Latin: gutta (singular); guttae (plural) – ‘drops’.
Found uniquely the Doric order entablature in Greek classical architecture (900 BC. – 1st century AD.), guttae are the conical projecting ornaments. They are situated under each triglyph of a frieze, which a set of guttae always goes with. In turn, a row of six guttae, located at the top of the architrave blocks, formed an element called a regula, located just below the narrow projection of the taenia (fillet).
“In It is thought that the guttae were a skeuomorphic representation of the pegs used in the construction of the wooden structures that preceded the familiar Greek architecture in stone. However, they have some functionality, as water drips over the edges, away from the edge of the building” (“Gutta” 2021).
Featured image: So-called “Temple of Poseidon”, Paestum, Italy. Photo © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro (2015). CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo and caption source: “Gutta” (2021). In: Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
“Gutta” (2021). In: Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Available at <https://bit.ly/3rOVd6Z>. [Accessed 2nd August, 2021].
“Gutty” (2021). In: Wikipedia. Wolna Encyklopedia. Available at <https://bit.ly/3ijLBhr>. [Accessed 2nd August, 2021].
Lucie-Smith, E. (2003) The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms. London: Thames & Hudson World of Art, p. 109.
