HARPAGINE´TULI
HARPAGINE´TULI a sort of decoration for the walls
and ceilings of rooms, thus mentioned by Vitruvius, in a passage where he is
speaking of irregular and fantastic ornaments (7.5.3), “pro columnis
enim statuuntur calami, pro fastigiis harpaginetuli striati cum crispis
foliis et volutis teneris.” The word, not occurring elsewhere,
has been given up as inexplicable, or possibly corrupt: the only plausible
explanation is that suggested by a painting at Pompeii (
Pitture
d'Ercolano, tom. i. p. 212), which presents an architectural
elevation “covered all over with ornaments resembling so many little
hooks (
harpaginetuli, dim. of
harpagones.” (Rich.) This identification was first
made by Bailey, in his
Auctarium to Forcellini.
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