Ornamental Component Research Articles

Interpretative Trends of Beethoven’s Ornamentation

"Outstanding representative of the classical music composed in the transition period from XVIIIth to XIXth centuries, Ludwig van Beethoven remains memorable in the history of music through the strength, audacity, and remarkable rhetoric of his musical discourse. With the mastery of a demiurge, he coalesces in the texture of his thematic ideas’ heroic, pathetic or pastoral configurations, making the most of the technical-expressive possibilities of the epoch’s instruments into a authentic instrumental-interpretative manner. Advocate of a prevailingly monumental interpretation, Beethoven will perfect his instrumental style through authentic details which are the subject of the varied attack modes, of ornamentation, articulation, pedaling, etc., which are the personalized elements of a challenging technique. Approaching the aspect of Beethoven’s ornamentation, the present article will bring into focus the identification of the dominant ornamental components and their treatment from an interpretative viewpoint with emphasis on the authenticity of the artistic representation. Keywords: Art & Music, piano, Beethoven’s language, ornamentation, interpretation, authenticity"

Coffered ceilings in the churches of Rome, from the 15th to the 20th century

The contribution concerns the coffered ceilings in Roman churches, which have been built between the mid-fifteenth and the mid-twentieth century and represent ornamental components of great value. The coffered ceilings still visible today are approximately sixty; many others have been demolished or destroyed by calamities through the time. The attention on the subject revived after the collapse in the church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami occurred in August 2018; the event highlighted the vulnerability of the coffered ceilings and a lack of historical and technological knowledge regarding individual cases. Referring to the architectural treatises on the subject, this article focuses on the early-nineteenth-century texts by Jean-Baptiste Rondelet and Giuseppe Valadier, illustrating two different criteria in creating coffered ceilings. In the first one, the coffered ceilings are directly connected to the roof trusses, providing for the lining of the tie beams. In the second one, the coffered panels are nailed to wooden frames hanging from purlins placed over the tie beams. Both construction methods can be found in the coffered ceilings of Rome, but most of the cases refer to the second system. Thus, the contribution delves into the construction process in detail and focuses on the arrangement of the elements, reporting the analysis of some study cases, based on direct checks and surveys. In this regard, knowledge of the extrados of the ceilings is crucial foreseeing possible conservation works, allowing to avoid the risk of inappropriate restoration or replacement of original elements.

Neolithic pottery from the settlement of Mergen 6 in the Lower Ishim (groups III and IV): characteristics and interpretation

In this paper, a ceramic complex (groups III and IV) of the early Neolithic settlement of Mergen 6 (Lower Ishim River region, Western Siberia, 7th millennium BC) is examined. The aim of the work is to analyze the mate-rials through the prism of contacts, connections and mixing of different cultural traditions in the early Neolithic period of the Trans-Urals and Western Siberia. The research is based on the elements of the historical-cultural and formal-classification approaches. The source base comprises 284 vessels. As the result of the analysis car-ried out in several stages (morphology of the vessels, tools and techniques for applying ornamentation, structural components of the decor, the nature of the systematic organization of the ornamental components, and relation-ship between the image components and structure of the vessel’s shape), it was found that the products of group III correspond to the tradition of making vessels with relief bands of the taiga zone of Western Siberia and the Urals (Sa-tyginsky, Mulymyinsky types, etc.), whereas those of group IV demonstrate a mixture of all pottery traditions iden-tified within the complex. On this basis, the main directions of the sociocultural ties of the ancient population of the Lower Ishim region in the early Neolithic period have been determined — western (the Middle and Southern Trans-Urals), north-western (the taiga zone of Western Siberia and the southern Northern Trans-Urals), and, probably, southern (the steppes of modern Northern Kazakhstan). One of the most important factors of the vari-ability of the early Neolithic pottery has been identified — the interaction and mixing of different communities. All this allows speaking about the settlement of Mergen 6 as a center (cultural, economic, sacred (?)) at the intersec-tion of landscape and geographical zones (steppe — forest, Trans-Urals — Western Siberia) and ways of disper-sal of various groups of the ancient population.

The First Mitochondrial Genome of Ciborinia camelliae and Its Position in the Sclerotiniaceae Family.

Ciborinia camelliae is the causal agent of camellia flower blight (CFB). It is a hemibiotrophic pathogen, inoperculate Discomycete of the family Sclerotiniaceae. It shows host and organ specificity infecting only flowers of species belonging to the genus Camellia, causing serious damage to the ornamental component of the plant. In this work, the first mitochondrial genome of Ciborinia camellia is reported. The mitogenome was obtained by combining Illumina short read and Nanopore long read technology. To resolve repetitive elements, specific primers were designed and used for Sanger sequencing. The manually curated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the Italian strain DSM 112729 is a circular sequence of 114,660 bp, with 29.6% of GC content. It contains two ribosomal RNA genes, 33 transfer RNAs, one RNase P gene, and 62 protein-coding genes. The latter include one gene coding for a ribosomal protein (rps3) and the 14 typical proteins involved in the oxidative metabolism. Moreover, a partial mtDNA assembled from a contig list was obtained from the deposited genome assembly of a New Zealand strain of C. camelliae. The present study contributes to understanding the mitogenome arrangement and the evolution of this phytopathogenic fungus in comparison to other Sclerotiniaceae species and confirms the usefulness of mitochondrial analysis to define phylogenetic positioning of this newly sequenced species.

Peculiar feminine ideal in the culture of Galicia-Volhynia state

Based on artifacts discovered in Western Ukraine, in this paper, we attempt to trace back the pattern of feminine ideal in the culture of Galicia-Volhynia State. Our study reveals peculiar social and cultural relations between males and females in the society of medieval Ukraine-Rus at the then material culture and mythological mentality level. We study the things that surrounded Ruthenian women, namely, items of clothing and accessories which were conceived as expressions of the world-building concept where the preference is given to the categories of orderliness and habitability, wisdom, family, and community. Given its sign and symbolic affiliation with the cultural significance area, the ornamental component of the medieval costume complex was put to semiotic analysis. We applied the cultural approach with its specific axiological interpretation of any instances of human social and cultural life-sustaining activity.

Neolithic ceramic complex of the settlement of Mergen 6 in the Lower Ishim (groups I and II): characteristics and interpretation

The article discusses a ceramic complex (groups I and II) of the early Neolithic settlement of Mergen 6 (Lower Ishim River region, Western Siberia, 7th millennium BC). The aim of the work is to analyze the materials from the perspective of the cultural and chronological correlation of the Boborykino and Koshkino antiquities of the Trans-Urals. The research is based on the elements of the historical-cultural and formal-classification ap-proaches. The source base consists of 236 vessels. As a result of the analysis carried out in several stages (mor-phology of the vessels, tool and technique for applying ornamentation, structural components of the decor, nature of the system organization of the ornamental components, relationship of the image components with the struc-ture of the vessels' shape), it was found that the products of group I correspond to the Boborykino cultural tradi-tion, and group II — to the Koshkino. The simultaneous occurrence of these vessels made it possible to speak of the coexistence within the same society of representatives of the traditions of their manufacture. On this basis, there has been proposed a clarification of several positions regarding the pattern of the cultural and chronological development of the Boborykino antiquities in the Trans-Urals. The emergence of an early flat-bottomed ceramic complex in the River Ishim region allows it to be included in the range of materials of a similar appearance (Saty-ginsky, Mulymyinsky, Amninsky, Kayukovsky, Barabinsky) identified in the mountain-forest Trans-Urals, Kondin-sky lowlands, Irtysh River region and Baraba. Identification of the Mergen vessels of group I as belonging to the Boborykino Culture, dating from the Early Neolithic, makes it possible to pose the question of identifying the early phase of the antiquities of this cultural group. Location of the Koshkino and Boborykino groups of vessels in the same sites attests to the coexistence and contacts of the two traditions and their mutual influence.

The Heraldic Shield and the Woman’s Body in the Blasons Anatomiques du corps féminin (1543)

Abstract In the French Renaissance, the term ‘anatomical blason’ (blason anatomique) designated a highly descriptive love poem praising a single part of a woman’s body, while in heraldry, the noun ‘blason’ defined the ensemble of ornamental components constituting the shield. Just as the French verb blasonner meant to describe and to interpret the shield’s material and symbolic parts, so could this verb be used in amatory poetry to signify the act of lauding the details of the beloved’s anatomical parts. This study examines the structural analogies between heraldic shield and the anatomical blason, addressing how the technical terms defining the shield’s components such as partitions, points, charges, tinctures, and the achievement could be given analogous expressions in the anatomical love poetry.

Appreciating vulgarity in raw Zimdancehall music as expression of truth

ABSTRACT While there are refined creations, vulgarised Zimdancehall has been a subject of academic, political and cultural concern. It is widely disparaged as abominable and culturally subversive music. However, vulgar lingo has always been a functional and ornamental component of speech and song in specific contexts of the Shona cultural community. Deploying the aesthetics of vulgarity thesis, this article appreciates the place of raw Zimdancehall in today’s society and its representation of the socio-political realities of life. The genre represents a discursive space for artists to expose, interrogate and demystify the hidden dimensions of individuals and societal experiences, perceptions, fallacies, fantasies and aspirations that are often overlooked and avoided by mainstream musicians through the use of nonconformist discourse. This illustrates the reincarnation of traditional art and spaces where vulgar served to create humour, expose, contest and critique existing socio-political veracities in the society. We contend that the criminalization of vulgarised Zimdancehall is a culturally uninformed legally supported verdict that disregards the traditional functions and place of vulgarised performances. The misconduct is not in the composition and production of the music, but in individuals who play the music in wrong contexts without discerning the content.

Huantinamarca. Análisis de la gestión del sitio arqueológico. Caso San José S.A.C (Lima, Perú)

El sitio arqueológico de Huantinamarca está ubicado en el distrito de San Miguel, en Lima (provincia y departamento), Perú. Después de casi 50 años de ser un componente ornamental en la Feria Internacional del Pacífico, pasó a formar parte del proyecto inmobiliario Parques de la Huaca, promovido por San José S.A.C donde se buscó con la propuesta acercar esta edificación prehispánica a la comunidad construyendo en su entorno espacios modernos y utilitarios como edificios y un parque público. El objetivo principal de la intervención fue lograr que el monumento se integre visual y afectivamente a la vida cotidiana de los ocupantes del complejo habitacional Parques de la Huaca, previo trabajo de investigación, conservación, restauración y tratamiento paisajístico para su preservación. Actualmente quienes viven frente a la huaca desconocen su valor cultural el municipio no cuenta con un programa de ordenamiento territorial para la protección de las diferentes huacas en su jurisdicción crecimiento urbano evidencia una inadecuada política de gestión cultural local. El presente documento propone la reconversión urbana y el impulso de una mejor formación ciudadana, como componentes estratégicos de la gestión cultural para la preservación y revalorización del patrimonio cultural y natural, como Huantinamarca en San Miguel.

The Importance of Edible Landscape in the Cities

The 21st century sustainable city requires the merging of urbanism with sustainable food systems. The challenges industrial food system separates people from their food sources. The design strategies for edible landscape are about re-inviting food back into the city and re-connecting people with their local/regional food system to promote a healthier lifestyle. Edible landscapes are a movement in transition and sprouting up as a response to the slow food movement and living a greener lifestyle. These urban agricultural landscapes are fast becoming iconic media darlings and are demonstrating that they are far more than growing vegetables and fruits on abandoned lots. Edible landscaping is the use of food plants as design features in a landscape. These plants are used both for aesthetic value as well as consumption. Edible landscapes encompass a variety of garden types and scales but do not include food items produced for sale. Edible landscaping is the practical integration of food plants within an ornamental or decorative setting. Using edibles in landscape design can enhance a garden by providing a unique ornamental component with additional health, aesthetic, and economic benefits. In this study; emergence of edible landscape, edible landscape design and maintenance, samples of edible landscape, productive plants, importance of edible landscaping for urban environments have been explained.

Digital reproduction of historical building ornamental components: From 3D scanning to 3D printing

Abstract A combination of the three-dimensional (3D) scanning and cement mortar-based 3D printing technology is used to develop a novel process for reproducing a historical building ornamental component, which is traditionally labor intensive and expensive to construct. A hierarchical algorithm for model slicing and a modified scan line algorithm for nozzle path are developed and presented. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed digital reproduction process, a damaged cup-shaped individual plinth from the campus at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in China, is 3D scanned, re-modelled, and re-constructed using specific 3D printing technology. An estimation is implemented to the facade of the printed plinth as well as the scanning accuracy. The compressive strength of the printed plinth is tested and calculated, which resulted in 19.8 Mpa and 15.6 Mpa for its vertical and lateral directions, respectively. The reproduction evaluation indicates that the developed process provides the foundation and impetus for future work in the area of the digital reproduction of historical building ornamental components using 3D scanning and cement mortar-based 3D printing.

The Hammer-beam Roof of Westminster Hall and the Structural Rationale of Hugh Herland

AbstractThis paper examines the carpentry of the late medieval roof of Westminster Hall. The structure, a hammer-beam roof, is analysed from the perspective of the king's carpenter Hugh Herland. This analysis is based on drawings made in 1913 to facilitate the repair of the roof, and on the author's archaeological reconstruction of the carpentry based on those drawings. Herland's experience at Winchester in the early 1390s, immediately before beginning work at Westminster, is also considered. The paper also places the Westminster roof in the context of earlier hammer-beam roofs, particularly Pilgrims' Hall, Winchester. It concludes that the hammer-beam carpentry was crucial to the roof's structure, and that Herland intended the hall's ‘great arched ribs’ primarily as ornamental components.

Trees outside forests in agricultural landscapes: spatial distribution and impact on habitat connectivity for forest organisms

Various species of forest trees are commonly used for ornamental purposes and are therefore frequently found in nonforest ecosystems. They constitute an important component of the so-called trees outside forests (TOF). Not much is known, however, about the drivers of TOF spatial distribution either in urbanized or in agricultural landscapes since they are generally absent from forest inventories. The present study focused on the spatial distribution of TOF across agricultural landscapes and their potential role in the dispersal of a forest pest insect, the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa (PPM). All the TOF belonging to the genera Pinus, Cedrus and Pseudotsuga were considered as potential hosts and inventoried within a 22 × 22 km study window. We fitted a nonstationary Poisson process to the empirical data and used the distance to the nearest building as a covariate. Both empirical and simulated data indicated that TOF associated to human artifacts/urbanized areas constituted the main source of landscape connectivity for the PPM in the open fields under study. Because they do not account for TOF, forest inventories dramatically underestimate landscape connectivity and provide an erroneous picture of the PPM habitat distribution. We conclude that TOF, especially the ornamental component, must be taken into account when it comes to understanding forest insect landscape dynamics or genetics. The omnipresence of TOF also suggests a potentially huge role in pest dispersal and invasive species expansion.

Les sententiae chez Florus

Summary – In Florus’ Epitome, the gnomic sentences are fewer than the epigrammatic ones, since there are only thirteen maxims, which deal with war, diplomacy or morality. They have three main functions. First, as an ornamental component of Florus’ work, they are characterized above all by brevitas and by the use of the rhythmical clausulae generally preferred by the historian. Moreover, they do not conclude a narrative, but they are used as transitions in order to announce a sudden change; thanks to them, Florus may also give a simplified version of events. At last, as far as ideology is concerned, it appears that they confirm the general views Florus expressed elsewhere, like the moral decline of Rome between 133 B. C. and Augustus, the need for cautiousness in the provincial administration and the organic view of the state.

The health signalling of ornamental traits in the Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix)

Birds express various secondary ornaments that can indicate individual condition and health. Amongst these, red-coloured carotenoid-based ornaments are supposed to be particularly valuable predictors of individual quality, due to their sensitivity to oxidative stress. Nevertheless, melanin-pigmented traits might also signal health and immune functions. Both types of ornaments may be either skin-based or feather-based, each differing in their dynamics. In the present study, we compared the health- and stress-indicating capacity of melanin-based feather ornamentation and putatively carotenoid-based skin ornamentation in a single species—the Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix), a vulnerable avian species of the European agricultural landscape. In captive males, we firstly verified the carotenoid content of the red-coloured skin tissue behind the eye by chromatography (HPLC). Secondly, we assessed the individual health status of all males by examining differential leukocyte count, the frequency of immature erythrocytes, malaria prevalence and proinflammatory immune responsiveness to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Both the size of the melanin-based ornament and red chroma of the carotenoid-based ornament were related to the heterophil:lymphocyte (H/L) ratio. Hence, in the Grey Partridge, both redness of the skin ornament and area of the feather ornament may serve as honest indicators of individual health and long-term stress. However, the two ornamental components were unrelated to each other, and the directions of their association to the H/L ratio were opposite. We therefore propose that, in this species, larger melanin-based feather ornamentation size is linked to higher levels of stress (possibly caused by more intensive social interactions with other males), while the level of expression of the carotenoid-based skin ornamentation more reliably signals actual individual health status. Our results are potentially valuable from the perspective of Grey Partridge conservation efforts, as they indicate a simple method for assessing individual quality in this species.

Independent sources of condition dependency and multiple pathways determine a composite trait: lessons from carotenoid‐based plumage colouration

Many colour ornaments are composite traits consisting of at least four components, which themselves may be more complex, determined by independent evolutionary pathways, and potentially being under different environmental control. To date, little evidence exists that several different components of colour elaboration are condition dependent and no direct evidence exists that different ornamental components are affected by different sources of variation. For example, in carotenoid-based plumage colouration, one of the best-known condition-dependent ornaments, colour elaboration stems from both condition-dependent pigment concentration and structural components. Some environmental flexibility of these components has been suggested, but specifically which and how they are affected remains unknown. Here, we tested whether multiple colour components may be condition dependent, by using a comprehensive 3 × 2 experimental design, in which we carotenoid supplemented and immune challenged great tit nestlings (Parus major) and quantified effects on different components of colouration. Plumage colouration was affected by an interaction between carotenoid availability and immune challenge. Path analyses showed that carotenoid supplementation increased plumage saturation via feather carotenoid concentration and via mechanisms unrelated to carotenoid deposition, while immune challenge affected feather length, but not carotenoid concentration. Thus, independent condition-dependent pathways, affected by different sources of variation, determine colour elaboration. This provides opportunities for the evolution of multiple signals within components of ornamental traits. This finding indicates that the selective forces shaping the evolution of different components of a composite trait and the trait's signal content may be more complex than believed so far, and that holistic approaches are required for drawing comprehensive evolutionary conclusions.

Edible landscaping - integration of vegetable garden in the landscape of a private property.

Edible landscaping is the practical integration of food producing plants within an ornamental or decorative setting. Using of edibles (trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers) in landscape design can enhance a garden b y providing a unique ornamental component with additional health, aesthetic and economic benefits. These landscapes are created with consideration fo r the aesthetic value of edible plants, in addition t o their food producing benefits. Thus, integration of vegetables in the landscape of private property cou ld represent a source of healthy fresh food that assures a part of people's diet but at the same tim e growing varieties with unusual colors or shapes could add aesthetic value to the yard.

Vase Life Extension and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Yield of Bougainvillea Flower as Influenced by Ethanol to Attain Maximum Environmental Beautification as Ornamental Components

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of ethanol at different concentrations (ET) on bougainvillea flower longevity and delay senescence in storage condition. The treatments were water control, 2, 4, 8, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 70% ET. Flower longevity was 2 days more in 4, 8 and 10% ethanol than water control and other concentrations of ethanol. Petal wilting and senescence were occurred 2 days later in 4, 8 and 10% ET than in water control. Percent petal's color changed was later in water 4, 8 and 10% than in control, 2, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 70% ET. Chlorophyll fluorescence intensity (photosynthetic yield) followed by time (ms) at different ethanol concentrations was higher in 4, 8 and 10% ET than in water control and other concentrations. Fo (lower fluorescence) was lower in 4, 8 and 10% ET than in water and other concentrations. However, Fm and Fv ((higher fluorescence and relative variable fluorescence (Fm-Fo)) were higher in 4, 8 and 10% ET than in other ET concentrations. Fv/Fm (quantum yield or photosynthetic yield) was higher in 4, 8 and 10% ET than in other ET concentrations. The result showed flower vase life was significantly affected by ethanol concentrations and longevity was higher in 4, 8 and 10% ethanol than in water control and other concentrations.

Complexity and integration in sexual ornamentation: an example with carotenoid and melanin plumage pigmentation

Sexual ornaments often consist of several components produced by distinct developmental processes. The complexity of sexual ornaments might be favoured by mate choice of individual components in different environments which ultimately results in weak interrelationships (integration) among the developmental processes that produce these components. At the same time, sexual selection for greater exaggeration of individual components favours their stronger co-dependence on organismal resources. This should ultimately produce stronger condition-mediated integration among ornaments' components in individuals with the most exaggerated ornamentation. Here we distinguish between these two sources of integration by examining the relationship between integration and elaboration of sexual ornamentation in three bird species: two with carotenoid-based sexual ornamentation (the house finch, Carpodacus mexicanus and common redpoll, Carduelis flammea) and a species with melanin-based sexual ornamentation (house sparrow, Passer domesticus). We found that integration of components varied with elaboration of carotenoid-based ornamentation but not of melanin ornamentation. In the house finches, integration was the highest in individuals with small ornaments and decreased with ornament elaboration whereas the pattern was the opposite in common redpolls. These results suggest that in these species integration and complexity of carotenoid-based ornamental components are due to shared condition-dependence of distinct developmental pathways, whereas integration and complexity of the melanin ornamentation is due to organismal integration of developmental pathways and is largely condition- and environment-invariant. Thus, functionally, ornamentation of the house sparrows can be considered a single trait, whereas complexity of the house finch and redpoll ornamentation varies with ornament elaboration and individual condition.

The Liberation of the Icon: A brief survey from classical rhetoric to cognitive stylistics

Summary The inextricable link between classical rhetoric and poetics manifests itself in the different emphases that their theoretical principles have received through the centuries. Thus, due to a complex of political and sociocultural factors, the late classical period and the Middle Ages placed all emphasis on the ornamental component elocutio (the ancestor of stylistics), while the Renaissance fully restored the logical components inventio and dispositio. Next the Romantics expectably revolted against rhetoric because by then it had again been reduced to a set of artificial stylistic prescriptions. Surprisingly, our century has witnessed a revival of rhetoric in its full scope. However, the most remarkable fact in this chequered history is that neither rhetoric nor poetics has ever given the reader any role in the process of meaning production. This situation remained unaltered through the centuries and even the influential literary theories formulated in the first three decades of our century perpetuated this passivity of the reader. Similarly, this century's major formalist linguistic theories ignored the reader in the process of signification. As a true interdiscipline, the “new stylistics” of the sixties followed suit by also disregarding the reader. At long last, the seventies witnessed the rise of literary and linguistic theories which get involved in real world contexts in which meanings are negotiated between speaker/writer and listener/reader. Modern stylistics also changed tack and switched from a formalist approach to a wide range of sociopragmatic and cognitive approaches.