Doric Capital
The Doric abacus consists of a rectangular slab, square on plan, which in detail consists of a fillet and reversa moulding surmounting a facia. Its extreme width is one and a half times the upper diameter. The square abacus is supported by an ovolo, which is circular on plan, and is connected with the necking by three small fillets.
No. 159. Doric Capital.
The capital is half a diameter in height, exclusive of the mouldings between the necking and the shaft, and the upper part to the underside of the ovolo occupies rather more than half.
No. 160. Ionic Capital.
The necking is a vertical extension of the upper diameter of the column, and is separated from the shaft by a boldly projecting moulding, which in height should be about equal to the three small fillets below the ovolo. The moulding consists of a torus and a fillet, and a cavetto curve is carried from the underside of the fillet and dies into the line of the shaft of the column.
Sometimes the ovolo is decorated with its characteristic egg and tongue detail, and occasionally the reversa of the abacus is also enriched. The necking is sometimes ornamented with four rosettes, which are placed centrally under the square faces of the abacus.