VOL 



V O M 



VOLUTE, VoLUTA, in Arcbiteaure, a kind of fpiral 

 fcroll, ufed in the Ionic and Compcfitc capitals ; of which 

 it makes the principal charaftcriftic and ornament. 



Some call it the rant's horn, from its figure, which bears 

 a near refenibiance to it. 



Mod architefts fuppofe, that the ancients intended the 

 volute to rcprefent the bark or rind of a tree, laid under the 

 abacus, and twifted thus at each extreme, where it is at 

 liberty : others will have it a fort of pillow or bolder, laid 

 between the abacus and echinus, to prevent the latter being 

 broken by the weight of the former, and the entablature 

 over it ; and, accordingly, they call it pulvinus. Others, 

 after Vitruvius, will have it to reprefent the curls, or trefles, 

 of a woman's hair. 



The number of volutes in the louic order is four ; in the 

 Compofite, eight. 



There are alfo eight angular volutes in the Corinthian 

 capital, accompanied with eight other fmaller ones, called 

 helices. 



There are feveral diverfities praftifed in the volute. In 

 fome, the lift or edge, throughout all the circumvolutions, 

 is in the fame line or plane : fuch are the antique Ionic vo- 

 lutes, and thofe of Vignola. In others, the fpires or cir- 

 cumvolutions fall back ; in others, they projett, or ftand 

 out. Again, in fome, the circumvolutions are oval ; in 

 others, the canal of one circumvolution is detached from 

 the lift of another, by a vacuity or aperture. In others, 

 the rind is parallel to the abacus, and fprings out from be- 

 hind the flower of it. In others, it feems to fpring out of 

 the vafc, from behind the ovum, and rifes to the abacus, as 

 in moft of the fine Compofite capitals. 



The volute is a part of great importance to the beauty of 

 the column. Hence, architefts have invented divers ways 

 of delineating it. The principal are that of Vitruvius, 

 which was long loft, and at laft reftored by Goldman ; 

 and that of Palladio. Daviler prefers the former as the 

 eafier. The manner of which is as follows : 



Draw the cathetus FC [Plate XV. Geometry, Jig. 19.) 

 whofe length muft be half a module, and from the point C 

 defcribc the eye of the volute A E B D, of which the dia- 

 meter is to be 3 J minutes ; divide it into four equal feftors 

 by the diameters A B, D E : bifecl the radii C A, C B, in 

 I and 4; conftrudl a fquare i, 2, 3, 4, from the centre C 

 to the angles 2, 3 ; draw the diagonal C 2, C 3, and divide 

 the fide of the fquare i, 4, into iix equal parts, at 5, 9, C, 

 12, 8 ; then through the points 5, 9, 12, 8, draw the lines 

 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, II, 8, 7, parallel to the diameter E D, 

 which will cut tiie diagonals in 6, 7, 10, 11, and the points 

 I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, II, 12, will, be the centres of 

 the volute. From the firll centre i, with the interval I F, 

 defcribe the quadrant F G, from the fccond centre 2, with 

 the interval 2 G, defcribe the quadrant G H, and continu- 

 ing the fame operation from all the twelve centres, the con- 

 tour of the volute will be completed. 



The centres for dcfcnbing the fillet are found in this 

 manner: conftruft a triangle, of which the fide A F (fig. zo. ) 

 is equal to the part of the cathetus contained between A F, 

 and the fide F V equal to C l ; on the fide A F, place the 

 diftance F S from F towards A, equal to F S, the breadlh 

 of the fillet, and through the point S draw the line S T, 

 which will be to C i in the fame proportion as A S is to 

 A F ; place this line on each fide of the centre C, on the 

 diameter of the eye A B ; divide it into three equal parts ; 

 and through the points of divifion, draw lines paridlel to the 

 diameter li D, which will cut the diaj^jonaU C 2, C 3, and 

 you will have twelve new centres, from whence the interior 



contour of the fillet may be defcribed, in the fame manner 

 as the exterior one was from the firft centres. 



Confolcs, modillions, and other forts of ornaments, have 

 likewife their volutes, or fcrolls. 



Volute, Canal of the. See Canal. 



Volute, Eye of the. See Eye. 



VOLUTELLA, in Botany, Forflv. iEgypt.-Arab. 84, 

 fo called on account of its twining and flender li.-ibit, is 

 rightly pointed out by Jufiieu, Gen. 440, on the authority 

 of Valil, as a Cajfytha. Linnius has marked it fo in his 

 own copy of Foriliall'3 work. We prefume it to be the 

 identical CfUfornus. Forll<all fpeaks of this plant as not 

 uncommon in Arabia, where it climbs trees, entangling 

 their branches very much. TiKjlcm is exceedingly flender, 

 without branches or leaves; ihe Jo'u.ers fcarcely vifible ; the 

 lurries, which are eaten by children, are infipid, with a 

 flavour of pepper, but no acrimony. Are there any con- 

 fidcrable points of agreement betv^een this obfcure genus 

 and A f arum ? 



VOLUTINA, in Mythology, a rural goddefs of the 

 Romans, whom they invoked, for the coat that covers the 

 ear of corn. 



VOLVULA, in Natural Hi/lory, the name of an ex- 

 traneous fofiile body, nearly allied to the entrochus, being 

 compofed of the fame fubftance, and being like that of a 

 cyhndric column, made up of feveral joints ; the commif-. 

 fures of the joints are, however, much lefs vifible in the 

 volvulae than in the entrochi, and they are not ftriated, as in 

 the entrochus, from the centre to the circumference. 



The volvula: are of various figures ; fome referable in 

 fiiapc a little bottle, and are called vohuU utriculala, and of 

 thefc fome have, and others have not, a ftar marked on 

 their bottom ; others of them fwell out in the middle, and 

 taper a httle toward each end ; and thefe, from their re- 

 femblance in fliape to a little barrel, are called dolioli, or 

 vohulte cloliatie. There is great reafon, from the analogy 

 thefc bear to the entrochi, and other fofiils which owe their 

 form to animal remains, to fuppofe thefe of the fame origin ; 

 but we yet know not to what animal it is that they have be- 

 longed. Hill's Hift. FolT. 



VOLVULUS, in Botany, a name given by Dalefchamp, 

 and fome others, to the upright narrow-leaved or toad-flax- 

 leaved bind-weed. See Convolvulus. 



Volvulus, in Conchology, a fpecies of Helix, which fee. 



Volvulus, in Entomology, a fpecies of Ceramlyx, which 

 fee. , 



Volvulus, in Medicine, a name which fome authors give 

 to the iliac paffion, by others called chordapfus ; and by 

 others, miferere mei. 



VOLX, in Geography, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Lower Alps ; 6 miles S.E. of Forcalquier. 



VOLZANA, a town of the duchy of Carniola, on the 

 Lifonzo ; 12 miles S.W. of Feldes. 



VOMANO, a river of Naples, which runs into the 

 Adriatic, 5 miles N.N.E. of Atri. 



VOMANUS, in Ancient Geography, a river of Italy, in 

 Picenum, Hill called Vomano. 



VOMAS, in Geography, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Allier ; 18 miles E.S.E. of Monlins. 



VOMER, in Anatomy, a bone of the nofe. See CuA- 

 NltiM. 



VoMKit, in Ichthyology, 3 fjiecies of zeus, with a forked 

 tail and f[)iiie recumbent before the aiud and dorfid fin. 

 This is an iVnierican fifli. 



VOMICA, in Natural Hijlory, a word ufed by the an- 

 cients to cxprcfs one of the blcmiflics to which cryllals and 



the 



