Finial

Also called finials

The ornament that crowns a spire, pinnacle or gable, often a cross of four leaves (a fleuron).

Rules that use the word

The Taj Mahal: a composition of equal heights. Balance the tomb so that the dome with its finial rises as high above the pishtaq as the pishtaq rises above the plinth, and let every element be answered by its mirror image on both axes.

Shinmei-zukuri: the style of Ise. Build the sanctuary of unpainted cypress on posts set directly in the ground, with a raised floor and veranda, a straight thatched gable roof entered on the long side, crossed finials (chigi) and ridge billets (katsuogi), and a free-standing post at each gable carrying the ridge.

Pillars rooted in the rock, finials in the sky. Raise the god’s dwelling high on thick pillars planted deep in the bedrock, with crossed finials reaching up to heaven.

Amalaka and kalasha. Crown the shikhara with a great ribbed stone disc, the amalaka, on a short neck, and set over it the kalasha, a water-pot finial.

The six parts of the elevation. Build the shrine in six parts from the ground up: base (adhiṣṭhāna), wall or pillars (pāda), entablature (prastara), neck (grīva), crowning roof (śikhara) and finial (stūpi).

Where it appears in the book

In the chapters South and Southeast Asia.

A feature of Hindu Temple: Nagara (North Indian), Hindu Temple: Dravida (South Indian) architecture.

Nearby in the glossary

Fauces · Fen · Ferme ornée · Fillet · Five points · Flemish bond · Flute · Flying buttress