OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 357 



while some have much straighter sides and slenderer figures.* The 

 capital consists of a great lotus-blossom, surrounded by buds, half- 

 blossoms, and sepals, carefully colored in imitation of nature. The 

 slight difference in degree of convexity just mentioned is made more 

 important by the facts that the more frequent variety has more decora- 

 tion and more complexity, while the rarer form is simply adorned by 

 a row of sepals, and that the sepals in the former are quite flowing in 

 outline, while those of the latter have square tips and nearly straight 

 sides. f Very little decoration besides the sepals, etc., is employed. 

 Certain obscure ornaments at the base of the sepals are not figured 

 explicitly enough to be describable. As in the capitals of Order II., 

 the ornaments are so disposed as to divide the capital into more or less 

 regular horizontal zones. Furthermore, in evident imitation of that 

 order, the expansion of the capital is rendered mechanically nugatory 

 by the small ness of the abacus. 



Since these columns always occur with bell columns, they are forced to adopt 

 the same height of capital as measured by the column and shaft-height, namely, 

 about .15 of the former, and .20 of the latter. 



The capital-height, measured by its own greatest diameter, is a trifle greater 

 than in Order II., — from .59 to .62. 



The greatest diameter of the capital is rather large, — about 1.90 shaft- 

 diameters. 



Abacus. — The abacus here does not essentially differ from that of 

 Order II., either in form, dimensions, or decoration. 



It is obvious that the statemeuts already made in § 5, about the 

 general character of the type employed and the general quality of the 

 artistic effort put forth, are equally applicable here. 



Before passing on to the next section, however, it is but fair to say 

 that the examples of this order are so few that it is almost ridiculous 

 to present generalizations of their characteristics. I have been able to 

 learn of but six lotus columns, four at Philas, two at Edfou.J They 

 all belong to the Ptolemaic era. 



§' 7. Order IV. — Palm Columns. 



The columns of Order IV. represent in shaft and capital the trunk 

 and some of the leaves of a palm-tree. In many respects they are the 

 most pleasing of Egyptian columns. Their general lightness and well- 

 utilized energy contrast pleasantly with the cumbrous and irrational 



* Compare De'scription, i. 21, fig. 8, with the same, fig. 2. 



t Ibid., i. 21, fig. 2. 



t Ibid., i. 6, 20, 21, 54 ; Lepsius, i. 108, i. 



