harpaginetuli

HARPAGINE´TULIa sort of decoration for the walls and ceilings of rooms, thus mentioned by Vitruvius, in a passage where he is speaking of irregular and fantastic ornaments (7.5.3), pro columnis enim statuuntur calami, pro fastigiis harpaginetuli striati cum crispis foliis et volutis teneris. The word, not occurring elsewhere, has been given up as inexplicable, or possibly corrupt: the only plausible explanation is that suggested by a painting at Pompeii (Pitture d'Ercolano, tom. 1. p. 212), which presents an architectural elevation covered all over with ornaments resembling so many little hooks (harpaginetuli, dim. of harpagones. (Rich.) This identification was first made by Bailey, in his Auctarium to Forcellini.