acanthus leaves
Column capital decoration
Acanthus leaves are the stylized foliage of the Mediterranean acanthus plant, used as a decorative motif in architecture and design since ancient Greece.
They appear most famously atop Corinthian columns, their deeply lobed, curling forms carved in stone.
The pattern spread throughout classical and neoclassical ornament: The capitals featured elaborate acanthus leaves.
The motif appears on furniture, textiles, and metalwork.
- voluteArchitectural spiral ornament
- scrollworkSpiral ornamental design
- architectural detailDecorative building feature
- friezeOrnamental architectural band
- entablatureBeam structure on columns
relief carving · serrated leaves · motif · leaf pattern · carved stone · neoclassicism · arabesque · perennial · pilaster · foliage · flowering plant · decorative · column · classical antiquity · architrave · ornament · curling · cornice
acanthus leavessmooth surfaces
geometric patterns · Greek key · chevron · fluting · rosettes