ARCH, Triumphal, a monumental structure erected in commemoration of a victory or other memorable historical event.
These originated in ancient times in the military triumphs of the Romans, with whom it was customary to adorn the gate by which a victorious general entered the city with trophies and representations of the conquest he had achieved. These temporary memorials soon gave place to more enduring monuments of stone and marble. The triumphal arch (Arcus triumphalis) was built across some one of the principal streets, and consisted either of a single large archway or of a central one with two smaller ones on each side, communicating generally with the larger passage. Sometimes there were two arches of equal height side by side. Both faces of the arch and the sides of the passages were ornamented with trophies and sculptures. Above the facades, supported on columns, was an entablature surmounted by an attic crowned with figures, and bearing the inscription on its front.
The most celebrated surviving monuments of this description are the Arch of Augustus at Rimini, and another at Susa (at the foot of Mount Cenis), the arches of Trajan at Beneventum and Ancona, of Titus, Drusus, Septimius Se-
verus, Gallienus, and Constantine, at Rome. Of these the arch of Titus is the oldest and the finest specimen of this kind of structure. It commemorates his conquest of Judæa, and is adorned with highly-finished sculptures, representing the triumphal procession of the trophies of Jerusalem. The arch of Constantine, however, is the most perfect in preservation of all the ancient Roman arches.
Remains of Roman arches are also to be seen in France, Spain, Greece, Istria, Dalmatia, and Egypt. See ORANGE, RHIMS, MERIDA, &c.
In modern times structures of this kind have been erected in Italy, as that of king Alphonso at Naples; and at Berlin, at the entrance of the royal palace. The capital of France, however, possesses more of them than any other modern city. Of these the most worthy of mention are the arches of the Portes St Denis and St Martin, erected in 1673 and 1674 to commemorate the victories of Louis XIV., and the Arc du Carrousel, begun in 1806, and finished in 1809, in honour of the armies of France. This graceful monument, which forms the western entrance to the Tuileries, consists of three arches, the total height of the structure being 47 feet, and its breadth 55. The two principal faces are adorned
by eight Corinthian columns in Languedoc marble, surmounted by statues. The structure is crowned by a bronze equestrian group (taken from Venice), consisting of a chariot drawn by four horses, guided by the allegorical figures of Victory and Peace. The marble bas-reliefs were executed by the best sculptors of the imperial epoch. But the colossal Arc d'Étoile, at the extremity of the Avenue des Champs Élysées, is the grandest monument of the kind erected in modern times. It commemorates the victories of Napoleon and his armies, and was begun in 1806, but not completed till after the Revolution of 1830. Its form is that of a parallelogram, its height and its breadth about 150 feet. It consists of three arches, the height of the central one being 95 feet, and that of the lateral arches 52. Its eastern and western fronts are adorned by colossal allegorical groups in relief; above them are bas-reliefs representing some of the most striking scenes in the imperial wars. The frieze which runs all round the structure is of the same description. The attic is adorned with bucklers inscribed with the names of victories. The interior of the arch is likewise inscribed with the names of Buonaparte and his generals. A stair inside conducts to the top of the building.
The arch at Hyde-Park Corner, surmounted by the colossal equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, and the Cumberland Gate, are the only representatives of this kind of structure in our country.