Italy (Vicenza)

Palazzo Cordellina (Vicenza): Frieze Detail with Bucrania, Triglyphs, and Circular Paterae

2542

Designed and constructed between 1776–1789 during the Neoclassical period, attributed to architect Ottone Calderari.

Architecturally, this entablature frieze marks the structural and visual transition between the piano nobile colonnade and the projecting cornice above, performing the classical role of the Doric or Ionic frieze register. Symbolically, the bucrania (skulls of sacrificial oxen), paterae (libation vessels), and festoon garlands are ancient Roman sacrificial motifs, referencing the classical tradition of commemorating animal sacrifice and abundance.