Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2019 November 15
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November 15
editArchitectural term
editIs there an architectural term for these sorts of decorative balconies for statues in the interior? If not in English, Russian would also do. Brandmeistertalk 18:15, 15 November 2019 (UTC)
- Niche ? Those are typically only large enough for one statue, though. SinisterLefty (talk) 18:25, 15 November 2019 (UTC)
- A niche is recessed against a flat wall, not protruding. I'm not sure it has a word different than merely balcony, which is a protrusion offset with a balustrade or railing, pretty much exactly what is in that picture. --Jayron32 18:45, 15 November 2019 (UTC)
- However, a niche does at least get to the purpose being the display of a statue, while balcony doesn't normally mean that. SinisterLefty (talk) 18:58, 15 November 2019 (UTC)
- Well, I would say that you're allowed to put a statue in a niche, but so are you allowed to put one on a balcony. Being allowed to do something does not make it a defining characteristic. There are many uses of a niche, and storing a statue is but one of many. The article at Wikipedia mentions several things that may be stored in a niche, from statuary to tabernacles to reliquaries. In a columbarium, niches are used to store funary urns. Really the list is endless, bounded only by one's ability to find objects that are smaller than the niche itself. --Jayron32 19:21, 15 November 2019 (UTC)
- Since 5 out of 5 of the pics in the article show statues/busts in niches, this appears to be the primary use for niches, which is not the case for balconies. When I Google "architectural niche", I mostly get empty ones, but of those that aren't empty, most contain some form of statue. SinisterLefty (talk) 19:33, 15 November 2019 (UTC)
- An extensive Google search suggests that on the rare occasions when statues are placed on a balcony, the architectural term is "balcony". The most notable example appears to be Napoleon statue in the balcony of Les Invalides, Paris. Alansplodge (talk) 09:40, 16 November 2019 (UTC)