Which part of a building is a tympanum usually placed?
In Romanesque architecture, the tympanum constitutes the area between the lintel over a doorway and the arch above.
What subject typically occupies a Romanesque tympanum?
the Last Judgment
During the Romanesque and Gothic periods, there were two subjects which were popular for tympanum decoration. One was the subject of the Last Judgment, when Christ sits as judge over those who will be divided into the Saved and the Damned. An example of this can be seen at Autun.
What is included in the tympanum?
A tympanum (plural, tympana; from Greek and Latin words meaning “drum”) is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window, which is bounded by a lintel and an arch. It often contains pedimental sculpture or other imagery or ornaments.
What does the tympanum depict?
In the arch of the door (the tympanum) is often a significant sculpture representing scenes from Christian Theology, most frequently Christ in Majesty and Judgment Day.
What is the purpose of the Romanesque tympanum?
In romanesque and gothic architecture this term provides a semicircular or pointed field filling the space between the lintel and portals archivolt, usually filled with bas relief.
What is the difference between pediment and tympanum?
is that pediment is (architecture) a classical architectural element consisting of a triangular section or gable found above the horizontal superstructure (entablature) which lies immediately upon the columns; fronton while tympanum is (architecture) the space within an arch, and above a lintel or a subordinate arch.
What is the purpose of a tympanum?
A frog’s tympanic membrane, or tympanum, is the circular patch of skin directly behind its eye that we commonly call its eardrum. It functions much like our eardrum does -the tympanum transmits sound waves to the middle and inner ear, allowing a frog to hear both in the air and below water.
What was the most common theme in Romanesque tympanum carvings?
What was the most common theme of Romanesque tympanum sculpture? A particularly popular subject for tympanum decoration was the Last Judgment. Typically, the figure of Christ appears in the centre of the composition, dominant in size and usually enclosed in a mandorla (an oval, nimbus-like form).
Do humans have tympanum?
Tympanic membrane, also called eardrum, thin layer of tissue in the human ear that receives sound vibrations from the outer air and transmits them to the auditory ossicles, which are tiny bones in the tympanic (middle-ear) cavity.
Why was the tympanum important to the Romanesque church?
Romanesque architects put a lot of effort into building the largest and most elaborate Christian churches the world had seen to that point, and the tympanum was one of their characteristic traits. These works of art set the tone for the religious services within and affirmed the cultural importance of the church to its congregation.
What was the time period of the tympanum?
We call this the Romanesque period, which lasted from roughly 1050-1200 CE. Romanesque architects put a lot of effort into building the largest and most elaborate Christian churches the world had seen to that point, and the tympanum was one of their characteristic traits.
What does tympana stand for in Greek architecture?
Tympanum (architecture) Most architectural styles include this element. In ancient Greek, Roman and Christian, tympana usually contain religious imagery, when on religious buildings. A tympanum over a doorway is very often the most important, or only, location for monumental sculpture on the outside of a building.
Where is the tympanum of the Saint Lazare Cathedral?
The west tympanum and portal of the cathedral of Saint-Lazare, Autun, France, depicting the Last Judgment, carved by Gislebertus before 1135. In Romanesque architecture, the tympanum constitutes the area between the lintel over a doorway and the arch above.