triumphal arch

(noun)

A monumental arch that commemorates a victory.

Related Terms

Examples of triumphal arch in the following topics:

  • Architecture during the Severan Dynasty

    • The Roman Arch of Septimius Severus recalls the triumphal arch of Augustus, also erected to honor his own victory over the Parthians.
    • This arch visually recalls the triumphal arches of the past that stood in the Roman Forum and expresses the continuity of Septimius Severus's imperial rule and the momentum of the empire.
    • The Arch of Septimius Severus at Leptis Magna is architecturally distinct and unique in comparison to the triumphal arches of Rome.
    • Despite its very different design, the arch's components are in dialogue with the triumphal arch in Rome.
    • Depictions of war spoils and captive barbarians line the interior of the arches and a frieze wraps around them, depicting the triumphal procession that occurred in Rome.

  • Arches, Vaults, and Domes

    • As the forces in the arch are carried to the ground, the arch will push outward at the base; this is called thrust.
    • Circular arches, also referred to as rounded arches, were commonly employed by the builders of ancient, heavy masonry arches.
    • The advantage of using a pointed arch rather than a circular arch is that the arch action in a pointed arch produces less thrust at the base.
    • Of any arch type, the parabolic arch produces the most thrust at the base, but can span the largest areas.
    • They also introduced the triumphal arch as a military monument.

  • Featherwork of the Aztecs

    • They were used to adorn triumphal arches, the bases of crosses, and the litters and canopies in which the host was carried during the Corpus Christi festival.

  • Architecture of the Early Roman Empire

    • Following his brother's death, Domitian erected a triumphal arch over the Via Sacra, on a rise as the road enters the Republican Forum.
    • The arch follows typical standard forms for a triumphal arch, with an honorific inscription in the attic, winged Victories in the spandrels, engaged columns, and more sculpture which is now lost.
    • The opposite northern panel depicts Titus's triumphal procession in Rome, awarded in 71 CE.
    • Triumphal procession for Titus upon his victory over Judea.
    • From the Arch of Titus.

  • Italian Gothic Sculpture: The Pisano Family

    • The inspiration for the pulpit probably came from the triumphal arches in Rome.
    • Nicola Pisano had seen the arches on his travels, particularly the Arch of Constantine, which has many features the pulpit imitates, including figures standing on top of columns and an attic storey with sculpted scenes.
    • The trefoil arches supporting the pulpit show French Gothic influence.

  • Ravenna

    • Above the arch, on both sides, two angels hold a disc and beside them are representations of the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
    • Inside, the intrados of the great triumphal arch is decorated with fifteen mosaic medallions, depicting Jesus Christ, the twelve Apostles, and Saint Gervasius and Saint Protasius, the sons of Saint Vitale.

  • Military Achievements of the Flavians

    • The triumphal Arch of Titus, which stands at one entrance to the Forum, memorializes the victory of Titus.
    • This relief from the Arch of Titus depicts Roman soldiers carrying treasures from the Temple of Jerusalem, including the Menorah.

  • Architecture under Constantine

    • It stands over the triumphal route before it enters the Republican Forum.
    • The Senate commissioned the triumphal arch in honor of Constantine's victory over Maxentius.
    • Eight roundels, or relief discs, adorn the space just above the two smaller side arches.
    • The rest of the arch is decorated using Late Antique styles.
    • Besides decorative elements in the spandrels, a Constantinian frieze runs around the arch, between the tops of the small arches and the bottoms of the roundels.

  • Architecture under the Nervan-Antonines

    • A triumphal arch mounted with an image of the emperor in a six-horse chariot greeted patrons at the southern entrance.
    • He designed Trajan's forums and markets, the Arch of Trajan at Benevento, and an important bridge across the Danube during the campaigns against the Dacians.
    • It stands due to a series of relieving arches and because the supportive base of the building is nearly twenty feet thick.
    • A Greek "Maritime Theatre" exhibits classical Ionic style, whereas the domes of the main buildings as well as the Corinthian arches of the Canopus (a pool) and Serapeum (an artificial grotto) show clear Roman architecture.  

  • Architecture of the Holy Roman Empire

    • German buildings from this period include Lorsch Abbey, which combines elements of the Roman triumphal arch (including arch-shaped passageways and half-columns) with the vernacular Teutonic heritage (including baseless triangles of the blind arcade and polychromatic masonry).
    • The Romanesque period (10th - early 13th century) is characterized by semi-circular arches, robust appearance, small paired windows, and groin vaults.
    • Orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters, and lintels, as well as the use of semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, niches, and aedicules, replaced the more complex proportional systems and irregular profiles of medieval buildings.