Word.ws English Dictionary

auricular style

auricular style noun: an ornamental style of the first half of the 17th century, characterized by stylized and softly flowing abstract shapes in relief.

auricular style: an ornamental style of the first half of the 17th century, characterized by stylized and softly...
Image: Johannes Lutma, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

auricular style (uncountable)

  1. (historical) An ornamental style of the first half of the 17th century, characterized by stylized and softly flowing abstract shapes in relief.
    • Later, following the general tendency towards a more 'painterly' taste, came the soft Ohrmuschel or auricular style of about 1620 and after, characterized by forms like parts of conch shells or the gristle of an ear.1965, Eberhard Hempel, translated by Elisabeth Hempel and Marguerite Kay, Baroque Art and Architecture in Central Europe: Germany/Austria/Switzerland/Hungary/Czechoslovakia/Poland (The Pelican...
    • The choice and treatment of the motifs which form the inner ornamental border - rams' heads and drapery - suggest a Northern goldsmith familiar with the early auricular style.1971 January, Hugh MacAndrew, “A Silver Basin Designed by [Bernardo] Strozzi”, in The Burlington Magazine, volume 113, number 814, Burlington Magazine Publications, →JSTOR, page 11

Examples of auricular style in a sentence

  • The auricular style was created by two members of the Utrecht goldsmithing family of van Vianen.1976, J[ohn] F[orrest] Hayward, Virtuoso Goldsmiths and the Triumph of Mannerism, 1540-1620, London: Sotheby Parke Bernet, →OCLC, page 290:
  • The auricular style appears to have come to Northern Europe via the engravings of Hendrick Goltzius, who may have seen it in Tuscany during his visit to Italy in 1591.1984, Paul Mitchell, “Italian Picture Frames, 1500—1825: A Brief Survey”, in Furniture History, volume 20, Furniture History Society...
  • For if Christian [van Vianen] was not an innovator, yet he was at his best a most excellent workman in the auricular style.1989, Ronald Lightbown, “Charles I and the art of the goldsmith”, in Arthur MacGregor, editor, The Late King's Goods: Collections...
  • The broad rim is formed in auricular style with shells and has a scalloped edge.1995 January, Edward van Voolen, Irene Faber, Annette Weber, “Jewish Ceremonial Silver from Germany in the Jewish Historical Museum...

Synonyms of auricular style

Origin of auricular style

Coined with reference to the flowing figures of the style, which sometimes resemble the human ear.

Questions about auricular style

What does auricular style mean?
Auricular style means an ornamental style of the first half of the 17th century, characterized by stylized and softly flowing abstract shapes in relief.
How do you use auricular style in a sentence?
The auricular style was created by two members of the Utrecht goldsmithing family of van Vianen.
What part of speech is auricular style?
Auricular style is a noun.

Words near auricular style in the dictionary

  1. auricular fibrillation
  2. auricular flutter
  3. auricular flutters
  4. auricular muscle
  5. auricular muscles
  6. auricular style
  7. auriculares
  8. auriculares anteriores
  9. auriculares posteriores
  10. auriculares superiores
  11. auricularia

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: auricular style (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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