Bead stick

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A pearl rod (composed of pearl and rod ) is a narrow decorative strip that consists of a series of spherical links that are strung like pearls on a string. The term is used in various areas of ornamentation (gold and silversmithing, coinage, architecture, glass art, furniture and cutlery, etc.). Pearl rods were already known as astragalus in classical antiquity and were repeatedly taken up and further developed in various cultural areas. Pearl rods are mostly used as decorative borders or frames.

Astragalus (below) made of pearls alternating with two discs
Astragalus on an Ionic capital

shape

Like all rod shapes , pearl rods can be straight, right-angled, curved and round; in the latter case they are usually called pearl circles . With the exception of the ancient astragals, pearl rods consist of a - potentially infinite - row of uniformly strung together half-pearls.

Sometimes attempts have been made to improve the manufacturing process, that is, to speed it up; in such cases, false pearl rods are created. In these, the elements are also arranged side by side, but merge with one another at the edges; such bars could be turned.

The ancient astragalus

The astragalus of ancient Greek architecture is composed of a pearl alternating with two thin discs. The name is derived from the Greek ἀστράγαλος (astrágalos) for the tarsal bone, which has a similar shape (cf. Astragaloi ). The Roman architectural theorist and writer Vitruvius uses the term in relation to moldings. In the case of the Ionic capital , the astragalus separates the capital from the column shaft. In rare cases, the simple round rod is also referred to as an astragalus.

Manufacturing

Bead framing of the mandorla and the halos (11th century)

Wooden, stone and metal bead rods could originally only be made with great manual effort; they could not be turned, or only partially, but essentially had to be carved, hewn, hammered, punched and punched by hand; then they had to be sanded and polished. In order to avoid irregularities (e.g. in the form of overlaps), exact preliminary drawings were necessary. Prefabricated stucco forms have also existed since the Renaissance and Baroque periods . In the industrial age, there was a transition to mass production with pre-fabricated bars.

Coinage

Pearl circles on the edges of coins originally served to define the edge exactly, so that filing the edge could not cause the coin to decrease in value. Today they are more to be understood as a decorative motif.

Others

In shipbuilding and metal construction, bead-like shapes are created using rivets , and in upholstered furniture production using upholstery nails ; however, there is usually no artistic or design intention associated with this.

Examples

  • "Pearl circle" border of an antique medallion

  • “Rod of pearl” frame of a relief statue from the Shunga period , India

  • “Rod of pearl” frames on an Indian temple

  • "Pearl circle" surround of a gold coin of the Mughal Mughal Jahangir

  • “Pearl rod” frames in a baroque vault

  • fake “pearl rods” made of superimposed elements

See also

Remarks

  1. ↑ August Mau : Ἀστράγαλος . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume II, 2, Stuttgart 1896, Sp. 1793-1795.

literature

  • Astragal , in: Dictionary of Architecture, 17th ed. Reclam, Stuttgart, 2015, p. 12. Online
  • Astragal , in: Lexikon der Kunst, Vol. 1, Leipzig 2004, p. 312.
  • Burkhard Wesenberg: Kymation und Astragal , in: Marburger Winckelmann-Programm 1971/1972, pp. 1–13, esp. Note 15. Online

Web links