O.
O was used as a numeral by the ancients to represent 11, and with a dash over it (Ō) to denote 11,000.
O, O. E. Anything circular. Shakspeare calls the stars “those fiery O’s.”
Oak-apple Day, O. E. The 29th of May, in commemoration of the escape of King Charles in the oak-tree.
Oak-tree, the emblem of virtue, force, and strength, is frequently introduced in ancient sculpture. In Christian art an attribute of St. Boniface, in allusion to his cutting down a Druidical oak.
Oasis (from the Coptic ouah, a resting-place). One of the verdant spots that occur at intervals in the deserts of Africa; hence any fertile spot in a desert, with the obvious symbolical application.
Oast-house, O. E. A kiln for drying hops.
Oban. The principal gold coin of Japan, worth about 4l. 2s.
Obba, Gr. and R. (ἄμβιξ). A drinking-vessel of earthenware or wood, probably funnel-shaped; hence—
Obbatus, Gr. and R. Made in the shape of an obba, that is, terminating in a point. The term is often applied to the cap of the Dioscuri.
Fig. 494. Egyptian Obelisk.
Obelisk (ὀβελίσκος, lit. a small spit). Also called a needle. A tall, rectangular, monolithic column, of slightly pyramidal shape, invented by the Egyptians; in nearly every case they are covered from the base to the top, and on all four sides, with hieroglyphic symbols. (Fig. [494].)
Oberon. The king of the fairies.
Obex, R. (objicio, to obstruct). Any contrivance to keep a door closed, such as a bolt, lock, latch, iron bar, &c.
Oblata, Chr. The sacred bread. This word was more commonly applied to the unconsecrated loaf, and Hostia to the consecrated. (For particulars respecting the preparation and the form of oblates, see the article Elements in Smith and Cheetham, Dict. of Christian Antiquities.) In the same manner Oblati were lay-brothers in a monastery who had not taken the vows.
Oblate. Flattened or shortened like the earth at the poles. The earth is an oblate spheroid.
Oblationarium, Chr. A small table placed near the high altar, or at the end of one of the side aisles, on which the people laid their offerings. It was also used, when in the choir, to hold the sacred utensils in place of the credence table. In the Greek Church the oblationarium is still used for the bread, wine, and sacred vessels required in the mass.
Oble, Oblete (Lat. oblata), O. E. The consecrated wafer distributed to communicants at mass.
“Ne Jhesu was nat the oble
That reysed was at the sacre.”
(Harl. MS.)
Hence, a wafer-cake, sweetened with honey, and made of the finest wheaten bread.
Oboe or Hautboy (from Fr. haut, high, and bois, wood). A wind instrument like a flute, sounded through a reed.
Obolo, Mod. A copper coin, worth about a halfpenny, circulated in the Ionian Islands.
Obolos, Gr. (derived from ὀβολὸς, a brooch, originally). A small copper coin worth the sixth part of a drachm. The obolos in later times was of bronze; but in the best times of Athens it was of silver. Its value in the Æginetan standard was 1·166 of a penny.
Obscœna, Chr. Obscene representations frequently met with in Christian iconography, which, according to De Canmont, are “to warn the faithful that they ought to enter the temple with pure hearts, leaving outside all the passions that soil the soul.”
Obsidian. A volcanic glass found near volcanoes, used in antiquity for the manufacture of mirrors, axes, knives, &c. (See Glass.)
Obstragulum, R. A long leather strap (amentum) worn as a fastening to the crepida.
Obstrigillum, R. A shoe, the sides of which were lengthened into a lappet over the instep.
Obturaculum, Obturamentum, R. (obturo, to stop up). A stopper for the neck of a bottle or the mouth of a vessel.
Obverse. Of a coin, the face, or side which bears the principal symbol. The other side is the Reverse.
Ocal, Span. Coarse silk.
Occabus, R. (ὄκκαβος). A kind of spoon.
Occidental Diamond. A precious stone of inferior hardness and beauty.
Occultation. The disappearance or eclipse of one heavenly body behind another.
Ocellata, R. (lit. marked with ocelli or spots). Marbles used as playthings by children.
Ocellated. Full of eyes; said of a peacock’s tail. (See Fig. [398].)
Ochre. Argillaceous earth of different colours which, when finely ground, is used as a pigment. Red ochre is a form of specular iron ore; brown ochre is a variety of hæmatite. The yellow ochres become red when calcined, but the finest reds are made from those which are brown in the bed. Native red ochre is called red chalk or reddle in England. Spanish Brown, Indian Red, Venetian Red, and the yellow ochres have nearly the same composition. The other ochres are known as Oxford, Roman, and stone ochres, and as terra di Sienna and umber. They are all valuable and durable pigments for oil, water, or enamel painting. (See Amatita.)
Ocrea, R. A greave; a piece of armour which covered the shin-bone from below the knee to the ankle. It was generally richly ornamented by designs embossed or chased upon it. (Modern Jambes.)
Octagon. A figure of eight equal sides, considered as an emblem of regeneration; consequently the proper form for baptistries and fonts. (Fairholt.)
Octahedron. A solid contained by eight equal sides, which are equilateral triangles.
Octastyle, R. (ὀκτά-στυλος). An octastyle portico is a portico having eight columns in front; octastyle pediment, a pediment supported by eight columns. The pediment of the Parthenon at Athens, from which the Elgin Marbles come, is an octastyle.
Octave. (1) In Music, the longest interval in the diatonic scale; as from do to do, or C to C. (2) Chr. Eight days, or the eighth day after a Church festival (the festival being included) kept as a repetition or prolongation of the festival. It is a Western custom unknown to the Eastern Church.
October. The eighth month of the old Roman year, but the tenth in the calendar of Numa, Julius Cæsar, &c. It was sacred to Mars, and a horse called the October equus was annually sacrificed to Mars.
Octofoil, Her. A double quatrefoil; the difference of a ninth son.
Octophoron or Octaphoron, Gr. and R. (ὀκτώφορον). A litter (lectica) borne by eight slaves.
Fig. 495. Ocularium in a helmet.
Ocularium, Med. Lat. The narrow slit or opening for the sight in a helmet. (See Fig. [495].)
Oculus, Chr. A round window of frequent occurrence in the tympanum of the pediment in Latin basilicas, and occasionally in certain churches of the 11th century.
Ode (ᾠδὴ, a song). A short lyrical poem, intended to be sung to the accompaniment of an instrument, especially the lyre; hence the expression lyric poetry.
Fig. 496. Ground-plan of the Odeon at Athens.
Odeon (ᾠδεῖον; ᾠδὴ, a song). A small theatre at Athens, built by Pericles for musical performances. By analogy, the name was applied to any theatre built on a circular plan and covered with a roof, like that of Athens, shown in Fig. [496].
Fig. 497. Ground-plan of a Greek house.
Œcos, Œcus, Gr. (οἶκος). A Greek house; the term, however, denoted rather a large apartment resembling the atrium, but entirely shut in, that is to say, without impluvium. In Fig. [497], A is the œcus; B, C, two rooms forming offices; D, a tablinum; E, a portico; G, the entrance to the house; H, work-rooms; J, the triclinium. Œcus tetrastylos was a house in which four columns supported the roof; œcus Corinthius, having one order of columns supporting an architrave, cornice, and an arched roof; œcus Egyptius, in which the pillars supported a gallery with a paved floor, forming a walk round the apartment; above these pillars others were placed, one-fourth less in height; and between the upper columns were placed windows; and the œcus Cyzicenus, which looked to the north, and, if possible, faced gardens, to which it opened by folding doors, was a summer-house. (See Domus.)
Œil-de-bœuf, Arch. A small round or oval window in a roof.
Œillets. (See Oillets.)
Fig. 498. Œnochoê, decorated with zoophori, or bands of animals.
Fig. 498 a. Œnochoê, or Wine-jug, in black glazed earthenware.
Œnochoê (Gr. οἶνος, wine, and χέω, to pour). An earthen vase used to take the wine out of the crater and distribute it into cups. It is the vase carried by the goddesses, and used for libations. (Figs. 498, 498 a.)
Œnophorum, Gr. and R. (οἰνοφόρον). A light case or basket for carrying wine.
Œnopolium, Gr. and R. (οἰνοπώλιον). The shop of a dealer who sold wine to be carried away; distinct from the taberna meritoria or deversoria, which was a public tavern.
Offendix, R. A string by which the apex, or cap worn by the flamens, Salians, or other members of priestly colleges, was fastened under the chin.
Offertoria, Chr. (1) The anthems sung in a Christian church while the oblations were received; mentioned by Isidorus, A. D. 595: “Offertoria quæ in sacrificiorum honore canuntur.” (2) Large plates, which, in the Christian churches of Gaul, served to collect the bread which the Christians had just laid on the altar. A beautiful specimen of such dishes, found in Siberia in 1867, and described by Rossi, is 6 inches in diameter, and weighs 1½ lbs. It has a relief in repoussé work, consisting of a cross planted on a small globe studded with stars, beneath which issue the four rivers of Paradise; and on either side stand two nimbed angels, holding a rod in the left hand, and raising their right hand towards the cross in token of adoration. De Rossi regards this dish as the work of Byzantine goldsmiths of the 6th century. (3) At Rome, acolytes went in and out among the people, and collected the offerings in napkins of line linen or richer material called also offertoria.
Offertories, in Egyptian archæology, are offerings made to the gods, of various shapes; such as outstretched hands supporting a cup, or spoons of ivory, wood, or bronze, the handle of which is formed by a human figure.
Officina, R. A workshop, in contradistinction to taberna, a store, and apotheca, a shop; thus, officina ærariorum was a goldsmith’s workshop; officina fullonum, a fuller’s establishment.
Fig. 499. Device of the Offuscati Academy.
Offuscati. One of the Italian literary academies. They bore for their device a bear, roused from his natural heaviness by the stings of bees, with the motto, “Stings (or points) will sharpen steel.” (Fig. [499].)
Ogam, Celtic. The sacred writing of the Druids. (Cf. Ogham.)
Ogee Arch or Contrasted Arch or Moulding, Arch. An arch or moulding described by means of four centres, so as to be alternately concave and convex. It was frequently employed in fifteenth-century monuments, and its constant recurrence in the later Gothic or flamboyant architecture has given rise to its French name of ogival.
Ogham. A kind of shorthand writing or cipher in use among the ancient Irish. (S.)
Ogivale, Fr. A French architectural term of constant occurrence, applied to the architecture of the mediæval period in France, during which the pointed arch was used.
Ogive, Fr. Arch. A pointed arch; not the Ogee.
Ogivette, Arch. A small ogee.
Ogress, Her. A pellet or black roundle.
Oil Painting was introduced in Flanders by the brothers Van Eyck in 1410, and in Italy by Antonello da Messina in or about 1455.
Oillets or Oylets. Loopholes.
Oils. The fixed oils used in painting are linseed, walnut, and poppy, purified and rendered drying by the addition of litharge. They should be pale in colour, limpid, and transparent, and should dry quickly: nut oil in a few hours, linseed in a day, and poppy oil in thirty-six to forty hours. The essential oils used in painting are turpentine, for diluting the pigments ground in oil, and spike, or lavender, for wax and enamel painting.
Oinerusis, Gr. (οἰν-ήρυσις). (See Arystichos.)
Ointment-box, in Christian art, is the attribute of St. Mary Magdalene, St. Joseph of Arimathæa, and other saints.
Fig. 500. Covered Tazza; Faience of Oiron. In the Louvre.
Oiron, a small town in France (so named from the flocks of geese which circle round it Oi-rond in winter), is the place where the fine faiences, usually called Henri II. ware, were made. “Here is France,” says M. Jacquemart, “in the 16th century in possession of a pottery, the discovery of which is attributed 200 years later to England.” There are only about fifty pieces known, five of which may be seen in the South Kensington Museum.
Okel, Egyp. A caravanserai. A large covered court surrounded by two stories of galleries, of which the lower is used as shops, &c., and the upper one as lodging-rooms.
Oldham. A coarse kind of cloth originated at Oldham in Norfolk, temp. Richard II.
Olibanum. A gum-resin used for incense.
Oliphant, A.S. An elephant; hence a hunting-horn of ivory.
Olive. A blue-grey colour; violet mixed with green.
Olive(-tree). (1) In Christian art, the emblem of peace and concord, and frequent on early Christian tombs in the catacombs, with or without the dove. (2) Arch. Its leaf was introduced into sculpture by the ancients, in wreaths or garlands. The Corinthian order is enriched with olive-leaves, as are almost all the antiques at Rome of this order. (3) R. The corona oleagina, an honorary wreath made of olive-leaves, was conferred by the Romans on soldiers and commanders through whose instrumentality a triumph had been obtained when they were not personally present in the action. (4) Gr. It was the olive-tree that Minerva caused to spring from the ground in the citadel at Athens. (5) The colour and grain of the wood, and of the root portion especially, are very beautiful, and valuable for decorative and cabinet-work.
Olivette. A Flemish name for poppy oil.
Olivine. A variety of chrysolite of a dark green, commonly called bottle-green colour.
Olla, R. An earthenware vessel of very common make. It resembled our flower-pots, but had swelling sides, and was covered with a lid. It was used for cooking meat and vegetables and for preserving grapes (uva ollaria), and as a cinerary urn (olla ossuaria or cineraria). Hence—
Olla-podrida, Sp. A stew of meat and vegetables mixed, common in Spain. The word is used to describe any other incongruous mixture.
Ollarium, R. A niche in a sepulchral chamber, in which the olla ossuaria was placed. (See Cinerarium, Fig. [160].)
Olpê, Gr. (ὄλπη). A kind of aryballos with a curved handle, but no spout (originally a leather oil-flask).
Olympiad, Gr. (Ὀλυμπίας). The period of four years between two consecutive celebrations of the Olympic games. The first Olympiad began B.C. 776.
Olympic Games, Gr. Games instituted by Hercules in honour of Jupiter Olympius; they were the most ancient and celebrated in all Greece. They derived their name from Olympia, in Greece, where they were celebrated. They were finally suppressed by Theodosius, A. D. 394.
Ombre. A kind of damask.
Ombros. The name for a particular quality of madder.
Omophagi, Gr. (ὠμο-φάγοι, sc. δαῖτες, i. e. flesh-eating banquets). Festivals held at Chio and Tenedos in honour of Bacchus.
Omophorion. (1) An article of female dress, worn on the shoulders. (2) A vestment of the Greek Church, consisting of a long woollen band with embroidered crosses. It is typical of the lost sheep borne home on the shoulders of the Shepherd.
Onager, Onagrus, R. An engine for hurling stones of great size.
Onicolo or Nicolo. A variety of the onyx, with a deep-brown ground, on which is a band of bluish white, used for making cameos.
Onocentaurs. Fabulous animals, half man, half ass.
Onychomancy (onyx, a nail). Divination by means of the marks on the nails of the hands.
Onyx (ὄνυξ, a finger-nail). (1) A general name for the varieties of the agate which consist of alternate layers of white, brown, or black, greatly valued by the ancients for cameos. In the Christian symbolism the onyx typifies innocence and candour. (See Onicolo.) (2) The name has also been applied by the ancients to Oriental alabaster. (3) Onyx marble was a name given to Algerian marble from Oran, of which “pure white, brilliant red, golden yellow, and hues of green, with every variety of striation and flocculence, exist.” [See the Building News, xiv. 489.]
Opa, Opê, Gr. Arch. (ὀπή). A cavity in which a tie-beam (tignum) rests; whence the space included between two ὀπαὶ or tigna was called metopa or intertignum.
Opacity. Want of transparency.
Opaion, Gr. Arch. The panels on a ceiling formed by the intersection of its beams.
Opal. A semi-transparent stone, remarkable for the play of colours that it exhibits. Three varieties are, the oriental opal, called also the noble opal and the harlequin opal, remarkable for its flashes of brilliant colours having a triangular disposition. The affection that the ancients entertained for this beautiful gem was unbounded. The Roman senator Nonnius preferred exile to parting with a brilliant opal the size of a filbert which Marc Antony coveted. The fire opal is furnished principally by Mexico. Its colour, more pronounced than that of the oriental opal, and the carmine or vinous red tint of its fires, permit it to be easily recognized. The common opal displays very little fire; its colour is milk-white, which, joined to a texture extremely homogeneous, renders it semi-transparent. [L. Dieulafait.]
Opal Glass, called also Milk-white Glass; prepared for globes to lamps, &c.
Opales, Opalia, R. Festivals of Ops, the wife of Saturn, which were held every year on the fourteenth of the calends of January (19th of December).
Opalescent. Having a play of colours like the opal.
Open-tide, O. E. The season between Epiphany and Ash-Wednesday, when marriages were publicly solemnized.
Opera. A lyrical drama set to music; originated at Florence in the 16th century. [Consult Doni (passim), Arteaga Manfredini, Signorelli, &c.; also Dr. Burney’s Tours and Correspondence, and Grimm’s Correspondence.]
Operculum, R. A cover for any kind of earthenware vessel.
Ophicleide (ὄφις, a serpent, and κλεὶς, a key). A wind instrument of brass or copper made in the form of a serpent. Generally, the bass of a military band.
Ophiomancy, Gr. Divination by snakes.
Ophiomorphous. Snake-shaped.
Ophite or Ophiolite. Green porphyry or Serpentine.
Ophites, Chr. A sect which arose in the 2nd century in the Christian Church. They believed that the Serpent who tempted Eve was Christ himself. They are also called Serpentinians. (S.)
Fig. 501. Opima Spolia. Trophy of Gallic Ensigns.
Opima Spolia, R. The “spoils of honour,” consisting of armour set up as a trophy and dedicated in the temple of Jupiter Feretrius at Rome. These were spoils taken from the chief of a hostile army, who had been killed by the hand of a Roman general. Plutarch asserts that the spolia opima were actually taken only three times.
Opinicus, Her. A fabulous heraldic monster; a dragon before and a lion behind, with a camel’s tail.
Opisthodomos, Gr. (ὀπισθό-δομος). Latin, Posticum. A small chamber placed at the back of a temple, to which the priests alone had access.
Oporotheca, Gr. (ὀπωρο-θήκη). A storehouse for fruits.
Oppidan. At Eton College, a boy who is not a king’s scholar, and boards in the town.
Fig. 502. Oppidum and carceres of the circus of Caracalla.
Oppidum, R. A fortified town, and thence the mass of buildings occupying the extremity of a circus, in which were the stalls for the chariots and horses (carceres). Fig. [502] gives a representation of the oppidum in the circus of Caracalla.
Optical Correction is a name given to the task of adapting art objects, or architectural proportions and ornaments, to the circumstances of distance or comparison in which they are to be exhibited. Belzoni observes that the heads of colossal Egyptian statues are proportionally larger than the lower members. (For numerous examples of this contrivance, see the article in the Architectural Publication Society’s Dictionary.)
Optics (Gr. ὄπτομαι, to see). The science of the nature and properties of light; of its changes as it penetrates or is reflected or absorbed by bodies; of the structure of the eye, and the laws of vision; and of instruments in connexion with sight. It is thus closely connected with the science of colour, and the arts in general. The earliest treatise extant on this science is Euclid’s Optica et Catoptrica. (Cf. Dr. Smith’s Optics, &c.)
Optigraph. A telescope for copying landscapes. (See Claude Glass.)
Optostratum, R. (ὀπτὸς, brick, and στρωτὸν, strewn). A brick pavement, often arranged in a herring-boned pattern, as in the Opus Spicatum. (Fig. [509].)
Opus Albarium. (See Stucco.)
Fig. 503. Alexandrinum opus.
Opus Alexandrinum. A mosaic flooring much used by the Romans, consisting of geometric figures, and generally of only two kinds of tessera, red and black on a white ground. (See Musivum Opus.)
Opus Araneum (spider-work). A kind of embroidery, 13th century; modern “guipure d’art.”
Opus Consutum. Appliqué work in embroidery. (See Appliqué.)
Opus Filatorium. A kind of embroidery, 14th century; modern “filet brodé.”
Opus Græcum, R. Inlaid pavement. (See Musivum Opus.)
Opus Incertum, R. A Roman method of building; the construction of walls of very small rough stones, not laid in courses, but held together by the mortar.
Fig. 504. Pseud-iso-domum opus, with a course of opus insertum.
Opus Insertum, R. A Roman method of building, of courses of flat tiles, the most durable of all. Such courses were also introduced in the other kinds of stone and brick walls, in which they served as bond-courses, and also kept the damp from rising from the ground.
Fig. 505. Musivum opus.
Opus Musivum. Mosaic. (See Musivum.)
Opus Pectineum (comb-wrought). Woven work imitating embroidery.
Opus Phrygianum, R. Fine embroidery. (See Orphrey.)
Opus Plumarium (feather-stitch). Embroidery of which the stitches overlap one another like the feathers of a bird.
Fig. 506. Pseud-iso-domum opus.
Opus Pseud-iso-domum, Gr. (lit. quasi-equal structure). A Greek method of building in which the courses are (1) parallel and unequal, but regular among themselves, as in Fig. [506]; or (2) irregular altogether, as in the Gate of Lions at Mycenæ, Fig. [507] (or in Fig. [504]).
Fig. 507. Gate of Lions at Mycenæ. Pseud-iso-domum opus.
Opus Pulvinarium (cushion-style). Embroidery like modern Berlin work, generally used for cushions.
Fig. 508. Structura reticulata.
Opus Reticulatum, R. A Roman method of construction, with an ornamental surface resembling the meshes of a net.
Fig. 509. Spicatum opus.
Opus Spicatum, R. Herring-bone masonry.
Or, Her. The metal gold, expressed in engraving by small dots, as on Fig. [375].
Or basané, Fr. Leather stamped in gold, used as hangings in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Ora, R. The cable which fastened the stern of a ship to the shore, while the Ancorale kept her head out to sea.
Ora. An old Saxon coin of 16 or 20 pence in value.
Orange. The colour formed by the mixture of 5 parts of red and 3 parts of yellow. It is the complementary of blue. The nearest pigment is cadmium yellow.
Orange Chrome. A sub-chromate of lead, which yields a beautiful orange pigment.
Orange Madder lake. (See Madder.)
Orange Minium. (See Minium.)
Orange Vermilion. A durable pigment for oil and water-colours, in colour resembling red lead.
Orange Yellow. A yellow inclining to red, represented by molybdate of lead. (Ansted, Elementary Course.)
Orange tree. In Christian art, symbol of the “Heavenly Bride.”
Oranti, It. The name given to certain male and female figures found in the catacomb frescoes at Rome, represented with the hands spread in the Eastern attitude of prayer.
Orarium, R. A scarf or handkerchief thrown to the crowd in a circus, to wave to the chariot-drivers. In Christian archæology, (1) A scarf affixed to the pastoral staff; as early as the 13th century. (2) The stole. (3) The border of an ecclesiastical vestment. (Planché.) (See Stole, Sudarium.)
Orb. One of the emblems of sovereignty with which kings are solemnly invested at their coronation. It is a globe surmounted by a cross, and is held in the palm of the left hand. In Art it is a common attribute of the Infant Saviour.
Orca, Gr. and R. (ὄρκη or ὕρχα). An earthenware vessel of large size, but smaller than the amphora; it was used for holding salted fish. The diminutive is orcula; the modern Italian orcio.
Orchestra, Gr. and R. (ὀρχήστρα, i. e. dancing-place). The lowest part of the Greek and Roman theatres; usually occupied by the chorus. It contained an altar, on which sacrifices to Bacchus were sometimes made.
Orchestrino. A modern musical instrument invented by Poulleau. It was shaped like a pianoforte with similar finger-keys, and the sounds were produced by the friction of a bow upon strings.
Orchestrion. A modern portable organ, invented by the Abbé Vogler about 1789. A similarly-named instrument invented in 1796 by Kunz, a Bohemian, consisted of a pianoforte combined with some organ-stops.
Orcula. Diminutive of orca.
Order. In classical architecture, a column entire; i. e. base, shaft, capital, and entablature. There are usually said to be five orders: the Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite.
Orders of Knighthood. (See Knighthood.)
Ordinary, Her. An early principal charge of a simple character.
Oread. A mountain-nymph.
Oreæ, R. (ora, the mouth). A snaffle-bit for horses.
Oreiller, Her. A cushion or pillow.
Oreillettes, Fr. Ear-pieces on helmets; 15th and 16th centuries.
Orfrays. The gold, silver, or silk embroidery on rich garments, chiefly sacerdotal ornaments. The term has two derivations; some derive it from aurum Phrygium, because the Phrygians, who were excellent embroiderers, were considered to have invented the style; others take it to be from aurum fractum (broken). In mediæval Latin the term for orfrays was aurifrigia, aurifrisa, aurifrisus, and aurifrixus.
Fig. 510. Regals or Portable Organ.
Organ. Organs are said to have been first introduced into France, A. D. 289, from Greece. A large organ existed in Westminster Abbey in the 10th century. Portable organs called also Regals were also common. The antique organs had no key-boards, which were introduced in the 11th century, simultaneously with the invention of the musical stave. (Cf. Hydraula.) The Regals or portable organ is an attribute of St. Cecilia. (Fig. [510].)
Organdi. A kind of muslin.
Organistrum, O. E. A musical instrument, resembling the modern hurdy-gurdy, played by two persons, of whom one turned the handle, while the other played the keys.
Organolyricon. A musical instrument invented in Paris in 1810 by M. de St. Pern. It consists of a pianoforte with two rows of keys, and contains twelve different wind instruments, viz. three flutes, an oboe, a clarionet, a bassoon, horns, trumpet, and fife.
Organzine. Thrown silk of a very fine texture. (S.)
Orgies, Gr. (ὄργια). Festivals of Bacchus at which all who were present were carried away by frenzy. The same term was also used to denote the festivals of Ceres and those of the Cabiri.
Orgues, Fr. Med. (1) Pieces of timber, pointed and shod with iron, hung like a portcullis over a gateway, to be let down in case of attack. (2) An arrangement of gun-barrels, the precursor of the mitrailleuse. (S.)
Orgyia (from ὀρέγω, to extend). A Greek measure of length, representing the distance from end to end of the outstretched arms, or the height of the human figure. It was equal to four cubits or six feet, and was one-hundredth of a stadium.
Orichalcum (from ὄρος and χαλκὸς, i. e. mountain bronze). A metallic compound, akin to copper and bronze, which was highly prized by the ancients. It was probably brass.
Oriel or Oriole, Chr. (oriolum, a little entrance). A projecting angular window, generally triangular or pentagonal in shape. A large bay or recessed window in a church or in an apartment. The word has been used in many senses, with the general meaning of a recess within or a projection from a building. A small oratory.
Orientation, Chr. The arrangement of a church by which a worshipper faces the east at prayers.
Oriflamme. The ancient royal banner of France, coloured purple-azure and gold. It was split into five points, and sometimes bore upon it a saltire wavy, from the centre of which golden rays diverged.
Orillon, Fr. A mass of earth lined with a wall on the shoulder of a bastion, for the protection of a gun.
Fig. 511. Orle or crest-wreath.
Orle. (1) Arch. A fillet or listel placed beneath the ovolo of a capital. (2) In Heraldry, a subordinary formed of a border of a shield which is charged upon another and a larger shield. (3) The wreath or torse which encircled the crest, composed ordinarily of silk of two colours twisted together, and representing the principal metal and tincture in the wearer’s armorial bearings. (Planché.)
Orleans. A cloth made of worsted and cotton.
Orlo. A Spanish musical instrument.
Orlop-deck of a ship. That over the hold, on which the cables are stowed.
Ormolu, Fr. (or, gold, and moulu, ground). 72·43 copper, 25·2 zinc, and 2·65 tin; used for cheap jewellery, &c. Mosaic gold, another name for such a metal, is composed of 65 copper and 35 zinc.
Ormolu Varnish. A copper, bronze, or imitation-gold varnish.
Ornithon, R. (ὀρνιθών). A poultry-yard or aviary.
Orpharion, O. E. A kind of lute. (Halliwell.)
Orpheon. A musical instrument.
Orphrey. An old English word for gold embroidery, from the Latin auriphrygium. (See Orfrays.)
Orpiment (Lat. auripigmentum; Ang. king’s yellow). A yellow pigment of arsenic with sulphur, or, when the arsenic predominates, an orange colour. The finest native orpiment comes from Persia, and is called golden orpiment.
Orpin, O. E., contraction of Orpiment. Yellow arsenic.
Orrery. A machine for representing in a model the motions and relative positions of the heavenly bodies.
Orrice or Orris. A peculiar pattern in which gold or silver lace is worked. The edges are ornamented with conical figures, placed at equal distances, with spots between them.
Fig. 512. Orthostata. Facing of a Greek wall.
Orthostata, Gr. (ὀρθόστατα, i. e. standing upright). (1) The facings of a wall, consisting of different materials from the internal part of it. (Fig. [512].) (2) An anta or pilaster.
Orthron. (See Hours of Prayer.)
Oscen, plur. Oscines, R. (os, mouth, and cano, to predict). A bird or birds from whose singing it was possible to draw auguries.
Oschophoria, Gr. (ὀσχο-φόρια, i. e. vine-branch-bearing). Athenian vintage festivals, instituted in honour of Bacchus and Ariadne by Theseus, or according to other authorities, in honour of Dionysus and Athena, in which those who took part carried vine-boughs loaded with grapes. The festival was concluded by a race on the seashore from the temple of Bacchus to that of Minerva. The victor’s prize was a cup called Pentaploa, because it contained five ingredients: wine, honey, cheese, meal, and oil.
Oscillatio, R. A swing. The Roman swings are represented having legs like a chair.
Oscilla, R. (dimin. of os, mouth or face). Small images or masks, generally of Bacchus, hung up in vineyards to ensure a good crop, and practically useful to scare off birds from the grapes.
Osculare, Osculatorium, Chr. (See Pax.)
Ossarium and Ossuarium, R. (os, a bone). A sarcophagus of earthenware, stone, or marble, in which the vessel containing the cremated ashes of the dead was placed.
Ossature, Arch. (from the Italian ossatura, skeleton). The skeleton or framework of a Gothic roof or a window. In the roof, the ossature comprises the nerves, the transverse or longitudinal arches, the diagonal rib, &c.; in a window, the iron framing.
Osteau, Arch. An old term used to denote the rose placed in the upper part of a mullioned window; it was also applied to a rosace and a medallion.
Ostinati. An Italian literary academy, whose device was a pyramid blown from all quarters by the winds, with the obstinate motto, “Frustra” (in vain).
Ostium, R. A lobby inside the entrance door of a Roman house, deep enough to contain a small porter’s lodge on one side, and leading to an inner door which opened on the Atrium. The street door was called Janua. (See Domus.)
Ostrich Eggs, Chr. The practice of suspending eggs of ostriches in churches was probably introduced from the East by Crusaders.
“In some churches two eggs of ostriches, and other things which cause admiration, and which are rarely seen, are accustomed to be suspended: that by their means the people may be drawn to church, and have their minds the more affected.” (Durandus on Symbolism.)
Ostrum, R. A purple colour used by the ancients, produced from the juice of the murex fish.
Othone, Chr. (See Stole.)
Ottone, It. Brass.
Oubliettes, Fr. Subterranean dungeons, into which prisoners were thrown to be oubliés (forgotten). The side walls were in some cases armed with strong sharp blades, which cut the victims to pieces as they fell. It should be mentioned that in many cases cesspools have been mistaken for oubliettes.
Ouch or Nouche, O. E. An ornament of the brooch kind; a jewel. (Mod.) The setting of a precious stone.
Oudenardes. Tapestry landscapes first made at that place; called also “tapisseries de verdure.”
Ourania, Gr. (οὐρανια, i. e. in the air). A game at catch-ball.
Outline, which has no real existence in nature, is defined by Aristotle as πέρας στερεοῦ, “the boundary of solid form.” The only light and shade used in outlines is the greater lightness or darkness of the lines.
Outré, Fr. Exaggerated, fantastic, absurd.
Oval (Lat. ovum, an egg). The oval, formed of a continuous curve, differs from the Ellipse, which is equally broad at both ends, in having one end narrower than the other, and is sometimes called a false ellipse. Ovals in windows, arches, and other parts of architecture exist, but are rare.
Ovatio. A lesser triumph distinguished from Triumphus. The general entered the city on foot, and dressed in the toga prætexta of a magistrate, attended only by musicians, and knights and plebeians; and the sacrifice by which the ceremony concluded was a sheep (ovis) instead of a bull; hence the word ovation.
Overstory, Arch. The Clerestory.
Overture (Fr. ouverture, an opening; It. sinfonia). Instrumental music preceding an opera, &c.
Ovile, R. Literally, a sheep-fold, and thence an enclosure in the Campus Martius in which each century assembled before proceeding to place its votes (tabellæ) in the urn (cista). It was divided into compartments approached through narrow passages called pontes of ponticuli. On entering, the citizens received their voting-tablets (tabellæ), and when they had consulted within the enclosure, they passed out by another pons, at which they threw their votes into the chest (cista).
Fig. 513. Ovolo or Quarter-round.
Ovolo, Arch. (from the Latin ovum). (1) A convex moulding showing the quarter of a circle, and thence called quarter-round. (2) The echinus of the Doric capital. (3) An ornament composed of eggs, separated either by tongues (Fig. [277]) or by darts (Fig. [514]). (See Echinus.)
Fig. 514. Egg and dart moulding.
Fig. 515. Ovum. Egg-shaped balls.
Ovum, Egg, R. Conical egg-shaped balls which were placed upon the spina of a circus, on a stone table supported by four columns. (Fig. [515].) There was a second table at the other end of the spina, on which were placed small marble dolphins. Ovum Orphicum, or Orphic egg, was the mysterious symbol employed by Orpheus to denote the procreative principle with which the whole earth is pervaded. Ovum anguinum was an oval ball of glass worn by the Druids round their neck; so named because, as was asserted, it was produced from the mingled saliva of two serpents (angues).
Owl. With the Athenians the owl was the emblem of prudence and wisdom; the bird of Athenê. In Christian art it symbolizes darkness and solitude, and hence unbelief.
Ox. In Christian art the attribute of St. Luke; the emblem of the priesthood and of sacrifice. In representations of the Nativity an ox and an ass are commonly introduced.
Ox-gall. The bile or bitter fluid secreted by the liver of the ox; when refined it is used in oil and water-colour painting to fix and thicken the colours. (See Gall.)
Oxford Ochre. An oxide of iron used as a pigment of a brownish yellow in oil and water-colours. (See Ochre.)
Oxide of Zinc. A white pigment which is more permanent in resisting gases than the white lead.
Oxides of Copper. The pigments derived from these were well known to the ancients. Modern pigments are Blue Verditer, Brunswick Green, Verdigris, and Emerald or Scheele’s Green (q.v.).
Oxybaphoi, Gr. Small cymbals in the shape of vinegar-saucers.
Oxybaphon (ὀξυβάφον). A Greek term applied to a bell-shaped vase with a plain foot and a moulded rim, synonymous with the Latin Acetabulum (q.v.).
Oyelet, Oylet. (See Oillets.)
Oyer and Terminer. Ancient law-French. The words mean to hear and to determine, and express the authority or commission given to an appointed court of justice.