Hand Carved Wood Rosettes

The rosette by definition is an artificial rose. In a broader sense, any ornament that is circular in shape and radiates from a centre may be defined as a rosette. Some are low in relief while others are completely flat.

Historically speaking, we find rosettes used as centre pieces in Romanesque and Gothic ribbed vaultings and ceilings. Numerous examples can also be found in the temples of the Antique period, the palaces, gates and doorways of the Italian Renaissance, the vaulted cupolas of cathederals. Rosettes are also commonly used as decorative ornamentation on furniture.

The most common motif is the flower, arranged in a series of separate zones. The rosette may contain any number of divisions, which may vary in each zone, but typically interlock. For example, the points on the leaves of one zone may overlap with the leaves of the next.

The decorative growth, or motivation starts from the centre, spiraling outwards and is often radial, meaning that it is at right angles to the bordering circle; however, occasionally the leaves are curved.

The number of divisions often depends on the period—Antique, Roman, Naturalistic, Romanesque, Early Gothic, etc. and significantly impacts the look and feel of the rosette itself. Our expert wood carvers can reproduce any period style in every detail should you wish to incorporate rosettes into your design scheme. 

 

 

 

 

Roman Rosette