The Timeless Acanthus

From Wikipedia — “The acanthus is one of the most common ornaments used to depict foliage. Architectural ornaments are carved in stone or wood in the appearance of leaves from the Mediterranean acanthus spinosus plant, with some resemblance to thistle, poppy and parsley leaves.”

The acanthus on a fireplace mantel:

The acanthus on carvings on china cabinets:

You can see, however, the acanthus motif is not limited to wood and stone that so commonly adorned the Corinthians columns or in architecture of the Medieval or Classical Renaissance periods. You find the motif on upholstered occasional chairs:

Acanthus on table serving pieces:

Acanthus on bedding linen:

Acanthus on the border of a Italian tapestry:

The acanthus is also found on wallpaper, draperies, stationery and many many other media. Timelessness is definitely an apt word to describe this beautiful ornamental motif, don’t you think?

An interesting side note on acanthus also found on Wikipedia:

The Acanthus is believed by some highly respected theological scholars to be the plant used by Roman soldiers to make the crown which was placed on the head of Jesus Christ when they mocked him by giving him a crown, scepter, and crown of Acanthus leaves. The Greek word for “thorn” and “acanthus” have the same genitive plural (akanthon), which is the word used in the Gospel of Matthew. As shown elsewhere here, the Acanthus is indigenous to the Mediterranean, and it was a iconic symbol of classical Greek architechture. Crowns during that time and region were made of wreaths or diadems.