Lichtgedanken 05

Rubrik 57 05 | LICHT GEDANKEN Top row, second from left Palmette antefix with dolphins (50 BC to 100 AD) An »antefix« is a clay or stone block which was placed below the lowest roof tiles in antique buildings to seal the front opening. This type of antefix is typical of Rome and its surroundings. It depicts seven leaves which combine to form a palmette—a motif regularly used in ancient art. A dolphin adorns the palmette on each side above the base. Top row, first from left Antefix with a female head in a crown of leaves (300 to 270 BC) This well-preserved antefix is decorated with a woman’s head with curly hair, which is surrounded by a wreath of leaves. The face has been desi- gned to depict ideal female beauty with its oval, even shape, almond-sha- ped eyes and delicately curved mouth. This type of design is a Campanian finding from the mid-6th century. It was also later adopted in Etruria and in the Latin-speaking world.