Volute - a spiral scroll, found on the capital of the ionic order. The Orders - Order is a good term in this context, it implies both an acceptable organisation of component parts and a satisfying relationship between them. A colossal or giant order is any order, the columns of which extend through more than one floor. Doric The most massive and probably the oldest of the orders. The Greek doric had no base, the Romans added one.
Shafts are fluted, numbers vary, but there are usually around twenty.
The entablature is around a quarter of the height of the order. Decoration is copied from timber construction, the cornice projects strongly, the frieze is divided into metopes and triglyphs, the architrave is usually plain. Tuscan Confined mainly to the north of Italy, it was employed by the Romans but replaced by the doric. Very plain, the columns are not fluted, and in height it is usually around seven diameters. Ionic Later than the doric, the ionic order has a distinctive capital, with two volutes, and an echinus based on a water lily shape.