'']]
'Egg-and-dart' is an
ornamental device often carved in wood, stone, or plaster quarter-round
ovolo mouldings, consisting of an
egg-shaped object alternating with an element shaped like an
arrow,
anchor or
dart. Egg-and-dart enrichment of the ovolo molding of the
Ionic capital is found in
Ancient Greek architecture at the
Erechtheion and was used by the
Romans. Its ovoid shape (the egg) and serrated leaf (the dart) are believed to represent the opium poppy and its leaves.
This
design motif has been common in the
classical architecture of Europe since the
Renaissance.
References
★
Dictionary of Ornament, , Philippa, Lewis, Pantheon, 1986, ISBN 0-394-50931-5