Chapter 59

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

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

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

Theseum.An Athenian temple built in the 5th centuryB.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 thearchaicstage, and they were doubtless the inspiring models for Pheidias and his contemporaries, and the forerunners of the Parthenon sculptures. (SeeElgin 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 thethesmophorion. On the third day they commemorated the smiles of Demeter, under the epithet ofκαλλιγένεια.

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

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.)

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

Fig. 651. Badge of the Thistle.

Fig. 651. Badge of the Thistle.

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 theEcu d’Or, instituted by Louis of Bourbon (1410), had also athistlein the jewel and girdle.

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

Thorax, Gr. (θώραξ). (1) A breastplate; LatinLorica(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. (SeePortrait Painting.)

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

Through-stoneorThrowstone, 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 fairthrowstone, 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.)

(Ancient Rites of Durham.)

(Ancient Rites of Durham.)

(Ancient Rites of Durham.)

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

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

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.

ThyasorThias, Gr. A Bacchante, the Greek equivalent for the LatinBaccha.

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 LatinJanua(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 rectaor cidaris was an upright tiara, the regal head-dress of Persia.Tiara Phrygiawas a synonym forMitra. Fig.653represents the head-dress and costume of a Persian soldier.

Fig. 653. Persian soldier wearing thetiara.

Fig. 653. Persian soldier wearing thetiara.

Fig. 653. Persian soldier wearing thetiara.

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:—themonaulosor single pipe, including the bagpipe (utricolarius); thediaulos, or double pipe, bound round the cheeks with a bandage called by the Romanscapistrum, and in Greekphorbeia; and thesyrinxor 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 thediaulos, 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 thediaulos, 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,impareswhen 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 aloving 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 calledpantherinæ, or panther-tables.

Tilesfor 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.”

Glazedorencaustic tileswere 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. (ConsultParker’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 theQuintain, thePel, the ring, and other objects.

Timbre, Her. (1) Anciently, thecrest; (2) Modern French, thehelm, in a coat of arms.

Timbrel.An ancienttambourine, with a double row of gingles.

Tin-glazed Wares.(SeePottery.)

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

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

Tintof colour = degree of intensity. In painting in oils this is lowered by the addition of a white pigment, in water-colours by dilution. “Tintis 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.) (SeeTones.)

Tint-tools.In copper and wood-engraving, gravers used for skies, still waters, architecture, &c. The word “tint” in engraving means colour, and skies aretintscut 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. 654. Tintinnabulum. Front view.

Fig. 654. Tintinnabulum. Front view.

Fig. 655. Tintinnabulum. Side view.

Fig. 655. Tintinnabulum. Side 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.(SeeTone.)

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 ValiantorVolant, O. E. A kind of head-dress. (Shakspeare.)

Titulus, R. (1) The title orIndexof 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 aTRIUMPHorOVATION.

Tobine.A stout twilled silk.

Fig. 656. Roman Senator wearing the toga.

Fig. 656. Roman Senator wearing the toga.

Fig. 656. Roman Senator wearing the toga.

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

Togatus, R. Wearing thetoga; essentially the Roman costume, opposed topalliatus, a man in the Greek dress.

Togula, R. (dimin. oftoga). (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 oftogatulus.

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 doublefusilsplaced two and two together, forming double B’s. From this suspends a Golden Fleece. The motto is, “Pretium non vile laborum.” (SeeFusil.)

Tokens.Small coins issued by tradesmen for current money. (ConsultW. 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.

Fig. 657. Lycian Tomb of great antiquity.

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.657represents an ancient monument in Lycia. (SeeStela,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.

Tonesare the modifications which a colour, in its greatest intensity, is capable of receiving fromwhite, whichlowersits tone, orblackwhichheightensit. Ascaleis an assemblage of tones of the same colour, thus modified. The pure colour is thenormal toneof the scale.Huesare 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 theNAILHEADmoulding. 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 Normanzigzagto the delicatequatrefoilof theDecorated 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 aunionwith 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 ofgemswere sometimes substituted fortinctures; the topaz for gold (Or).

Topes, Hind. Buddhist sepulchral monuments, cone-shaped, and round at the tops, like thedagobsof 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 calledTopia. (SeeHortus.)

Topiarius, R. A gardener skilled in theArs 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 ivoryexecuted on the lathe.

Toreutic Art(fromτορεύω, to bore through;orfromτορός, 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 thebalista,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 wasalwaysextracted by torture. In Rome free personsin humble circumstanceswere also subjected to it in cases of treason.

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

Torquatus, R. Wearing the GallicTORQUE.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. (SeeArmilla,Monile, &c.)

Torse, Her. A crest-wreath. (SeeOrle.)

Torso, It. In Sculpture, the trunk regarded apart from the head and limbs. The celebrated Torso of Hercules, in the Vatican, by Apollonios, about 336B.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 redRoundle(q.v.).

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

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

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

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

Tortoise-shellis 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.

Fig. 659. Torus moulding.

Fig. 659. Torus moulding.

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

Touchstoneis a kind of black jasper, known asLydian stone, used for testing gold. This is done withtouching-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 thelapis Lydius.

Tough, Turkish. A Turkish standard; ahorse-tailattached 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.(SeeRound Towers.)

Trabea, R. (lit. shaped like atrabsor 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 thegods, and afterwards of theemperors; purple and white, or purple and saffron, of augurs; purple and white, ofroyalty(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-paperis 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 perfecthandbookof the military costume of Rome and other countries of its period. (Consult the work ofAlfonso G. Hispano, published at Rome, 1586, which contains 130 plates representing all the sculptures; or the more modern work ofPietro 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 thecross, and each of its parts to the right and left of the nave are calledcross-aisles.

Transfluent, Her. Flowing through.

Transition Periodsof 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 theNormanto theEarly English; and then to theDecorated; and thirdly to thePerpendicular, 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 calledDelphica(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 thesinister.

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

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

Tredyl, O. E. (SeeGryse.)

Treflée, Her. (SeeBotonnée.)

Fig. 660. Trefoil slipped.

Fig. 660. Trefoil slipped.

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 formsentablaturedfoliage. A synonym for it istiercefoil. In Heraldry, a leaf of three conjoined foils generally borneslipped. (Fig.660.)

Trellis.Open lattice-work.

Trenchers(Fr.tranchoirs). Originally thickslicesof 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. (SeeCalantica.)

Tressure, Her. A variety of theOrle, generally set round withfleurs-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 theCross, 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.

TribulaorTribulum, 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). ACaltrap(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; thetriforiumand 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. (SeeDicerion.)

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 thetricliniumwas 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. Thecomuswas peculiar to the first, and thetetracomosto the fourth course.

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

Fig. 661. Trident.

Fig. 661. Trident.

Fig. 661. Trident.

Trident, R. A three-pronged fork, the attribute of Neptune, used (1) for spearing fish; (2) by the class of gladiators calledRetiarii; (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 oftrigæand 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.

Fig. 662. Trigonum opus.

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.662is 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. (CompareBilix.)

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, consultFairholt’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 Atheniandikastfor the hearing of a cause.

Tripetia.A Gallic term signifying a three-leggedstool.

Fig. 663. Tripod.

Fig. 663. Tripod.

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. (SeeDelphica,Cortina.)

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

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

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

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 wasterripavium(striking the earth). (SeeAuspicium.)

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, andremus, 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.


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