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pilastre à demi-lunes en enduit

English translation: pilaster with half-moon windows in render/stucco

00:33 Sep 20, 2013
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Architecture
French term or phrase: pilastre à demi-lunes en enduit
A detail of an Eastern European fortress/arsenal built following principles of French military architecture around the time of the Napoleonic wars
Donald Pistolesi
Local time: 04:58
English translation:pilaster with half-moon windows in render/stucco
Explanation:
Based on the photos I've seen of what may be the fortress/museum in question (see the D box), I believe the "demi-lunes" could be referring to the half-moon windows (lunettes) above the pilasters.

"Enduit" can be translated as "plaster" when referring to indoor applications (again, see D box), but "render" or "stucco" may be better for outdoor applications, which appears to be the case here.
Selected response from:

Sheri P
United States
Local time: 04:58
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
2 +4pilaster with half-moon windows in render/stucco
Sheri P
4 +1pilaster with stucco ravelin/demilune
Miranda Joubioux (X)


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


13 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +4
pilaster with half-moon windows in render/stucco


Explanation:
Based on the photos I've seen of what may be the fortress/museum in question (see the D box), I believe the "demi-lunes" could be referring to the half-moon windows (lunettes) above the pilasters.

"Enduit" can be translated as "plaster" when referring to indoor applications (again, see D box), but "render" or "stucco" may be better for outdoor applications, which appears to be the case here.

Sheri P
United States
Local time: 04:58
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yes, it is indeed the old fortress in Daugavpils, Latvia, which has been converted into a Mark Rohtko museum. One of the pictures in the D box appears to be pre-restoration, the other of the building's current state.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  B D Finch: I think one can fairly safely call it "stucco". Even for indoor applications, not all "enduit" is "plaster". "Enduit" is a generic term, as is "render", (a bit like calling a bear a "plantigrade"). In English we tend to use a specific term where possible.
1 hr
  -> Thank you, B D. Good points, all. Yes, the reason I asked the asker in the D box if anything followed "enduit" in the text is precisely because it is such a generic term.
agree  Miranda Joubioux (X): not 'render' - it really isn't suitable for this period.
1 hr
  -> Thank you, Miranda. You are a good sport. :-) And it was your posting of the photo that made me more confident about the one I had found. Point taken about "render".
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
2 hrs
  -> Thank you, g2!
agree  Jocelyne Cuenin: Well done!
23 hrs
  -> Thanks, Petitavoine!
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13 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
pilaster with stucco ravelin/demilune


Explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortification
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravelin

ravelin, demilune. In fortifications, a projecting outwork forming a salient angle.
Cyril M. Harris
Dictionary of Architecture and Construction

As for the use of the term plaster or render, I prefer the former for historical buildings. Yes, exterior plaster does exist. It is generally referred to as stucco.

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Note added at 15 hrs (2013-09-20 16:08:32 GMT)
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OK - I've had time to research this further, and the demilune is not what I thought. It involves the actual structure of the fortification, whereas here we are just talking about a half-moon shaped window.
It just goes to show you, you've got to research something very thoroughly.
My hat goes off to Sheri. :-)

Miranda Joubioux (X)
Local time: 10:58
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 78
Notes to answerer
Asker: My thanks to all for your help. In the future I will try and be more diligent and detailed in providing context, though no one seems to have been hampered! And even "wrong" answers are illuminating.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  B D Finch: I think I have to agree with both of you. Your answer would be more suitable for a specialist architectural document and Sheri's for a more popular one. (Askers really do need to supply better context information.) See my note to Sheri re plantigrades.
2 hrs
  -> Further research would seem to indicate that I got it wrong I'm afraid.
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