HANDBOOK OF THE CLASSICAL TRADITION
Tuscan Order
The Tuscan Order Capital, Shaft and Base
The Tuscan base shown in the plate consists of a square plinth 8/6 D wide and a thick torus set tangent to the edge of the plinth. Vitruvius states that the plinth of the Tuscan base should be circular in form and one may consider using such a plinth to emphasize the rustic nature of the order. A small fillet called the cincture is set in from the torus and is capped by a conge which gently transitions the fillet to the shaft which is one diameter wide. The total height of the base is ½ D.
The capital which is also ½ D tall is divided into three parts: the abacus, echinus, and neck. The square abacus extends out one sixth of diameter on each side to the upper diameter (5/6 D) excluding the top fillet. Below the abacus and set in slightly is an ovolo for the echinus. The word echinus derives from the Greek word for the sea urchin which the molding resembles. A small fillet and conge leads into the neck. Beneath the neck at the top of the shaft is the astragal which is 1/16 D wide and tall and employs a bead and fillet.
Situated directly in line with the upper diameter of the column, the entablature comprises the cornice which is ¾ D high and the frieze and architrave, each ½ D high. The cornice can be constructed by dividing it into 4 equal horizontal divisions and striking a 45 degree line to set up a projection of ¾ D. The crowning member, or cymatium, is a simple ovolo.
The bead, fillet, and conge which sit below the cymatium have the same proportions as the astragal where the bead is twice as tall as the fillet. A vertical fascia makes up most of the corona and a drip is used to separate the vertical plane and soffit below. The cyma reversa bed mold makes up the lower quarter division of the cornice. Both the bed mold and cymatium are aligned along the 45 degree line so they can be appear to be visually connected when viewed from below.
Vignola makes the frieze and architrave the same height and without ornamentation. However, because the horizontal band of the taenia falls within the architrave, the frieze is visually more important. Palladio highlights the frieze by rendering it in rustic stone in contrast to a smooth architrave.
Palladio’s version of the Tuscan entablature is more delicate in character than the Vignola model. The sketch indicates the graceful way that the underside of the soffit of the cornice is connected to the bed mold in a continuous sweep. Palladio also uses the cyma recta at the cymatium instead of the ovolo. A common modern version of the Tuscan entablature is also shown to demonstrate how easily this order has been adapted to wood construction.
Layout of the Tuscan Pediment
Typically, the pediment forms the end of a gabled roof or defines the main point of entry into a classical building. As a result, the pediment is symbolically and functionally an important part of classical architecture.
The pediment comprises two inclined, or raking, cornices and a horizontal cornice which defines a triangular area known as the tympanum. In the following plate, the juncture between the raking cornice and horizontal cornice is illustrated. The cymatium crowns the raking cornice but is omitted from the horizontal cornice of the pediment. A split fillet provides a small but important visual connector between these two elements.
Because the raking cymatium is set at an angle, it is slightly larger and has a different profile from the horizontal cymatium at the returns. To determine the profile of the raking cymatium, divide its curved portion into 6 equal parts as indicated by the dashed lines. At the point where each dashed inclined line meets the profile of the horizontal cornice, project each point vertically upward to line A-B. Since the raking cymatium and horizontal cornice meet at a 45 degree angle, line A-B also represents the projection of the raking cymatium. This line can be drawn parallel to the rake so that lines projecting down at a 90 degree angle will define the profile of the raking cymatium where they meet the inclined dashed lines.
Below the raking cymatium is the raking fillet (part of the split fillet) which has the same width as the horizontal cornice. Likewise, the raking corona and raking bed mold have the same width and projection from the frieze as their horizontal counter parts. The tympanum is in the same plane as the frieze.