Obelisks in the Landscape, from Ancient Egypt to Modern Times

From Greek obeliskos: spit, nail, pointed pillar; from Latin obeliscus.

Tall and usually four-sided, narrow stone pillar tapering upwards, truncated at the top, with a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion in the form of an elongated pyramid. Monumental and monolithic obelisks were made of a single stone. They are characteristic of ancient Egyptian architecture, where they “[originally] were called tekhenu. […] The Greeks who saw them [in Egypt] used the Greek term obeliskos to describe them, and this word passed into Latin and ultimately [into] English [and other modern languages]” (“Obelisk” 2021).

Pylon of the Temple of Luxor with the remaining Luxor Obelisk in front (the second is in the Place de la Concorde in Paris). Photo by Olaf Tausch (2019). CC BY 3.0. Colours intensified. Photo and caption source: “Obelisk” (2021). In: Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.

In modern European art, obelisks were adopted as one of the forms of commemorative monuments, and in smaller proportions as a decorative element in architecture, including the form of pinnacles, sculpture and artistic craftsmanship. The obelisk has also been popularized especially in the romantic gardens as a form of monument commemorating outstanding people and events. “Most modern obelisks are made of several stones” (“Obelisk” 2021).

Featured image: Niney-two foot (over twenty-eight metres), the unfinished obelisk, before sand was cleared away (stereograph, 1904), still lying in the Assuan granite quarry at the first cataract, Egypt. Underwood & Underwood – This image comes from the Travelers in the Middle East Archive (TIMEA) where it is available at the following Uniform Resource Identifier: 5646. CC BY-SA 2.5. Photo and caption source: “Unfinished obelisk” (2021). In: Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

“Obelisk” (2021). In: Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Available at <https://bit.ly/2NTU5PX>. [Accessed on 1st March, 2021].

“Unfinished obelisk” (2021). In: Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Available at <https://bit.ly/3e3T2YF>. [Accessed on 1st March, 2021].

PWN (2007). Słownik terminologiczny sztuk pięknych, p. 281. Kubalska-Sulkiewicz K., Bielska-Łach M., Manteuffel-Szarota A. eds. Wydanie piąte. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *