The word “basilica” is often associated with early Christian building projects, like the Old St. Peters Basilica (to differentiate from the St. Peter’s Basilica standing on the same grounds today, more below). However, the basilica originated far earlier in classical Athens. The Archon basileus was a position of high social…

I screwed up my terminology in the previous article (awkward), then I got sick and didn’t get this article written in time for last week … further awkwardness! I stated this article would be about the Byzantine Empire — when in fact, I meant the Ottoman Empire; but then, come…

Last week, I started a series of articles about inscriptions on architecture, particularly in the Mediterranean area. We began in Ancient Egypt with their hieroglyphs, a blend of magic and communication to form a rich blend of the physical world and influences beyond sight. …

Inscriptions in architecture — scripts, most often carved in stone, usually of a religious nature or giving honor to the sponsor of the project — are nearly as old as written language itself and found throughout the world. Initially, I intended to write an overview in one go and move…

I’ve written about Art Nouveau-era stained glass from Tiffany & Co. and I’ve written about how stained glass was a key aspect of Gothic architecture. But I’ve never actually written specifically about Gothic-era stained glass … the renowned rose windows of Gothic cathedrals. Circular windows date back — like a…

Dado: a rather funny sounding word (at least in my opinion) for a rather frequent architectural element. Although they all run together and stem from each other, “dado” can refer to three different architectural objects. …

So it’s been a while since I’ve been around here — but I’m back! Refocusing a little bit, rather than the ages I’ve done in the past, I want to focus on particular architectural aspects … like spiral staircases, for instance. The earliest spiral staircase still standing resides in Rome…

The fin de siècle styles also heralded in the Golden Age of Illustration, generally seen as lasting from 1880–1920. Because of the improvements in printing technology, it was far easier to reproduce artwork so items like posters & book illustrations became more largely circulated. …

Fin de Siecle Styles in Austria & Italy — It sounds like a call for rebellion doesn’t it? It was a rebellion of sorts, but not necessarily the drastic politic overtones “secession and liberty” sounds like a catchphrase for. …