A few years ago, I acquired a beautiful marble column. It was offered at an auction, and it actually involved a nice sculpture—the column came with it. Once the package was delivered, the column turned out to weigh over 150 kg... It took me half a year to get it in the desired place.
At first, I wasn't particularly interested, but after a while, I noticed that it was actually quite a special specimen. Apart from being made of many different colors of marble, it also has a different shape and styling than the common 'classical' columns.
During a lazy summer afternoon—when it was too hot to do anything complicated—I decided to go on a search. I had nothing to start with except that it came from the Barcelona area in Spain...
Taking a Close Look
To begin with, I examined all the parts again. Since I have some experience working with marble myself, I could see that a lot of craftsmanship, attention, and time had been invested in the sculpture and its finishing. Moreover, a choice was made for the most beautiful types of marble, although I can't directly identify them...
Additionally, I realized that I actually knew very little about columns and the associated jargon. I didn't get much further than base, shaft, and capital. After some self-study (see, for example, here), I arrived at the description below.
Description
A column made of three types of marble and bronze (or brass) with a total height of 108 cm.
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AbacusSquare and rotating platform, consisting of a 'sandwich' of green-veined marble between red marble. The edges between the layers are bordered with brass strips. h: 6.5cm w/d: 36.5cm |
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CapitalRound and bulbous chalice-shaped top, with a bronze-colored frieze on the top and below it a helix (wreath) of twelve stylized (flower) petals. The whole is made of red marble. h: 12.5cm d: 28cm |
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Shaft (top)Red marble astragal (frieze) with a vertically striped motif, resembling flutes and bands. The frieze is bordered above and below with a bronze or yellow copper strip with a pattern of circles and vertical lines. h: 11cm d: 22cm |
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ShaftThe shaft is round and smoothly polished, made of granite-like green marble (without white veining). h: 34.5cm d: 22cm |
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Shaft (base)The base of the shaft is made of the same green marble and decorated with a high frieze with a geometric motif, consisting of triangles that may represent leaves. h: 15cm d: 23cm |
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BaseThe base consists of a triple torus (rounded ring), with a (hollow) apotheosis or scotia and a (vertical) band below it, all made of red marble. Below that is a high square plinth, made of green and white-veined marble. h: 10cm d: 25cm, h: 15cm w/d: 29cm |
The advantage of an extensive description is that it forces you to look closely so that you don't miss anything. Equally important is that you also have the correct (search) terms, which makes searching significantly easier. I don't just search on Wikipedia, or with DuckDuckGo and Google, but I increasingly use Perplexity. Perplexity provides good references to sources that you often won't find quickly through search engines.
The Search
There is no label on the column, and search-by-image for similar examples yields nothing. The only information I have is what I see myself and a brief description from the seller. The column was part of the contents of a house in Barcelona (Spain). The accompanying sculpture, by the way, is by a French sculptor.
First, I started looking into the material. Is it possible to find out which types of stone or marble were used?
Types of Stone
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| "Alpe Verdi" marble | "Rouge Griotte" marble |
The green marble of the abacus and the plinth immediately remind me of "Alpe Verdi," a green marble from the Alps. The green marble of the shaft lacks the characteristic white veining of this type of marble. The red marble does resemble the "Rouge Griotte" marble type but lacks the characteristic structure resembling "cherries" (small balls). Both types were widely used for decorative objects in France at the time.
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Marmól verde Macael (with white calcite veins)
Resembles Alpe Verdi marble |
Marmól verde Macael (without white calcite veins) | Marmól rojo Alicante |
Given its origin from Spain, it is also quite possible that the column was made there using locally available types of stone. In that case, the green marble might be "Mármol Verde Macael" and the red "Mármol Rojo Alicante." This green marble is actually a serpentinite ("Peridotita serpentinizada") and also occurs in a form that resembles the stone of the shaft; no white veining of calcite—more granite-like.
Column Type
- the flower chalice shape with flower petals,
- the frieze below the capital,
- the relatively "thick" shaft,
- the decoration at the base with a leaf motif.
In short, there is no doubt that this is a lotus column.
Read more: source
The lotus column comes in two types: the bud and the flower form, where not only the capital differs, but the shaft is also processed differently (see also the drawing next to this text). The shape of my column—a chalice-shaped capital and smooth shaft—clearly matches that of the Lotus flower. We can certainly say that the stonemason of my column was very true to style and had also remembered his lessons on the history of architecture well!
Symbolism of the Lotus
The most highly valued flower in ancient Egypt was the fragrant blue lotus, with its elegant, pointed buds and bowl-shaped flowers. The flower was widespread there, and both the scent and the appearance of the lotus flowers were admired. Additionally, the roots were used as food.
The flower symbolized creation, rebirth, and purity. Creation and purity are like the lotus flower, which, as it were, emerges from nothing out of the shapeless mud and murky water and rises up.
Rebirth was associated with the cycle of the sun—the flower, which floated on the water and closed at night to open again in the morning, was seen as a reference to the daily appearance of the newborn sun god in a lotus flower, floating on the primordial waters.
Over time, other divine powers, especially those of Harpocrates, were also associated with the lotus. Additionally, the blue lotus was linked to the god Nefertem, who embodied the life-giving power of the primordial lotus. Whenever this 'soul of Ra' opened in the morning, light and a heavenly fragrance spread across the world.
Due to the symbolic meaning of the lotus, it was also used to decorate utilitarian objects; many cups have the shape of a lotus, and bowls were often decorated with lotus flowers. As a symbol of rebirth, the lotus is a permanent part of the decoration of graves and coffins, often in combination with the scarab, which has similar symbolism.
Temple columns in lotus form were not only decorative but also represented the temple as a miniature version of the cosmos: as a sacred space rising from the primordial ocean of Nun. The lotus capitals and forms evoked the image of a marsh or primordial shore from which life emerges, perfectly fitting a temple as a place of creation, ritual, and divine presence.
Source: Global Egyptian Museum, see also wiki-fr and wiki-en
Conclusion
It continues to surprise me how much you can learn about something as seemingly "banal" as a column... The stonemason who made the column must not only have been a craftsman but also well-informed about classical architecture. Moreover, it is not "just a copy" based on an Egyptian column. In addition to the contemporary material choice—from about a century ago, I estimate—the design has also been adapted with clear features of art deco (geometry and abstraction).
Of course, there is also much to be said for a craftsman or artist who, entirely based on their own insight (and not hindered by any knowledge), invents something completely new. Especially if such an attempt succeeds (which, by the way, is by no means guaranteed), it can lead to great surprises and innovation.
Yet, in this case, I still prefer the historical perspective. It does, after all, add a surprising and clear extra dimension to what you see. It enriches the story about—in this case—both the column and the accompanying sculpture.