Lesenes and Lombard band (mini-arches), Old St. Martin, Kaarst

A lesene, also called a pilaster strip,[1] is an architectural term for a narrow, low-relief vertical pillar on a wall. It resembles a pilaster, but does not have a base or capital.[2] It is typical in Lombardic and Rijnlandish architectural building styles.[3]

Function

Lesenes are used in architecture to vertically divide a façade or other wall surface optically. However, unlike pilasters, lesenes are simpler, having no bases or capitals. Their function is ornamental, not just to decorate the plain surface of a wall but, in the case of corner lesenes (at the edges of a façade), to emphasise the edges of a building.

References

  1. Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture
  2. Curl, James Stevens (2006). Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, 2nd ed., OUP, Oxford and New York, p. 442. ISBN 978-0-19-860678-9.
  3. Mulder, Koen (2016). Het Zinderend Oppervlak [The Thrilling Surface] (in Dutch) (2nd ed.) (published January 2016). p. 157. ISBN 978-90-824668-0-5.
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