abacus

views updated May 17 2018

abacus (pl. abaci).
1. Flat-topped plate, also called tailloir, the upper member of a capital of a column on which the architrave rests. The Greek Doric abacus is the simplest, consisting of a square unmoulded block, called plinthus, but abaci vary according to the Order used.

2. Flat slab supported on a podium or legs, used as a sideboard or for the display of plate, etc., in Antiquity.

3. Panel on an Antique wall.

super-abacus

views updated Jun 11 2018

super-abacus. Impost-block, dosseret, or super-capital set on top of an abacus, common in Byzantine architecture.

Bibliography

Mango (1986)