Capitals

Capitals, in Architecture, are the uppermost parts of columns, placed immediately over the shaft and under the entablature (q.v.). In classical architecture the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders each have their peculiar capital, the last-named imitated from the acanthus leaf. In mediaeval architecture, as well as in Egyptian and Oriental, the capitals are much diversified. In the later Norman architecture, for instance, they are often ornamented with foliage, animals, figures, etc., while they frequently exhibit foliage in the Early English and Decorated, and more rarely in the Perpendicular styles.