Corolla (chaplet)
Encyclopedia
The term corolla or corollæ appears in a chapter title in Pliny the Elder
's Naturalis Historia: "Who invented the art of making garlands: When they first received the name of 'corollæ,' and for what reason."
The term was previously used to describe crowns made from branches and twigs of trees that was worn by the victors in sacred contests. Later, flowers were used to make combinations of colors and smells to "heighten the effect". Pliny credits this refinement of the art the painter Pausias
who was imitating the garland maker Glyccra (a female, sometimes associated with Horace
).
Glyccra challenged Pausias to a contest where she would repeatedly vary her designs, and thus it was (as Pliny described it) "in reality a contest between art and Nature". This invention is traced only to later than the 100th Olympiad via Pausias paintings.
These "chaplets of flowers" became the fashion, evolving into the Egyptian chaplets, made of ivy, narcissus, pomegranate blossoms. According to Pliny, it was P. Claudius Pulcher
who introduced winter corollæ, made for the time at which flowers and plant matter are not available of thin laminæ
of horn stained various colors.
Slowly, the name was introduced at Rome, these garlands being known there at first as "corollæ" (the diminutive of corona), a name Pliny says was given them to express the "remarkable delicacy of their texture."
Later, these head dresses were made of thin plates of copper, gilt
or silvered
, and were called "corollaria",
as introduced by Crassus Dives
as a way to infer a greater honor when receiving them.
In Chapter 5 of Naturalis Historia, titled "The great honour in which chaplets were held by the ancients" Pliny explains the how these head dresses were perceived:
Pliny continues the explanation to describe the severity in which the rules of the wearing of the chaplets were enforced by the "ancients":
It was emperor Augustus's only daughter Julia whom once after placing a corolla upon the head of a statue was exiled on grounds of breach to the newly legislated morality laws, this was also a direct link to the assumption of Augustus as the "father" of the whole society and thus he made an example of his daughter.
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
's Naturalis Historia: "Who invented the art of making garlands: When they first received the name of 'corollæ,' and for what reason."
The term was previously used to describe crowns made from branches and twigs of trees that was worn by the victors in sacred contests. Later, flowers were used to make combinations of colors and smells to "heighten the effect". Pliny credits this refinement of the art the painter Pausias
Pausias
Pausias was an ancient Greek painter of the first half of the 4th century, of the school of Sicyon.-Biography:Pausias introduced the custom of painting ceilings of houses. His great merit appears to have lain in the better rendering of foreshortening...
who was imitating the garland maker Glyccra (a female, sometimes associated with Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
).
Glyccra challenged Pausias to a contest where she would repeatedly vary her designs, and thus it was (as Pliny described it) "in reality a contest between art and Nature". This invention is traced only to later than the 100th Olympiad via Pausias paintings.
These "chaplets of flowers" became the fashion, evolving into the Egyptian chaplets, made of ivy, narcissus, pomegranate blossoms. According to Pliny, it was P. Claudius Pulcher
who introduced winter corollæ, made for the time at which flowers and plant matter are not available of thin laminæ
Lamina of the vertebral arch
The laminæ are two broad plates, extending dorsally and medially from the pedicles, fusing to complete the roof of the vertebral arch.Their upper borders and the lower parts of their anterior surfaces are rough for the attachment of the ligamenta flava....
of horn stained various colors.
Slowly, the name was introduced at Rome, these garlands being known there at first as "corollæ" (the diminutive of corona), a name Pliny says was given them to express the "remarkable delicacy of their texture."
Later, these head dresses were made of thin plates of copper, gilt
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
or silvered
Silvering
Silvering is the chemical process of coating glass with a reflective substance. When glass mirrors first gained widespread usage in Europe during the 16th century, most were made of an amalgam of tin and mercury, but by the 19th century mirrors were commonly made through a process by which silver...
, and were called "corollaria",
as introduced by Crassus Dives
Publius Licinius Crassus Dives (consul 205 BC)
Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Pontifex Maximus was consul in 205 BC with Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus ; he was also Pontifex Maximus since 213 or 212 BC , and held several other important positions. Licinius Crassus is mentioned several times in Livy's Histories...
as a way to infer a greater honor when receiving them.
In Chapter 5 of Naturalis Historia, titled "The great honour in which chaplets were held by the ancients" Pliny explains the how these head dresses were perceived:
Pliny continues the explanation to describe the severity in which the rules of the wearing of the chaplets were enforced by the "ancients":
- L. Fulvius, a banker, having been accused, at the time of the Second Punic WarSecond Punic WarThe Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
, of looking down from the balcony of his house upon the Forum, with a chaplet of roses upon his head, was imprisoned by order of the Senate, and was not liberated before the war was brought to a close. - P. Munatius, having placed upon his head a chaplet of flowers taken from the statue of MarsyasMarsyasIn Greek mythology, the satyr Marsyas is a central figure in two stories involving music: in one, he picked up the double flute that had been abandoned by Athena and played it; in the other, he challenged Apollo to a contest of music and lost his hide and life...
, was condemned by the Triumviri to be put in chains. Upon his making appeal to the tribunes of the people, they refused to intercede in his behalf - The late Emperor AugustusAugustusAugustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, who, in her nocturnal debaucheries, placed a chaplet on the statue of Marsyas, conduct deeply deplored in the letters of that god.
It was emperor Augustus's only daughter Julia whom once after placing a corolla upon the head of a statue was exiled on grounds of breach to the newly legislated morality laws, this was also a direct link to the assumption of Augustus as the "father" of the whole society and thus he made an example of his daughter.