In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the apex of a dome, spire, tower, roof, or gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure.[3] A finial is typically carved in stone. Where there are several such elements they may be called pinnacles. The very top of a finial can be a floral or foliated element called a bouquet.[4]
Smaller finials in materials such as metal or wood are used as a decorative ornament on the tops or ends of poles or rods such as tent-poles or
Decorative roof-finials are a common feature of Malaysian religious and residential architecture.[5] In Malacca, Malaysia, there are 38 mosques with traditional roof finials, with layered and crown-shaped designs, which are known as Makhota Atap Masjid.[5] On mosques built after the 20th century, these finials have been replaced by "bulbous domes".[5] Other terms for roof finials include: Tunjuk Langit and Buah Buton (East Coast) as well as Buah Gutung (Kelantan and Terengganu).[5] The Makhota Atap Masjid finials are made of mixed concrete, and the Buah Buton are made of wood.[5]
In
In Java and Bali, a rooftop finial is known as mustaka or kemuncak.
In Thailand finials feature on domestic and religious buildings.[7] Hti is a kind of finial found on Burmese Buddhist temples and pagodas. On Buddhist stupas, the layered umbrella (Skt. chhatra; Pali: chhatta) tiers have cosmological significance as representing the realms of heavens or the trunk of a cosmic tree.[8] Even the stupa itself (comparatively smaller) can be a finial to a Stupa or other Buddhist religious structure.
The
There are two guldastas, or finials, per facade at Humayun's Tomb.[11]
Finials are decorative elements in a variety of American domestic
Roof finials can be made from a variety of materials including clay, metal, or wood.
A
A "ball-style" finial is often mounted to the top of a stationary flagpole.[14] The United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard employ a variety of different finials depending on the flag in question, the Marines and Coast Guard deferring to the Navy's protocols.[15]
Public garden (park) railings often end in finials, and wooden posts tend to have turned wood finials. Turned wood finials are used on various pieces of furniture.[16] While the purpose of finials on bed posts is mostly decorative,[17] they serve a purpose on curtain rods, providing a way to keep a curtain from slipping off the end of a straight rod.
Curtain rod finials can be seen to act much like a barometer of public taste. Many designs hark back to the
During the various
Folklore in the eastern U.S. suggests that finial posts were not just attractive, but also prevented witches from landing their broomsticks on the roof.
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