The Attic Column Base

The attic column base is an elegant arrangement consisting of upper and lower convex torus moldings separated by a concave scotia molding between two fillets.  It was originally developed for use with the Greek Ionic order. 

Engraving of variations of the Greek Ionic order (top) and Roman Ionic order (bottom) - all with attic bases, by the French architect Julien-David Le Roy published in Les ruines plus beaux des monuments de la Grace (1758)

The attic base can be seen used in the splendid interior circular peristyle of black granite Roman Ionic columns in the rotunda of the west wing of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC designed by John Russell Pope (from 1938 to 1941).

I was lucky to visit the National Gallery of Art during the Christmas holidays with my wife and young son.  The lower torus of these monumental attic column bases was quite useful to help 11-month old Benji, who is just learning to walk, to stand up.  The upper torus was ideal to hold onto while cruising sideways around the columns!  

The attic base received its name as it originated in antiquity in the Attica region of eastern Greece surrounding Athens where, over time, a large population of Ionian descent had settled after migrating from Asia Minor.

The Roman architect Vitruvius provides the earliest existing written documentation of the attic base in his Ten Books on Architecture (25 B.C.).  He describes its proportions (symmetria) and configuration (dispositio), and explains that it may be employed as a useful variation, instead of the typical Ionic column base.

The attic column base

The typical Ionic column base

During the Renaissance, the attic base found new life in the resurgence of classical architecture inspired by study of antiquity. The Renaissance architects, studying excavated ancient Roman ruins and Vitruvius’ then recently rediscovered writings, diverged quite a bit in their opinions of how extensively the attic base should be employed.

Palladio found the attic base so attractive that he shows it on all Ionic, Corinthian and Composite orders in his Four Books of Architecture (1570).

Palladio's version of the classical Roman orders.  Note use of slightly varying attic bases for the Ionic, Corinthian and Composite orders.

Vignola is more reluctant in his usage of the attic base in his Canon of the Five Orders of Architecture (1562).  He advocates use of the attic base only for the Composite order and occasionally for the Ionic order, preferring to instead use variations of the standard Ionic base.

Vignola's version of the classical Roman orders.  Note the use of the typical Ionic base instead of the attic base.

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For more information about the books:

The Ten Books on Architecture, Vitruvius

The Four Books on Architecture, Palladio

Canon of the Five Orders of Architecture, Vignola