What does atlantes mean?
Atlantes are sculpted male figures employed in architecture as supporting elements, taking the place of columns or pilasters to bear the weight of an entablature, balcony, or roof. They are the masculine counterpart of the caryatid, the female figure performing the same structural role. The name derives from Atlas, the Titan of Greek mythology who was condemned to hold up the sky for eternity, making the term a vivid metaphor for burden-bearing. Though known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, atlantes became especially popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, when architects sought to evoke classical grandeur; one celebrated example is the row of monumental granite atlantes at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. Today the word survives chiefly as a technical term in architectural history and criticism.
nounSculpted figures of men used as supporting columns or pillars in architecture, bearing the weight of an entablature or balcony on their heads or shoulders. Atlantes is the plural of 'atlas' and is the male counterpart of the caryatid.
- Male figures used as supporting pillars in classical architecture.
"The palace facade was adorned with muscular atlantes straining beneath the weight of the upper balconies."
"The Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg is famous for its row of granite atlantes guarding the entrance."
"Renaissance architects revived the use of atlantes to lend buildings a sense of classical grandeur."
'Atlantes' is already a plural form; the singular is 'atlas'.
"Four weathered atlantes flank the entrance of the eighteenth-century townhouse."
While women held up Greek temples as caryatids, their male counterparts—the atlantes—were named after the Titan condemned to carry the heavens on his shoulders forever.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of atlantes
The term comes from the Greek Atlas, the Titan who bore the heavens on his shoulders, via Latin. In Greek architecture such figures were also called 'telamones'. The plural form 'atlantes' entered European architectural vocabulary during the Renaissance revival of classical design, when builders reintroduced sculpted male supports alongside the older female caryatids.
Related word forms
How atlantes is actually used
A technical term of architecture and art history; rarely encountered outside these contexts. The singular is 'atlas' or sometimes 'telamon'.
Easily confused with atlantes
Caryatids are sculpted female figures serving as columns, whereas atlantes are the male equivalents.
An atlas is a book of maps (or the mythological Titan), while atlantes are architectural support figures.