Baluster
**Materials and Construction Methods:**
– Materials used include carved stone, cast stone, plaster, polymer, and wood.
– Balusters can be shaped on a lathe or cut from boards.
– Various construction methods like molding and casting are used for materials such as concrete, plaster, iron, and plastics.
**Evolution and Historical Significance:**
– Balusters have been shown in Assyrian palaces and used in Saxon architecture.
– Prominent in early Renaissance architecture, popularized by Sangallo and Michelangelo.
– Mughal architecture in India also utilized balusters.
**Design Aesthetics and Influence on Modern Architecture:**
– Balusters separated by specific measurements for aesthetic appeal.
– Balustrades terminate in heavy newel posts for support.
– Influence seen in the Arts and Crafts movement designs and various architectural styles.
**Colonette as a Decorative Element:**
– A colonette is a miniature column used for decoration.
– The baluster’s origin is traced back to Donatello’s work.
– Examples of half-baluster explored in architecture like the Strozzi Chapel in Florence.
**Significance in Art and Cultural Contexts:**
– Balusters used decoratively in various architectural and artistic contexts.
– Baluster column motif in Mughal architecture.
– Balusters featured in the architecture of the Palazzo Ducale and the Medici Chapel.
– Historical and cultural significance in different architectural styles.
A baluster (/ˈbæləstər/ ⓘ) is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its construction are wood, stone, and less frequently metal and ceramic. A group of balusters supporting a handrail, coping, or ornamental detail is known as a balustrade.
The term baluster shaft is used to describe forms such as a candlestick, upright furniture support, and the stem of a brass chandelier.[citation needed]
The term banister (also bannister) refers to a baluster or to the system of balusters and handrail of a stairway. It may be used to include its supporting structures, such as a supporting newel post.