Lesene
A lesene, also called a pilaster strip,[1] is an architectural term for a narrow, low-relief, vertical pillar in a wall. It resembles a pilaster, but does not have a base or capital.[2] It is typical in Lombardic and Rijnlandish architectural building styles.[3]
Function
Lesenes are used in architecture to vertically divide a facade or other wall surface optically, albeit—unlike pilasters—without a base or capital. Their function is ornamental, not just to decorate the plain surface of a wall but, in the case of corner lesenes, to emphasise the edges of a building.
Gallery
-
Lesenes and corbel table on a chapel wall
-
Lesenes and corbel table at the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna (ca. 430 AD)
-
Lesene on the staircase tower of the Gernrode collegiate church (before 1000 AD)
-
Lesenes on the Abbey church of Maria Laach (1156)
-
Lesenes on the tower of All Saints' Church, Earls Barton (Late 10th century)
-
Robin Hood Gardens, London – Lesene-shaped formation on the supporting wall in the Plattenbau style
-
Lesenes at Chile House, Hamburg
References
- ^ Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture
- ^ Curl, James Stevens (2006). Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, 2nd ed., OUP, Oxford and New York, p. 442. ISBN 978-0-19-860678-9.
- ^ Mulder, Koen (2016). Het Zinderend Oppervlak [The Thrilling Surface] (in Dutch) (2nd ed.) (published January 2016). p. 157. ISBN 978-90-824668-0-5.