Anthemion?

Why call the blog of the JCB Anthemion? An athemion is an architectural motif derived from the traditional lotus and bud of Egypt, Assyria, and India. The anthemion displayed above in the header for this John Carter Brown Library blog is an actual photograph taken of an actual anthemion of the actual John Carter Brown Library. It isn’t surprising that such an motif (said to have been selected because of its resemblance to indigenous Brazilian headdresses) would have been placed on the Beaux-Arts temple of the bibliophile Brown family. What is surprising is that the photographer of the above-pictured ornament (which exists, after all, on the roof of the Library so far in the air), was able to stand so close to it. The only way one can gain such intimate access to the anthemia of the Library (short of jetpacks, ladders, or other elevating devices) is by climbing the interior hatch to the roof.

I had such an opportunity to climb onto the roof last week. It was on the one splendid day of an otherwise month-long spell of extraordinarily drizzly weather. Workmen were on the roof! Grabbing the camera, I climbed the ladder and took a volley of photographs. I was interested to see that each individual anthemiom is protected by a lead carapace, unseen by the ordinary observer. But what was even more astonishing was the view ...