An Illustrated Dictionary of Words used in Art and Archaeology / Explaining terms frequently used in works on architecture, arms, bronzes, Christian art, colour, costume, decoration, devices, emblems, heraldry, lace, personal ornaments, pottery, painting, sculpture, &c., with their derivations.

by John W. Mollett

T.

Fig. 642. Tabard.

Tabard, O. E. (Lat. colobium). A tunic with sleeves, worn over the armour by knights of the Tudor period, and blazoned on the sleeves, front, and back; it is the official costume of a herald; Chaucer’s ploughman wears a tabard, like the modern smock-frock. (See Coat armour.) Fig. [642].

Tabaret. A stout, satin-striped silk.

Tabbinet, O. E. Another name for Poplin.

Tabby, O. E. A silk watered or figured.

Tabella, Gen. (dimin. of tabula). A small board, or tablet, of any kind, esp. (1) a wax-tablet; (2) a voting-tablet (tessera); (3) a letter sent by a messenger (tabellarius); (4) tabella absolutoria, a receipt for a debt; (5) tabella damnatoria, a judicial record of a verdict and sentence; (6) tabella liminis, the leaf of a door, &c.

Fig. 643. Taberna.

Taberna, R. (1) A retail shop; Fig. [643] shows a shop at Pompeii, restored. (2) Taberna deversoria, taberna meritoria, or simply taberna, a wine-shop or tavern. (Fig. [643].)

Tabernacle Work, Arch. The ornamented open work over the stalls (of a cathedral church, &c.), and, in general, any minute ornamental open work is called tabernacle work.

Tabernaculum, Tabernacle, R. and Chr. (Lit. a tent). (1) A booth of planks, or a wooden hut covered with hides. (2) In Christian archæology, the tabernacle is a small shrine placed on the altar for the consecrated wafer. It succeeded the pyx, which was anciently deposited in one of two chambers arranged on each side of the altar. Originally of goldsmith’s work, in the 15th and 16th centuries they became stone shrines decorated with sculpture, approached by steps, rising into lanterns and pinnacles to the roof of the church. A cast of a beautiful tabernacle of late 15th century, marble with a gilt metal door, is in the South Kensington Museum. Tabernacles of ivory were common in the 16th century. (3) Ornamental niches in a hall. (4) Accurately applied the term signifies a canopy, (of stone, wood, or other material) such as was placed over a Niche, a stall, &c.

Tabernula. Dimin. of Taberna (q.v.).

Tabinet. (See Tabbinet.)

Tabl shamee, Egyp. The Syrian drum, used by the modern Egyptians; a kind of kettle-drum of tinned copper, with a parchment face.

Tablature, Fr. One part of a painted wall or ceiling, forming a single piece or design.

Table, O. E. The ancient meaning of this word was “any level expanded surface,” such as a flat piece of board. A picture was called a table (Latin tabula) as late as the 17th century. (See Tabula.)

Table-base, Arch. A Base moulding, near the ground, immediately over the plinth.

Table Diamond. A gem cut with a flat surface.

Tablementum, Arch. Synonym of Tabula.

Tables, O. E. (1) Backgammon. (2) Ivory writing-tablets, so called, were used in the middle ages in England by people of all ranks:—

“His felaw had a staff tipped with horn,

A pair of tables all of ivory,

And a pointed ypolished fetishly,

And wrote alway the names, as he stood

Of alle folk that gaue hem any good.”

(Chaucer.)

Tablet. (Fr. tablette.) Any flat surface for inscriptions; leaves for memoranda.

Tablets. In architecture a general term for small projecting mouldings or strings, mostly horizontal. The tablet at the top, under the battlement, is called a cornice, and that at the bottom a basement, under which is generally a thicker wall. The tablet running round doors and windows is called a dripstone, and if ornamented a canopy. (Rickman, p. 42.)

Tabletterie, Fr. Turned work in ivory or shells, &c.

Tablinum, R. One of the apartments in a Roman house; it was a recess in the Atrium, and contained the wax or ivory portraits and statues in bronze and marble of ancestors, and carved representations of their honourable achievements in the state, and the family archives. (See Domus.)

Tabor, Tabour, O. E. A very loud drum “which is bad for people’s heads, for, if stretched tight and struck hard, it may be heard at half a league’s distance.”

Tabouret. An embroidery frame.

Tabret, Heb. A small tabor.

Tabula, R. and Chr. (1) Literally, a plank, and thence used to denote a variety of objects made of wood or planks, as for instance a bench; a dice-table; a waxed writing-tablet (tabula cerata); a panel-painting; a votive-tablet; a voting-ticket. (2) Arch. Properly any solid construction adapted for superficial decoration, as the frontal of an altar. “The most remarkable example of the tabula destined for the front of the Altar, is preserved in Westminster Abbey; it is formed of wood, elaborately carved, painted and enriched with a kind of mosaic work of coloured glass, superficially inlaid, a species of decoration of Italian origin.” (Consult Parker’s Glossary s.v.) (3) In Christian archæology, tabulæ nuptiales or dotales was the name given to the parchment scrolls in the hands of persons who figure in the marriage scenes represented on tombs.

Tabularium, R. A place set apart in the temples at Rome where the public records were kept.

Tace, Chr. The cross or crutch of St. Anthony.

Taces. (See Tassets.) The skirts or coverings to the pockets. (Meyrick.)

Taces. Overlapping plates of armour to envelope the abdomen (see Taches), introduced in the 14th century, under Richard II.

Tack or Dag, O. E. A kind of pistol: something like a petronel.

Tæda or Teda, R. A resinous torch made with pieces and slips of the pine called teda.

Fig. 644. Tænia.

Tænia, Gr. and R. (1) The ribbon with which a wreath or fillet round the head was attached. (2) In architecture, the band which separates the Doric frieze from the architrave; it is, in many cases, ornamented with painting similar to that shown in Fig. [644].

Taffeta (Pers. taftah, from taftan, to twist). A thin, glossy silken fabric, having a wavy lustre; a less costly silk than Cendal (q.v.), 16th century. Stow records that it was first made in England by John Tyce, of Shoreditch, London, 41 Elizabeth, 1598.

Taille de bois, Fr. Wood-engraving.

Taille douce, Fr. Copper-plate engraving.

Taille dure, Fr. Steel engraving.

Tail-piece. An ornamental design placed at the end of a page or chapter of a book. In French cul-de-lampe.

Takel, O. E. An arrow,—

“Wel could he dress his takel yeomanly.” (Chaucer.)

Talaria, R. (talus, the ankle). Wings fixed to the ankles; the attribute of Mercury, Perseus, and sometimes Minerva. They are represented either attached to sandals, or growing from the limb.

Talbot, Her. A badge of the Earl of Shrewsbury of that name (the “Scourge of France”). A silver running hound or talbot.

Talbotype. The photographic process of multiplying impressions from a negative, invented by Mr. Fox Talbot. (See Calotype.)

Talc (from Germ. Talg, tallow). A translucent mineral, resembling mica but much softer, “being calcined and variously prepared, it maketh a curious whitewash, which some justify lawful, because clearing not changing the complexion.” (Fuller.) The Chinese make lanterns, shades, and ornaments of talc.

Talent, Gr. and R. (τάλαντον, lit. a balance). A weight of silver with the Greeks, and of copper with the Romans; applied as a unit of value. The Greek talent of silver is estimated at rather less than 250l. sterling—it contained 60 minæ, or 6000 drachmæ. The Attic talent was of much smaller value, of less than an ounce of gold, and is that generally intended by the word. The silver talent was called talentum magnum. The Jewish talent of silver = about 396l., and of gold = about 5475l. From its application as an expression of a man’s available wealth, metaphorically applied in Scripture to resources of any kind, as of intellect, position, &c., for the due unselfish administration of which he is responsible.

Talero, It. A Venetian silver coin = about five francs.

Talevas, Talvas. (See Tavolace.)

Tali, R. (Gr. ἀστράγαλος). Knuckle-bones of sheep or goats, used from the earliest times, exactly as they are by children now, to play with. When they were marked with black dots on each face they were used as dice. The numbers were 1, 3, 4 and 6; 1 being opposite to 6, and 3 opposite to 4; and each number, and each cast, had its appropriate name: 1 was called in Greek μονὰς, εἷς, κύων, Χῖος; Ionic οἴνη; Latin, unio, vulturius, canis; 3 was τριὰς, and ternio; 4, τετρὰς, and quaternio; 6, ἑξὰς, ἑξίτης, Κῷος, and senio. The best throw was that called Venus or jactus Venereus, in which the four tali showed different numbers. By this cast the player became king of the feast or symposium; in the canis (dog-throw), on the other hand, all four dice turned up the same number.

Talisman (Arab, tilsam, a magical image). A charm worn about the person as a protection from dangers, especially from the effects of magic and the “evil eye.” The bullæ worn by children, and the rings of the ladies among the Greeks and Romans frequently contained such charms. The practice has survived in all ages and nations, and is not at all unfrequent in the 19th century, and even among the educated classes.

Tall-boys, O. E. High cups or glasses.

Tall-men, O. E. Loaded dice.

Tall-wood, O. E. “Pacte wodde to make byllettes of, taillee.” (Palsgrave.)

Talleh, Arab. Myrrh from Abyssinia.

Tallow-cut (Fr. en cabuchon). This is a term applied by lapidaries to precious stones not cut into regular facets, but ground down and polished.

Tally, O. E. (Fr. tailler, to cut.) An ancient method of keeping record of monies advanced to the Royal Exchequer. A tally was a piece of wood inscribed with a receipt, which was split by an officer, and one part delivered to the lender, and the other, called the Stock, preserved in the Tally-office in the Exchequer. Hence the name Stocks for the Government securities. After the disuse of the tallies in 1782 the old ones were used for firing in the Houses of Parliament, and caused their destruction in 1834.

Talmud (Chaldean, lit. instruction,) consists of two parts, the Mishna and Gemara; and contains the whole body of Hebrew law and traditions.

Talus. (1) R. The game of knuckle-bones. (See Astragalus.) (2) Arch. The sloping part of a work, a term in fortification.

Talvace, O. E. A shield or buckler, circular and projecting.

Talvas, O. E. An oblong wooden shield, 14th century.

Tambour, Fr. A small drum. Rich embroidery work done on a drum-shaped frame.

Tamboura. An ancient musical instrument of the lute or guitar kind. The Hindoos represent Ganesa, the god of wisdom, as a man with the head of an elephant, holding a tamboura in his hands.

Tambourine. A small drum with only one skin, played on by the hand.

Tamine, Taminy, Tammy (Fr. tamis, a sieve). A thin woollen textile, highly glazed.

Tampion. (See Tompion.)

Tang-fish. Seals are so called in the Shetlands.

Fig. 645. Flemish Tankard, silver-gilt. 17th century.

Tankard. (Norman Fr. Tankar.) A drinking-jug with a cover. The name is said to be compounded of étain, tin, and quarte, a quart measure. The Flemish had tankards of wood, with pegs down the sides, to measure the quantity drunk. (See Figs. 615 and 645.) (See Pokal.)

Tapestry. The introduction of tapestry properly so called dates from the 12th century, when it began to rival the more ancient embroidered stuffs called Sarrazinois carpets. Tapestry is woven on looms, i. e. on a warp rolled round two cylinders, and stretched out between them either vertically or horizontally, for the insertion of the woof between and among the threads. When woven on a vertical warp, it is called high-warp (haute-lisse); when horizontal, low-warp (basse-lisse). The former produces, for many reasons, incomparably the finest work, and is the method adopted for the Gobelins and Savonnerie tapestries. The progress of the art has followed, especially in Flanders, that of painting, from which its models are derived. It has become less popular than it was during the present century, from the general disuse of hangings in the decoration of houses. Perhaps the best condensed account of this extensive subject is the work of M. Alfred de Champeaux, translated for the South Kensington Museum. (See Bayeux Tapestry.)

Tapul, O. E. The perpendicular ridge down the centre of a breastplate.

Tar-black. A kind of lamp-black prepared by the combustion of coal tar, or of the heavy oils of tar and schist.

Targe, Fr. Med. A dagger or small sword: “Les autres gens avoient targes et semitarges, qui sont espées de Turquie.” (See Semitarge.)

Targe or Target, O. E. A round shield.

Targe (or Pavoise) Futée, Fr. A shield composed of several pieces, which loosened on being struck, and fell asunder. The Swabian jousters at Maximilian’s triumph are described (Meyrick, vol. ii.) as bearing these shields.

Targe, Target. (Welsh targa, wicker-work.)

Targum, Chaldee (lit. interpretation). A paraphrase, or lesson from the Old Testament in the Chaldee language.

Tarn. A mountain lake.

Tarots. Emblematical cards still used in Switzerland and parts of Germany. “They are unknown, except as curiosities, to the Parisians and to ourselves; but they are, nevertheless, the sole representatives of the original cards which the Gipsies brought with them into Europe.” (Rev. E. S. Taylor.)

Tarpaulin. A tarred palling or covering.

Tars, Cloth of. A web of silk and the downy wool of goats of Tibet, the forerunner of cashmere.

Tarsia or Intarsia. A kind of mosaic in woods; representing views of buildings and ornament of various kinds, by inlaying pieces of wood, of various colours and shades, into panels of walnut wood.

Tarsus. In Anatomy, the instep and socket of the ankle-bone.

Tartan, Fr. (not Gaelic). The Highland plaid, the dress of the Scottish Highlanders, said to be derived from the Celta; the Galli non braccati.

Tartarium. Cloth of Tars was a costly cloth of royal purple, probably a mixture of silk and goat’s hair from Thibet. It is mentioned by Chaucer:—

“His coat armure was of cloth of Tars,

Couched with perles.”

Tas or Tats, Egyp. Amulets of gilded sycamore wood, cornelian, jasper, glass, &c., found suspended from the necks of mummies.

Tassel-gentle, O. E. (for tercel-gentle). A species of hawk. (Shakspeare.)

Tasses. Flaps of armour attached to the bottom of the breastplate for the protection of the thighs.

Tat or Dad, Egyp. A sculptor’s stool; a religious emblem worn by gods and sacred animals round the neck. The term was also probably a name of Mendés.

Tau, Taucross. (1) Her. A cross formed like the letter T, so called in Greek. This charge is also called the Cross of St. Anthony. (2) Chr. As a motive for ornamental design the tau is the ancient form of the episcopal staff as represented in the catacombs. Originally curved like the pagan lituus, it became in the 8th century straight. The Taus were often hollowed to contain relics, &c. (Consult Ivories, by W. Maskell, pp. 84, 85.)

Tauntons. A kind of broad cloth made at Taunton in Somersetshire.

Tavolace or Talevas (It. tavolaccio). A large thick wooden shield; like a table (tavola) of wood (hence its name), 15th century.

Tawdry. Showy. The word is said to be derived from Ethelreda torquem, St. Ethelred’s necklace, which was composed of rows of twisted lace, an ornament much used by Anglo-Saxon ladies. (Stormont.)

Tawdry Lace. A kind of fine lace alluded to by Shakspeare, Spenser, &c. (Halliwell.)

“Fimbriæ nundinis sanctæ Ethelredæ emptæ.” (Coles.)

Tawney, O. E. A deep orange colour, used in the Middle Ages as a livery colour.

Tawney Coat, O. E. The dress of summoner or apparitor. (Shakspeare.)

Taxidermy. The art of preserving the skins of animals.

Tazza, It. An ornamental cup or vase, with a flat shallow bowl, standing on a foot, and with handles.

Tchy, Chinese. Twelve recurrent periods of the cycle of sixty years, represented by animals assigned to the twelve months, i. e. the signs of the Chinese Zodiac. They are: November, the rat; December, the ox; January, the tiger; February, the rabbit; March, the dragon; April, the serpent; May, the horse; June, the hare; July, the ape; August, the hen; September, the dog; October, the boar. The above are accordingly frequent accessories of designs on porcelain.

Te Deum, Chr. The first words and title of a hymn composed by St. Augustin and St. Ambrose about 390.

Tegillum, E. (dimin. of tegulum, a roof). A short mantle with a hood, made of a coarse material; worn by country people and fishermen.

Tegula, R. (Gr. κέραμος; Lat. tego, to cover). A roofing tile; originally of baked clay or wooden shingles. At an early date (620 B.C.) tiles of marble were introduced, and were followed by tiles of gilded bronze; per tegulas exire means to go out by the opening in the roof of the atrium, the compluvium.

Teheran Ware. An inferior Persian majolica.

Tela, R. A loom, an essential adjunct to every large establishment in ancient Rome; tela jugalis was the simplest description of weaving-loom. The warp was called stamen from its upright position; the woof subtegmen or trama. In Greek στήμων and κρόκη.

Fig. 646. Telamon.

Telamones, R. Figures of men, which were employed in lieu of columns to support an entablature. (See Atlantes.) (Fig. [646].)

Temo, R. The pole of a carriage, waggon, plough, &c.

Tempera Painting. Painting with pigments mixed with chalk or clay, and diluted with weak glue or size; chiefly used in scene-painting and decoration. (See Distemper.)

Templars. An order of knighthood introduced about A. D. 1118, and suppressed A. D. 1309. They wore a red Maltese cross on a white field, and bore a banner showing that cross on a white field; and a second banner of black and white called Beau Séant, this word Beau Séant being their battle-cry. Their badges were the Agnus Dei, or Lamb and Flag; and a device representing two knights on one horse, indicating the original poverty of the order. This is blazoned in modern times as a pegasus, the two knights being mistaken for wings on a flying horse.

Template. (1) A model in thin board of an ornament to be produced in sculpture. (2) A short timber under a girder.

Temple. (See Templum.)

Temple Church, London—a round church—is a representative specimen of the transition period of architecture in England from the Norman to the Early English. “The Eastern part is a most excellent specimen of plain light Early English, and its growing and slender piers are perhaps unequalled.” (Rickman, Architecture in England, &c.)

Templet. (See Template.)

Fig. 647. Templum in antis.

Templum, Temple, R. (τέμνω, to cut off). A Greek temple was not originally intended for worshippers, but as a shrine for the gods. In the earliest times the Greek temples were made of wood, and the primitive origin of them was probably a hollow tree in which the image was placed as in a niche. The early Greek temples were dark and gloomy, having no windows, but lighted through the door, or by lamps. At a very early stage in history, temples of great grandeur and beauty are mentioned. All temples were built in an oblong or round form, and were mostly adorned with columns; they were classified accordingly as astyle, without any columns; in antis, with two columns in front, between the antæ; prostyle, with four columns in front; or amphiprostyle, with four columns at each end; peripteral, with columns at each end and along the sides; or dipteral, with two ranges of columns all round, one within the other, &c. They were also described according to the number of columns in the porticoes, as tetrastyle, hexastyle, decastyle, &c.,—this number was never uneven; or according to the intercolumniation, as pycnostyle, systyle, eustyle, diastyle, or aræostyle. Many of the great temples consisted of three parts: the pronaos or vestibule; the cella, properly the naos; and the opisthodomos.

Tendrils of a vine or other creeping plant, with which it clasps the objects that support it, furnish abundant suggestions for ornamental designs in scroll-work.

Tenebrosi. A school of Italian artists who devoted their attention to striking Rembrandt effects of light and shade; represented by Caravaggio.

Tenent, Tenant. A term in French heraldry applied to human figures as Supporters.

Tennée or Tawney, Her. A deep orange colour, indicated by vertical lines crossing Purpure.

Tenon. The end of a piece of wood, shaped to fit into another piece.

Tenor. In Music, a high male voice.

Tensa or Thensa, R. A triumphal car, probably in the form of a platform on wheels, and richly decorated, upon which the images of certain gods were paraded during the Circensian games. The ceremony was regarded as one of the highest solemnity, and the car was escorted by the senators in robes of state, who helped to drag the carriage or to lead the horses, with thongs attached for the purpose.

Tenture, Fr. Paper or tapestry hangings.

Tepidarium, R. (tepidus, lukewarm). (1) A warm room in a bath; used as a preparation for the Sudatorium. (2) The vessel in which the water was heated.

Tercel, O. E. The male hawk. (Shakspeare.)

Terce major. A sequence of three best cards.

Terebenthina. Turpentine.

Terebra, R. (tero, to rub or wear away). (1) Any tool used for boring, such as a drill, a gimlet, an auger, &c. (2) A mechanical ram contrived to pierce the walls of a fortification.

Terginum, R. (tergum, the back). A leathern lash used for flogging slaves.

Terminal Figures. Statues of the god Terminus. (See Termini, Hermæ.)

Terminalia, R. Festivals in honour of Terminus the god of boundaries; they took place yearly on the eighth day of the calends of March (23rd of February), which was the last day of the old Roman year.

Fig. 648. Terminus.

Termini, Terms, R. The statues of the god Terminus, which consisted merely of posts or pillars for landmarks, were crowned with garlands by the proprietors of co-terminous lands.

“When Tarquin the Proud desired to build a temple to Jupiter upon the Tarpeian rock, he begged all the inferior divinities to give up the altars they had upon the rock in favour of the master of them all. All the gods cheerfully consented except Terminus. This Terminus, therefore, who refused to yield to Jupiter, was chosen by Erasmus for his haughty device, with the motto Cedo nulli.” (Mr. Palliser, Historic Devices, &c.) (See Fig. [648].)

Terra-cotta, It. Baked clay; largely used in architectural ornament.

Terra da Boccali, It. (See Terra di Lava.)

Terra di Lava, It. A clay which was anciently used in combination with charcoal to form a white ground for the reception of oil colours.

Terra di Siena. An ochreous earth producing a yellow and a deep orange pigment; useful for oil and water-colour painting. (See Siena.)

Terra Nera. Black earth; an ancient pigment.

Terra Verde. (See Green Earth.)

Terraglia. (See Pottery.)

Terretta, It. (See Terra di Lava.)

Terry Velvet. A kind of silk plush or ribbed velvet.

Tertiary Colours, produced by the mixture of two secondary colours, are greys, inclining to the primary or secondary colour which is in excess in their composition. (Consult Chevreuil on Colours.)

Teruncius, R. A silver coin equal in value to one-fourth of an as.

Tessela, R. (diminutive of tessera). A small cube of stone or marble used for making mosaic pavements (tesselatum opus or tesselata structura).

Tesselated pavement. Inlaid or mosaic work composed of tesselæ. Tesselatum flagrum. (See Flagrum.) Cf. Musivum Opus. (Consult Buckman and Newmarch, Remains of Roman Art in Cirencester.)

Tessera, R. (Gr. κύβος). A cube, a die; tesseræ, tesseræ lusoriæ, dice of ivory, bone, or wood; the dice-box is fritillus. (Compare Talus.) Tessera hospitalis was an oblong token of wood or earthenware, exchanged among families agreed to mutual hospitality. Many of these tokens have the bust of Jupiter Hospitalis impressed; tessera theatralis, a pass to the theatre; tessera militaris (Gr. σύνθημα), a tablet on which the watch-word or war-cry of the day was written; it was passed about the ranks before joining battle. Tesseræ frumentariæ or nummariæ, vouchers for bread or money distributed by the magistrates among the poor. (Cf. Tessela, Talus, Tabulæ.)

Testa, R. A sherd of tiles or pottery, and thence an earthenware vase.

Testaceum, R. (testa). Made of tiles; the term was used to denote a roofing or pavement made with the fragments of broken tiles.

Tester. (1) Any flat canopy. The framework over a four-post bedstead. (2) A silver coin so called from the head (teste) of the king upon it. In the reign of Henry VIII. it was worth 12d. and afterwards 6d. French testers were struck by Louis XII. in 1513, and Scotch under Queen Mary in 1559.

Testière, Med. Fr. Originally, mailed armour for a horse’s head, subsequently a plate between the ears on which a crest was fixed. (See Chanfron.)

Testif, Fr. Camel’s hair.

Testudinatus, R. Made in the form of a Testudo (q.v.); the term was applied either to a roof or a ceiling.

Testudineus, R. Made with tortoise-shells.

Fig. 649. Testudo.

Testudo, R. (testa, a shell). (1) A tortoise, and thence a lyre of which the sounding bottom was made out of a tortoise-shell. (2) In Architecture, an arched ceiling, the four sides of which converge to a centre. (3) Testudo arietaria was a movable wooden shed covered with skins and containing a battering-ram (Fig. [574]). (4) Lastly the term denoted a kind of defensive roof formed by the shields of soldiers when advancing to the foot of a rampart (Fig. [649]).

Tetra-chordon, Gr. and R. (τετρά-χορδον). Literally, having four strings; hydraulos tetrachordon was a hydraulic organ with four pipes.

Tetra-comus, Gr. A banqueting-song sung at the festival of Bacchus during the fourth course (κῶμος).

Tetra-doros (sc. later), Gr. A peculiar kind of brick described by Vitruvius; it was called from its measuring four hand-breadths.

Tetra-drachmum, Gr. (τετρά-δραχμον). An Attic silver coin of the value of four drachmæ, or about 3s. 3d.

Tetra-foliated, Arch. Said of any architectural decoration showing four foils.

Tetragon. A plane figure having four angles; a four-sided figure.

Tetra-morph, Chr. (Gr. τέσσαρα, four; μορφὴ, shape). The union of the four attributes of the Evangelists (the angel, eagle, lion, and ox), in one figure, e. g. as a woman crowned and seated on an animal which, with the body of a horse, has the four heads of the mystic creatures; and of the four feet one is human, one hoofed for the ox, one clawed like an eagle’s, and one like a lion’s; underneath is inscribed Animal Ecclesiæ.

Tetra-style, Gr. and R. (τετράστυλος). Having four columns. (See Templum.)

Tetra-vela, Lat. “The veils or curtains placed between the pillars which supported the canopy of the altar, at the sides and in front, and which were drawn round it when the priest was not officiating.” (Fairholt.)

Teutonic Order. A military order of knights, established in the Holy Land about 1191. They first subdued and Christianized Prussia.

Tewel, Arch. (From the French tuyau.) A pipe or flue to convey smoke; it is mentioned by Chaucer:

“... Soche a smoke gan out wende

Blacke, blue and greenish, swartishe, rede,

As doith where that men melte lede,

Lo! all on hie from the tewell.”

(House of Fame.)

Textile, R. (texo, to weave). Woven. Anything capable of being woven.

Texture. In Art, the surface appearance of a representation not of textiles only, but of the other parts of a picture—wood, marble, skin, hair, &c. Gerard Dow excels in texture.

Thalamifera, Gr. A term applied, in describing ancient sculpture, to kneeling figures supporting tablets, on which figures of the gods or inscriptions are carved.

Thalamus, Gr. and R. (θάλαμος). The nuptial chamber in a Roman house; the others were called Dormitoria.

Thalysia, Gr. (θαλύ-σια). Greek festivals of the harvest and vintage.

Thargelia, Gr. (θαργήλια). Very ancient festivals held at Athens on the occasion of a plague or other public disaster in honour of Apollo and Artemis; in which two persons, generally criminals, were put to death for the purification of the city.

Thaumaturgi, Chr. (θαυματο-εργός). Workers of miracles.

Theatrum, Theatre, Gr. and R. (θέατρον, lit. a place for seeing). The construction of the ancient Greek theatre was similar to that of modern theatres. The seats rose one behind and above the other in concentric half-circles, and the whole space enclosed was called cavea, the pit, being in most cases a real excavation from the rock. The central level space within and below the circles for spectators was covered with boards, upon which the chorus danced and performed their part. This was the Orchestra, the central point of which and of the plan of the whole building was the Thymele, or altar of Dionysus. This altar became a property of the piece, doing duty as a funeral monument, an altar, or a pulpit for the leader of the chorus or flute-player, according to the nature of the performance going on, in which it must be remembered that the part assigned to the chorus in the orchestra below was quite as important as any other, and in its original intention was in fact the centre of interest, to which the performance on the stage was accessory. The whole theatre and orchestra were open to the sky. The cavea of the former accommodated about 50,000 spectators. The arrangements of the stage were elaborate and ingenious, and the art of scene-painting developed at a very early period. The Roman theatre differed from the Greek principally in the absence of an orchestra, that space (the modern pit) being used for the seats of senators, foreign ambassadors, &c. Remains of ancient theatres still exist in Greece, Italy, and France. The most perfect of these are the Colosseum at Rome, and the amphitheatre at Nismes.

Theca Calamaria, Gr. and R. (θήκη; τίθημι, to put into). A portable inkstand.

Thenard’s Blue. (See Cobalt.)

Thensa. (See Tensa.)

Theo-gamia, Gr. (θεο-γάμια). Greek festivals held in honour of Proserpine and commemorating her marriage with Pluto.

Theorbo. A stringed musical instrument; a kind of lute, having supplementary strings by the side of the finger-board.

Thermæ, Gr. and R. (θέρμαι, lit. hot-springs). Distinguished from balneæ. The luxurious establishments for bathing, gymnastics, and conversation which grew up under the Roman Empire, on which all the resources of architecture and decorative art were lavished. The ruins of the thermæ of Titus, Caracalla, and Diocletian are still visible. They contained, besides the baths properly so called, “exedræ for philosophers and rhetoricians to lecture in, porticoes for the idle, and libraries for the learned, and were adorned with marbles and fountains, and shaded with walks and plantations.”

Thermography. A chemical process for copying prints and drawings upon paper or metal by the agency of heat without light.

Thermopolium, R. (θερμο-πώλιον). A refreshment-room, in which warm drinks were sold, such as mulled wine, mead, &c.

Thermulæ (dimin. of thermæ). Baths on a small scale.

Thesaurus, Gr. A treasure-house. In the monuments of the heroic period many subterranean buildings of great extent and peculiar construction have been attributed to this purpose; but they may more probably have been sepulchral. In historical times the public treasures were in the agoræ or the temples. (See Ærarium.)

Fig. 650. Part of the Frieze of the Temple of Theseus, Athens.

Theseum. An Athenian temple built in the 5th century B.C., to receive the bones of Theseus. It was richly ornamented with statuary and sculpture. The former has been destroyed; but some metopes and sculptured friezes in high relief remain, of which castings exist in the British Museum. Our illustration represents an incident of the “Battle of the gods and the giants,” and is remarkable for anatomical precision. In these sculptures Greek art has entirely emerged from the archaic stage, and they were doubtless the inspiring models for Pheidias and his contemporaries, and the forerunners of the Parthenon sculptures. (See Elgin Marbles.)

Thesmo-phoria. Greek festivals of women and maidens in honour of Demeter, in commemoration of the traditions of civilized life. The solemnities opened with processions of women bearing on their heads the books of the sacred laws (ascribed to Demeter). On the second day, of fasting and mourning, the women remained all day grouped round the statue of Demeter in the temple, taking no other food than cakes of sesame and honey, and in the afternoon walked barefoot in procession behind a waggon on which baskets with mystical symbols were borne to the thesmophorion. On the third day they commemorated the smiles of Demeter, under the epithet of καλλιγένεια.

Thibet Cloth. A fabric of goat’s hair; called also camlet.

Thick-pleached, O. E. Thickly interwoven. (Shakspeare.)

Thieves’ Vinegar. A kind of aromatic vinegar for a sick-room, consisting of the dried tops of rosemary, sage-leaves, lavender-flowers, and bruised cloves, steeped in acetic acid and boiling water. It derives its name and popularity from a story that thieves who plundered the dead bodies during the plague with perfect security, attributed their impunity to the use of this disinfectant. (Simmonds’ Commercial Dictionary.)

Thimbles are said to have been found at Herculaneum. The manufacture was introduced into England, from Holland, about 1695.

Fig. 651. Badge of the Thistle.

Thistle, Her. The national badge of Scotland represented after its natural aspect and tinctured proper. The Order of the Thistle of Scotland was instituted a long time before the union of the two kingdoms (commemorated in the badge selected by James I. of the rose and thistle combined). (Fig. [293].) The badge or jewel is of gold enamelled, having a figure of St. Andrew holding his silver saltire and surrounded by rays, and an oval border with the motto. It is borne from the collar of the order formed of thistles alternating with bunches of rue sprigs, or on a dark green ribbon across the shoulder. The order of the Ecu d’Or, instituted by Louis of Bourbon (1410), had also a thistle in the jewel and girdle.

Tholus, Gr. and R. (θόλος). A dome and cupola of a circular building.

Thorax, Gr. (θώραξ). (1) A breastplate; Latin Lorica (q.v.). (2) A bust of wax, marble, or bronze.

Three-pile, O. E. Rich velvet.

Three-quarter. A size of portrait; 30 inches by 25. (See Portrait Painting.)

Thrones, Chr. An order of angels, usually represented with double wings, supporting the Throne of the Almighty in ethereal space.

Through-stone or Throwstone, O. E. (variously spelt, derived from Anglo-Saxon, thruh, a coffin.) A flat grave-stone. Parker gives in his “Glossary” the following quotation:—

“Over the midst of the said vault did lie a fair throwstone, and at each either side of the stone it was open, through which were cast the bones of the monks whose graves were opened for other monks to lie in; which vault was made to be a charnel-house to put dead men’s bones in.”

(Ancient Rites of Durham.)

Fig. 652. Thurible. An Arabic incense-burner in brass, inlaid with silver.

Thurible, Chr. An incense-burner. Generally of bronze. The practice of burning incense in religious functions is very ancient, and originated in the East. The illustration (Fig. [652]) is a beautiful specimen of Arabian work devoted to this object.

Thurles, O. E. (holes through the wall). The small windows of a house; 12th century.

Thyas or Thias, Gr. A Bacchante, the Greek equivalent for the Latin Baccha.

Thymela, Thymelê, Gr. (θυμέλη). (Literally, a place for sacrifice.) An altar placed in the orchestra of a Greek theatre and dedicated to Bacchus.

Thyroma, Gr. (θύρωμα). A synonym for the Latin Janua (q.v.).

Thyrsus, R. (θύρσος). A long staff, surmounted with a fir-cone, or a bunch of vine-leaves or ivy, with grapes or berries, carried by Bacchus, and the satyrs, mænads, and others, during the celebration of religious rites. Beneath the garland or fir-cone the thyrsus ends in the sharp point of a spear, a puncture from which induces madness.

Tiara, Gr. (τιάρα). A hat with a tall high crown; the characteristic head-dress of the north-western Asiatics; especially the Armenians, Parthians, Medes, and Persians. Tiara recta or cidaris was an upright tiara, the regal head-dress of Persia. Tiara Phrygia was a synonym for Mitra. Fig. [653] represents the head-dress and costume of a Persian soldier.

Fig. 653. Persian soldier wearing the tiara.

Tiara, Chr. The Pope’s triple crown, emblematic of his authority in the three kingdoms of heaven, earth, and the lower world. (See Fig. [653].)

Tibia, R. (Greek, aulos). A pipe or flute of reed, bone, ivory, horn, or metal, perforated with holes for the notes like a flute; the principal varieties were:—the monaulos or single pipe, including the bagpipe (utricolarius); the diaulos, or double pipe, bound round the cheeks with a bandage called by the Romans capistrum, and in Greek phorbeia; and the syrinx or Pandæan pipe, of three to nine tubes.

Tibia Curva, R. A kind of flute curved at its broadest end.

Tibia Dextra, R. The right-hand pipe of the diaulos, usually constructed of the upper and thinner part of a reed.

Tibia Gingrina, R. A flute made of a long thin tube of reed with a mouth-hole at the side of one end.

Tibia Ligula, R. A flute resembling the modern flageolet.

Tibia Longa, R. A flute used especially in religious worship.

Tibia Obliqua, R. A flute having the mouthpiece at right angles to the tube.

Tibia Sinistra, R. The left-hand pipe of the diaulos, usually constructed of the lower and broader part of a reed.

Tibia Utricolarius, R. The ancient bagpipe.

Tibia Vasca, R. A flute having the mouthpiece at a right angle.

Tibiæ Pares, R. A name for the double flute when the tubes were exactly alike, impares when they differed.

Tie-beam, Arch. The strong horizontal on which the king-post and other uprights rest, which support the beams of a roof.

Tierce, Per Tierce, Her. Divided into three equal parts.

Tig, O. E. A shallow drinking-bowl with four handles, made to pass round the table from hand to hand as a loving cup.

Tiger-wood, obtained from Guiana, is a valuable ornamental wood for cabinet-work.

Tignum, R. In a general sense wood used in carpentry, a beam or joist; in a more restricted sense, a tie-beam, rafters, brackets, &c.

Tigrinæ. Tiger-tables. Great importance was attached in Roman decorative art to the grain of the wood. Tables having “veins arranged in wavy lines,” were called Tigrinæ, from the resemblance of their pattern to that of a tiger’s skin. Those having “veins which formed spirals, or little whirlpools,” were called pantherinæ, or panther-tables.

Tiles for roofs are of two kinds:—plain tiles and pan tiles; they are mentioned in an ancient statute of King Edward IV. (1477), regulating the

“Fesure, whitying, et anelyng de tewle, appelez pleintile, autrement nosmez thaktile, roftile, ou crestile, cornertile et guttertile fait et affaire deinz cest Roialme.”

Glazed or encaustic tiles were anciently much used for paving sacred edifices. English designs are generally heraldic in character. In Spanish architecture tiles were used for the decoration of walls instead of hangings; and richly decorated pavements are found in Asia Minor and the East Indies. (Consult Parker’s Glossary, J. G. Nichols, Examples of Tiles, &c.)

Tilt, O. E. The word is properly applied to the exercises in training for the joust, against the Quintain, the Pel, the ring, and other objects.

Timbre, Her. (1) Anciently, the crest; (2) Modern French, the helm, in a coat of arms.

Timbrel. An ancient tambourine, with a double row of gingles.

Tin-glazed Wares. (See Pottery.)

Tina, R. A large vessel used for holding wine; its shape is unknown.

Tinctures, Her. The two metals and the five colours of heraldry.

Tint of colour = degree of intensity. In painting in oils this is lowered by the addition of a white pigment, in water-colours by dilution. “Tint is any unbroken state of any colour, varying between the intensity of its parent colour and the purity of white.” (J. B. Pyne, in the Art Union of 1844.) (See Tones.)

Tint-tools. In copper and wood-engraving, gravers used for skies, still waters, architecture, &c. The word “tint” in engraving means colour, and skies are tints cut horizontally.

Tintinnabulatus, R. Carrying a bell (tintinnabulum); a term applied especially to animals which carried a bell hung round their neck.

Fig. 654. Tintinnabulum. Front view.

Fig. 655. Tintinnabulum. Side view.

Tintinnabulum, R. (Gr. κώδων). A bell used as a hand-bell; they took very various forms in antiquity, hemispherical, pear-shaped, or cylindrical, and some were square. The Romans also made use of a kind of swinging gong similar to that shown in Figs. 654 and 655, of a specimen discovered at Pompeii, and now in the Naples museum.

Tintinnabulum, O. E. A musical instrument made of a set of bells, arranged in order within a frame.

Tints. (See Tone.)

Tiraz, Arab. The ancient name of the apartment in an Arab palace set apart for weaving; also of the rich silken stuffs woven there.

Tire Valiant or Volant, O. E. A kind of head-dress. (Shakspeare.)

Titulus, R. (1) The title or Index of a book. (2) A notice in front of a house to be let or sold. (3) An epitaph or other inscription on monuments. (4) A large board mounted on a spear and inscribed with the numbers of the prisoners, cities, and standards that had been captured from the enemy; carried in a TRIUMPH or OVATION.

Tobine. A stout twilled silk.

Fig. 656. Roman Senator wearing the toga.

Toga, R. (tego, to cover). The principal outer garment of a Roman, as the Pallium (q.v.) was the national dress of the Greek. Among the different kinds of toga were the toga restricta, toga fusa, toga prætexta, toga pura or virilis, toga palmata, toga picturata, &c. The colour of the toga was ordinarily white. Candidates (from candidus, white) were so called from their whitening their togas with chalk; the toga pulla, of the natural colour of black wool, was worn in mourning; the toga picta, or embroidered toga, was for generals on their triumphs. (See also Prætexta, Trabea, &c.) The illustration (Fig. [656]) represents the statue of a Roman senator of the Augustan age.

Togatus, R. Wearing the toga; essentially the Roman costume, opposed to palliatus, a man in the Greek dress.

Togula, R. (dimin. of toga). (1) A toga of a fine texture; or (2) the short and threadbare toga of coarse texture, worn by a poor man, who then went by the name of togatulus.

Toilinet. A textile of silk or cotton warp, with woollen weft.

Toise. In French lineal measurement = 76 inches.

Toison d’Or, Her. The Golden Fleece. A French order of knighthood, instituted by Philip the Good in 1429. The order has a king at arms called Toison d’Or. The collar is composed of flint-stones, alternately with double fusils placed two and two together, forming double B’s. From this suspends a Golden Fleece. The motto is, “Pretium non vile laborum.” (See Fusil.)

Tokens. Small coins issued by tradesmen for current money. (Consult W. Boyne’s Tokens, &c.)

Tolleno, R. (tollo, to lift). (1) A contrivance for drawing water from a well, made of a strong cross-bar poised from the top of an upright beam, with a weight at one end and a rope and bucket at the other. (2) A similar apparatus was used in siege operations to lift soldiers up to a wall.

Tom-tom. Oriental small drum, of a barrel form, covered at each end with skin, carried obliquely, and beaten with one hand at each end.

Fig. 657. Lycian Tomb of great antiquity.

Tomb. From the earliest ages tombs similar in general design to those of modern times have been used to mark the resting-places of the dead. Fig. [657] represents an ancient monument in Lycia. (See Stela, Shrine.)

Tombac. Red brass; the white tombac is an alloy of copper and zinc, containing not more than 20 per cent. of zinc.

Tompion. The plug to the mouth of a cannon.

Tondi, It. A name given to a series of twelve circular medallions, painted by Luca della Robbia, with impersonations of the twelve months.

Tondino, It. A name given to small plates or dishes, which it was a mediæval fashion for the gallants to present, filled with confectioneries, to ladies. They are described as small, with a wide flat brim and sunk centre; in this, the central medallion generally occupied by a figure of Cupid, hearts tied by ribbons or pierced with arrows, or by joined hands, and similar amatory devices, or with a shield of arms and initial letters, &c.

Tones are the modifications which a colour, in its greatest intensity, is capable of receiving from white, which lowers its tone, or black which heightens it. A scale is an assemblage of tones of the same colour, thus modified. The pure colour is the normal tone of the scale. Hues are the modifications which a colour receives from the addition of a small quantity of another colour. (Chevreuil on Colour, pp. 34, 35.)

Tonometer. A delicate instrument for tuning musical instruments, by marking the number of vibrations.

Tonstrina, R. A barber’s shop; frequented only by the middle classes; the rich were shaved at their houses; and the poor allowed their beards and hair to grow.

Tonsure, Chr. The clerical crown, adopted, it is said, in imitation of St. Peter, or of the Crown of Thorns, was disapproved of in the 4th century as pertaining only to penitents; and not made essential till the end of the 5th or beginning of the 6th centuries.

Tontisse, Fr. Flock-paper; paper-hangings ornamented with flock-wool.

Tooth-Ornament, Arch. A name of the NAILHEAD moulding. It is the peculiar distinction of the Early English style, to which it is nearly, if not exclusively, confined. It is the regular progression from the Norman zigzag to the delicate quatrefoil of the Decorated English. It resembles a succession of low, square, pierced pyramids set on the edges of a hollow moulding.

Toothing, Arch. Projecting bricks left at the end of a wall, to form a union with any further buildings.

Topaz. There are two varieties of this gem; the Brazilian yellow, which is the best known, and the Oriental.

Topaz, Her. In blazoning arms of nobles, the names of gems were sometimes substituted for tinctures; the topaz for gold (Or).

Topes, Hind. Buddhist sepulchral monuments, cone-shaped, and round at the tops, like the dagobs of Ava and Ceylon.

Topiaria (Ars), R. Artificial training of shrubs and trees into fantastic shapes. Painted representations of landscapes on the walls of houses were called Topia. (See Hortus.)

Topiarius, R. A gardener skilled in the Ars Topiaria (q.v.).

Torale, R. (torus, a couch). The hanging valance of a couch.

Torch, R. The emblem of marriage, from the custom of forming wedding processions in the evening by torch-light. Upright, the torch was the emblem of rejoicing; reversed, of death or sleep; hence its application upon funereal monuments.

Torcular, Torculum, R. A wine or oil-press. Hence—

Torcularium, R. The press-room.

Toreador, Sp. A bull-fighter.

Toreuma, Gr. and R. (τόρευμα). Carving upon ivory executed on the lathe.

Toreutic Art (from τορεύω, to bore through; or from τορός, clear, distinct). Sculpture; especially of metals, ivories, metallic castings in relief, &c. A long essay on the meaning of this word occurs in the works of De Quincy.

Tormentum, R. (1) (Torqueo, to twist.) A general term for such instruments as the balista, catapulta, onager, scorpio, &c., from the twisting of the strands of the ropes that were used as the string to the bow. (2) Torture. By the Greek law the evidence of slaves was always extracted by torture. In Rome free persons in humble circumstances were also subjected to it in cases of treason.

Tornus, Gr. and R. A lathe or potter’s wheel.

Torquatus, R. Wearing the Gallic TORQUE. Torquatus miles, a soldier who received such a collar as a reward, and wore it, not round the neck, but on the breast, like a decoration.

Torques, Gen. (torqueo, to twist). A necklace, or armlet, or collar of gold or other wire spirally twisted. (See Armilla, Monile, &c.)

Torse, Her. A crest-wreath. (See Orle.)

Torso, It. In Sculpture, the trunk regarded apart from the head and limbs. The celebrated Torso of Hercules, in the Vatican, by Apollonios, about 336 B.C., is said to have been the favourite inspiration of Michael Angelo. Another fine torso is that known as the Farnese, in the Naples Museum, representing probably a seated figure of Bacchus.

Torteau, Her. A red Roundle (q.v.).

Fig. 658. Tortoise. Device of the Duke of Tuscany.

Tortoise. Among the Egyptians the tortoise was an emblem of darkness and of death. Fig. [129] is the remarkable device of Cosmo, Grand Duke of Tuscany, with the motto, “Hasten slowly,” i. e. have caution with energy.

Tortoise-shell is largely used for making combs, and for veneering on cabinet-work. When it is softened with hot water, it receives impressions which become permanent if it is suddenly cooled. The plates used are those found on the back of the sea-turtle (chelone imbricata). Five large plates are obtained from the middle of the carapace or upper buckler, and four large ones from the sides, called “blades,” and twenty-five smaller plates from the edges, called “feet or noses.” The belly shells are of a yellow colour, and are used for the purposes of horn.

Torus, R. Anything swelling like the strand of a rope. A bed covered with sheets or blankets (toralia).

Fig. 659. Torus moulding.

Torus, Arch. A convex moulding used in architectural decoration (Fig. [659]) at all periods and by all nations.

Touchstone is a kind of black jasper, known as Lydian stone, used for testing gold. This is done with touching-needles tipped with metal in various states of alloy, and the streaks that they make on the touchstone determine the fineness of the gold. In Architecture, certain black marbles were anciently so called, from their supposed identity with the lapis Lydius.

Tough, Turkish. A Turkish standard; a horse-tail attached to the upper part of a pike which ends in a crescent and ball.

Tourelle, Fr. A small tower on a castle, with a winding staircase.

Towers. (See Round Towers.)

Trabea, R. (lit. shaped like a trabs or beam). A rich toga, either made entirely of purple cloth or decorated with horizontal stripes of that colour. The purple toga was an attribute of the gods, and afterwards of the emperors; purple and white, or purple and saffron, of augurs; purple and white, of royalty (kings).

Trabs, R. A beam; especially a long beam supporting the joists of a ceiling.

Tracery. In architecture or decorative work, geometrical ornament, such as is inserted on the upper parts of Gothic windows, in Alhambraic architecture, &c.

Tracing-paper is made of tissue-paper soaked in oil or thin varnish.

Trajan Column, in Rome, the work of Apollodorus, A. D. 114, is 10½ feet in diameter, and 127 feet high, made of 34 blocks of white marble—23 in the shaft, 9 in the base, which is finely sculptured, and 2 in the capital and torus. The sculptures show about 2500 figures besides the horses, and represent the battles and sieges of the Dacian War. The column is a perfect handbook of the military costume of Rome and other countries of its period. (Consult the work of Alfonso G. Hispano, published at Rome, 1586, which contains 130 plates representing all the sculptures; or the more modern work of Pietro Santo Bartoli, which contains beautiful engravings of all the reliefs.) A plaster cast of the column in two pieces is in the South Kensington Museum, with a handbook by J. H. Pollen on a desk near its base, with the aid of which it can be perfectly studied at leisure.

Trama, Sp. The weft or woof; a kind of silk thread so called.

Transenna, R. and Chr. A snare for birds. It consisted of a net stretched over a circular framework. In Christian archæology, the name was given to a marble lattice placed in the catacomb chapels to protect the relics.

Transept, Arch. A transverse nave, passing in front of the choir, and crossing the longitudinal or central nave of a church. It is sometimes called the cross, and each of its parts to the right and left of the nave are called cross-aisles.

Transfluent, Her. Flowing through.

Transition Periods of Architecture. Generally speaking, all periods deserve this title, as the progressive change of the styles is continuous. Those with more precision so described are, in English Architecture, three:—from the Norman to the Early English; and then to the Decorated; and thirdly to the Perpendicular, styles.

Transmuted, Her. Counter-changed.

Transom, Arch. The horizontal cross-bar in a window.

Transposed, Her. Reversed.

Transtrum, R. (trans, across). In a general sense a horizontal beam. In the plural, transtra, the cross-benches of a ship occupied by the rowers.

Trapeso, It. A weight for gold and silver; the twentieth part of an ounce.

Trapetum, R. A mill for crushing olives.

Trapezophorum, R. (τραπεζο-φόρον). A richly carved leg for side-boards or small tables; sometimes called Delphica (q.v.).

Trasformati of Milan. One of the Italian Academies who bore as a device a plane-tree, and the verse from Virgil, “et steriles platani malos gessere valentes,” “the barren planes have borne good fruit” (cut out of a wild olive-tree and grafted in).

Travagliati. One of the Italian literary academies, whose device was a sieve (vaglio) with the motto “donec purum” (until clean).

Traversed, Her. Facing to the sinister.

Travertine, Travertino, It. A compact kind of Tufa stone, used in architecture; part of St. Peter’s and the Colosseum of Rome are built of this stone. (See Tufa.) It is a stone of a white or yellowish tint, and was used by the ancient painters to give body to lakes.

Trebuchet, Fr. Med. A mechanical contrivance for projecting stones and darts; a kind of enormous cross-bow or sling.

Tredyl, O. E. (See Gryse.)

Treflée, Her. (See Botonnée.)

Fig. 660. Trefoil slipped.

Trefoil, Arch. An ornament of three foils peculiar to the Romano-Byzantine and pointed styles. This ornament occurs in bands or string-courses, and also forms entablatured foliage. A synonym for it is tiercefoil. In Heraldry, a leaf of three conjoined foils generally borne slipped. (Fig. [660].)

Trellis. Open lattice-work.

Trenchers (Fr. tranchoirs). Originally thick slices of bread on which the meat was served, instead of plates; 13th century.

Trental, O. E. Chr. for Trigintale. Thirty masses for the dead.

Tresson, Fr. A net for the hair, worn by ladies in the Middle Ages. (See Calantica.)

Tressure, Her. A variety of the Orle, generally set round with fleurs-de-lys. A striking example is to be seen in the Royal Shield of Scotland, now displayed in the second quarter of the Royal Arms, blazoned as—Or, within a double Tressure flory; counterflory, a lion rampant guardant.

Trevat. A weaver’s cutting instrument for severing the pile-threads of velvet.

Triangle, Chr. An equilateral triangle is a symbol of the Holy Trinity, and therefore the motive, only second in frequency and importance to the Cross, of the construction and decoration of Christian churches.

Triangle. A musical instrument of early occurrence, producing sound by the striking of a metal triangle with a metal rod.

Triblet. A goldsmith’s tool used in making rings.

Tribometer. An instrument for estimating the friction of different metals.

Tribon, Gr. and R. (τρίβων). Literally, worn threadbare; and thence a coarse and common sort of mantle worn by the Spartans or by Romans who affected Spartan manners.

Tribula or Tribulum, R. (tero, to rub). An apparatus for threshing corn; consisting of a heavy platform armed with iron teeth or sharp flints.

Tribulus, R. (τρί-βολος, three-pointed). A Caltrap (q.v.).

Tribunal, R. A raised platform for the curule chairs of the magistrates in the Basilica.

Tribune, R. and Chr. The semicircular recess in a Latin basilica in which the chief magistrate had his raised seat and administered justice. In Christian archæology, a gallery in a church; the triforium and the organ-loft are tribunes. In Italian, tribuna, a picture-gallery.

Tricerion, Chr. (τρὶς, thrice; κέρας, a horn). A candlestick with three branches, symbolizing the Holy Trinity. (See Dicerion.)

Tricked, Her. Sketched with pen and ink in outline.

Triclinium, Gr. R. and Chr. (τρι-κλίνιον). A set of three dining-couches arranged round a table, and thence the dining-room itself, especially the summer dining-room. In Christian archæology the triclinium was an apartment attached to a Christian basilica, in which pilgrims were entertained.

Tricolor. The French national standard—red, white, and blue—introduced at the period of the revolution of 1789.

Tricomos, Gr. and R. A song for the third course of a banquet (κῶμος) at the festivals of Bacchus. The comus was peculiar to the first, and the tetracomos to the fourth course.

Tricot, Fr. (1) Silk net. (2) A knitted cotton fabric.

Fig. 661. Trident.

Trident, R. A three-pronged fork, the attribute of Neptune, used (1) for spearing fish; (2) by the class of gladiators called Retiarii; (3) as a goad for horses and cattle.

Triens, R. A small copper coin current among the Romans; it was worth the third of an as, or about one farthing. It bore on the obverse a ship’s prow or a horse’s head, and four balls indicating four ounces (unciæ).

Trieterides, Gr. (τρι-ετηρίδες). Festivals of Bacchus, held in Bœotia every third year.

Triforium, Chr. A gallery over the side aisles of a church, open to the nave in arcades of three arches (tres fores).

Triga, R. A car drawn by three horses yoked either abreast or with one in front.

Trigarium, R. A field for the exercise of trigæ and other chariots.

Triglyph, Arch. (τρίγλυφος). An ornament consisting of three flutings or upright groovings separating the metopes in a Doric frieze. (Fig. [458].)

Trigonalis, R. Three-cornered “catch-ball;” a subject on frescoes.

Fig. 662. Trigonum opus.

Trigonum, Gr. and R. (τρίγωνον). (1) A mosaic of triangular pieces of marble, glass, terra-cotta, or other material (sectilia). Fig. [662] is from a pavement at the entrance of a house at Pompeii. (2) A musical stringed instrument; a triangular lyre, probably derived from Egypt.

Trilith, Celt. (τρί-λιθος). A Celtic monument of three stones forming a kind of door.

Trilix, R. In weaving, triple thread. (Compare Bilix.)

Trilobate, Arch. Presenting three foils.

Trimodia, R. A basket or vessel made to contain three modii (tres modii).

Trinity, Chr. For a detailed account of the progressive series of representations in Art of the Holy Trinity, consult Fairholt’s Dictionary, Didron’s Iconographie Chrétienne, &c.

Triobolum, Gr. A Greek silver coin of the value of three oboli. It was the established fee payable to an Athenian dikast for the hearing of a cause.

Tripetia. A Gallic term signifying a three-legged stool.

Fig. 663. Tripod.

Tripod (Gr. τρί-πους). A vessel or table on three feet; esp. the slab at Delphi upon which the priestess of Apollo sat. (See Delphica, Cortina.)

Tripping, Her. In easy motion, as a stag.

Fig. 664. Triptych carved in ivory with open doors.

Triptych (τρί-πτυχος, three-fold). A form of picture, generally for ecclesiastical purposes, in three panels; a centre, and two hanging doors worked on both sides. (Fig. [664].)

Tripudium, R. The noise made by the grain as it fell from the beaks of the sacred chickens on to the ground; it was looked upon by the priest as a favourable omen; another name for it was terripavium (striking the earth). (See Auspicium.)

Triquetra, Arch. A symmetrical interlaced ornament of early northern monuments. An endless line forming three arcs symmetrically interlaced will describe the figure.

Trireme, R. (tres, and remus, oar). A galley with three banks of rowers.

Trisomus, Chr. (τρί-σωμος). A triple sarcophagus. (Cf. Bisomus.)

Trispastus, R. (τρί-σπαστος, drawn three-fold). A block for raising weights; of three pullies (orbiculi), set in a single block (trochlea).

Triton. A sea-monster; generally represented as blowing a shell (murex), and with a body above the waist like that of a man, and below like a dolphin.

Fig. 665. Trophy on a triumphal arch.

Triumphal Arch. A monumental structure, usually a portico with one or more arches, erected across a public road for a triumphal procession to pass under.

Triumphalia, R. Insignia conferred upon a general on the occasion of a triumph; consisting of a richly embroidered toga and tunic, a sceptre, a chaplet of laurel leaves with a crown of gold, and a chariot.

Triumphalis (Via), R. The road traversed by a triumph.

Triumphus, Triumph, R. The pageant of the entry of a victorious general into Rome.

Trivet, Her. A circular or triangular iron frame with three feet, borne by the family of Tryvett.

Trivium, R. (tres, and via, a way). A place where three roads meet.

Trochilus, Arch. A concave moulding in classic architecture. (See Scotia.)

Trochlea, R. (τροχιλέα). A machine for raising weights, very similar to the Trispastos.

Trochus (τροχὸς, a wheel). A hoop represented on ancient gems as driven by naked boys with a crooked stick, precisely in the existing school fashion. It was of bronze, often with rings attached.

Trombone. A large trumpet with an arrangement of sliding tubes for modulating the tones by which every gradation of sound within its compass can be exactly produced.

Trophy, Gr. (τρόπαιον). A monument of victory (τροπή). Fig. [665] represents a trophy of Gallic spoils, from a bas-relief on the triumphal arch at Orange.

Trotcosie, Scotch. A warm covering for the head, neck, and breast, worn by travellers.

Fig. 666. Trulla.

Trua, dim. Trulla, R. (1) A large flat ladle or spoon perforated with holes and used for skimming liquids when boiling. (2) A kind of drinking-cup. (3) A portable brazier or earthenware vessel perforated with holes (Fig. [666]) for carrying hot coals about. (4) A mason’s trowel.

Trullissatio, R. A coating of plaster or cement laid on by the trowel (trulla).

Trumeau, Fr. A pier looking-glass.

Fig. 667. Trumpet.

Trumpet, Her. The Roman tuba; a long straight tube expanded at its extremity.

Truncated. With the top cut off parallel to the base.

Trunnions. The side supports on which a cannon rests on its carriage.

Truss, Arch. The system of timbers mutually supporting each other and the roof.

Trussed, Her. Said of birds, with closed wings.

Trussing, Her. Said of birds of prey, devouring.

Tuba, R. A straight bronze trumpet with a small mouthpiece at one end, the other being wide and bell-shaped. (Cf. Cornu.)

Tubilustrum, Quinquatrus, R. Festivals held at Rome twice a year, for the purification of trumpets (tubæ).

Tubla. Assyrian drums, with skin at the top only.

Tuck, O. E. A short sword or dagger, worn in the 16th and 17th centuries by all classes.

Tucket, O. E. (It. toccata). A flourish on a trumpet.

Tudesco, Sp. A wide cloak.

Tudor Arch, Arch. An arch of four centres, flat for its span; having two of its centres in or near the spring, and the other two far below it. (Rickman.)

Tudor Flower, Arch. An ornament common to Elizabethan buildings. A flat flower, or leaf, as a crest or finish on cornices, &c.

Tudor Rose, formed by the union of the white and red roses of York and Lancaster; is described in heraldry as a white rose charged upon a red one. (See Fig. [395].)

Tudor Style, Arch. The style which prevailed under the Tudor dynasty. The term is loosely applied to various periods. (See Perpendicular.)

Tufa. A porous variety of limestone deposited by calcareous water. It hardens on exposure to the air; and was much used by the Romans for facing buildings, and generally, on account of its lightness, for vaulting. (See Travertine.)

Tugurium, R. (tego, to cover). A thatched roof, and thence, a peasant’s hut.

Tulip-tree. The wood of this tree is smooth and fine-grained, very easily wrought, and not liable to split. It is largely used in carving and ornamental work, and for panels in coach building.

Tulle. A plain silk lace, blonde or net.

Tumblers. The drinking-glasses so called take their name from their original shape, rounded at the bottom, so that they tumbled over unless they were very carefully set down. Similar goblets are still made of wood in Germany; often with the inscription—

“Trink’ mich aus, und leg’ mich nieder:

Steh’ ich auf, so füll’ mich wieder.”

Fig. 668. Plan of a Tumulus.

Tumulus (tumeo, to swell). Sepulchral mounds of ancient and prehistoric construction. The illustrations, figs. 668 and 669, show the plan and section of a Gallic tumulus opened at Fontenay le Marmion.

Fig. 669. Section of a Tumulus.

Tumulus Honorarius. (See Cenotaphium.)

Tunbridge Ware. Inlaid-work of variously-coloured woods made at Tunbridge Wells in Kent.

Fig. 670. Tunica muliebris, talaris.

Tunica, Gr. and R. A tunic; the principal garment worn both by men and women among the Greeks and Romans. It was a kind of woollen shirt confined round the neck and the waist; it came down as far as the knee; it had short sleeves which only covered the upper part of the arm. Tunics were classed as follows: the exomis, the epomis, the chiton, the manicata or manuleata, the talaris, the muliebris, the interior or intima, the recta, the angusticlavia, the laticlavia, the patagiata, the palmata, the asema, and the picta. (Bosc.) (Fig. [670].)

Tunicatus, Gr. and R. Wearing a tunic.

Tunicle, Chr. (Lat. subtile). The vestment of the sub-deacon; it resembled the dalmatic, but had tight sleeves.

Turbo, R. (Gr. βέμβιξ). A child’s whipping-top; the whorl of a spindle.

Turibulum. (See Thurible.)

Turicremus. (See Thuricremus.)

Turkey Carpets are made entirely of wool, the loops being larger than those of Brussels carpeting, and always cut; the cutting of the yarn gives the surface the appearance of velvet.

Turkey-stitch (point de Turquie). A kind of carpet made at the Savonnerie, established 1627.

Turma, R. A squadron of legionary cavalry; it consisted of thirty-two men commanded by a decurion, and led under a vexillum.

Turnbull’s Blue. A light and delicate variety of Prussian blue.

Turner’s Yellow. An oxychloride of lead, known also as patent yellow, and Cassell yellow.

Turquoise. A valuable blue gem for ornamental purposes. (S.) Fossil ivory impregnated with copper. (F.)

Turrets, Arch. (Fr. tourette, a small tower). Towers of great height in proportion to their diameter, and large pinnacles, are called turrets; these often contain staircases, and are sometimes crowned with small spires. Large towers often have turrets at their corners.

Turricula, R. (dimin. of turris). A small tower; also, a dice-box in the form of a tower, to which the Greeks applied the term of pyrgus (πύργος). Turricula has a synonym Fritillus (q.v.).

Turriger, R. Bearing a tower; the term applies both to an elephant and a ship of war when thus armed.

Turris, Tower. In a general sense, any building or collection of buildings either lofty in themselves or built upon an elevation, and thence, fortifications, such as a tower of defence, the tower of a city gate or a castle, a Donjon (q.v.).

Tus or Thus, R. Frankincense, imported from Arabia and used in great quantities by the ancients either for religious ceremonies or to perfume their apartments.

Tuscan Order of Architecture. The simplest of the five Orders of classical architecture, having no ornament whatever; unknown to the Greeks; a variety of Roman Doric (q.v.). The column is about seven diameters high, including the base and capital. The base is half a diameter in height; the capital is of equal height, having a square abacus, with a small projecting fillet on the upper edge—under the abacus is an ovolo and a fillet with neck below; the shaft is never fluted; the entablature is quite plain, having neither mutules nor modillions; the frieze also is quite plain.

Tusses or Toothing-stones, in building, are projecting stones for joining other buildings upon.

Tutulatus, R. Having the hair arranged in the form of a cone, or wearing the sacerdotal cap called tutulus, and thence a priest who usually wore the Tutulus (q.v.).

Tutulus or Apex, R. (1) A flamen’s cap; it was conical and almost pointed. (2) A mode of arranging the hair on the crown of the head in the shape of a pyramid or cone. An example is seen in the Medicean Venus.

Twill. A kind of ribbed cloth.

Tympanium, R. (τυμπάνιον). A pearl shaped like a kettle-drum, namely, with one surface flat and the other round.

Fig. 671. Tympanum. Romano-Byzantine.

Tympanum, R. (τύμπανον). (1) A tambourine, like that of modern times: a piece of stiff parchment stretched over a hoop with bells. (2) A drum-shaped wheel; tympanum dentatum, a cogged wheel. (3) In architecture, the flat surface, whether triangular or round, marked out by the mouldings of a pediment. Fig. [671] shows a tympanum of the Romano-Byzantine period. (For Triangular Pediment, see Fig. [26].)

Tynes, Scotch. (1) Branches of a stag’s antlers. (2) Teeth of a harrow.

Tyrian Purple. An ancient dye of a brilliant colour, obtained from shells of the murex and purpura.