Sculptural Order
An application of Vitruvius's ordinatio to sculpture: the measured organization of individual members according to a module derived from the work itself, so that each part belongs proportionally to the whole.
Composition
Serpentinata
An Italian term for a spiraling, flame-like figure pose in which the body turns around its vertical axis through successive opposing movements.
Serpentine
A winding, S-shaped or spiraling line or movement.
Symbolism
The use of forms, figures, attributes, materials, gestures, or compositional relationships to carry meanings beyond their literal appearance.
Tondo
An artwork composed within a circular format.
Volute
A spiral or scroll-shaped ornament, most famously the paired spirals of an Ionic capital.
Equipoise
A condition of equilibrium or finely controlled balance.
Eurythmía
A classical principle of harmonious proportion, graceful rhythm, and well-ordered movement between parts within a work of art, architecture, or the human body.
L’Approche
A traditional French system for classifying sculpture according to its relationship to the natural size of the human figure, from miniature works to colossal monuments.
Arabesque
A flowing ornamental arrangement built from curves, counter-curves, scrolls, foliage, tendrils, and sometimes figures or animals.