allowed a wide geographical dispersal of the genus. The scant record of Ordovician gastropods in the Central Andean Basin precludes comparison with the disparate record of the Ordovician gastropod taxa from the Precordillera, which do not include Phragmolites.UUID: http://zoobank.org/References/fbd7a43e-a610-42fd-a31d-b1a16fa69c9b

PARAMETRIC APPROACH FOR GENERATING NEW MUQARNAS

In recent decades, the search for new geometrical innovations has been of great interest for contemporary architects artists, trying to escape the repetitive use of historical ornamental details of architectural styles orders or the absence of such ornaments in the modern style. This paper aims to lay down the basis for generating new muqarnas elements based on the cosmological nature of Islamic Architecture, but still preserving its concepts. The muqarnas was chosen because it is one of most original inventions of Islamic architecture and one of its most effective and widespread applications. Innovation in its design requires freedom of expression that can be limited by design software. Furthermore, the process of testing ideas can be tedious and time-consuming. Parametric and generative design, using Grasshopper, is used to reformulate the muqarnas generation process using visual programming. Parametric design and hypothetical geometric patterns in a linear or polar arraying direction produce a clearly defined muqarnas.

‘Eye-Like Radiance’: The Depiction of Gemstones in Roman Wall Painting

The study of ornament in Greek and Roman art has been the focus of increasing scholarly interest over the last decade, with many publications shedding new light on the dynamics of ornatus in antiquity, and the discourses that shaped and situated it. Through an analysis of the depiction of gemstones in Roman wall painting, this article demonstrates the importance of ornamental details both to the mechanics of two-dimensional representation and to the interpretation of the images they adorned. I argue that by evoking the material qualities and sensual pleasures of real precious stones, painted gems served on the one hand to enhance the illusory reality of wall painting, and on the other to extol the delights of luxury and refinement—that is, of ornamentation itself.

Technologies of Jewelry at Ur: the Physics & Metaphysics of Skilled Crafting

In this brief examination of Pu-abi’s jewelry, several technical aspects must reiterated and stressed because they have as much conceptual as technological significance. The goldsmith must have been an expert at his or her craft. As one has seen, the amount of hammering required considerable knowledge of the mechanics of the metal and a feel for knowing where to begin and how to hammer the gold. The primary components of hammering are thus feel and time – technical elements that are not evident in the final result but requiring as much, if not more, expertise as fanciful decorative techniques. In other words, the expertise involved in hammering is largely hidden but far from insignificant. Of particular interest is the design decision to favor flat sheet over ornamental details, which produced surfaces that actively enhanced the sheen of the gold being used. On a more theoretical level, this approach created in technique the semantic equivalent to the sumerian word for “shine” that formed part of the Sumerian term for “gold”. Furthermore, the Sumerian sign indicating “shine” could also signify “holy” or “sacred,” so the two concepts were often equated.