Since antiquity, the perfect proportion of the Golden Ratio has defined the epitome of beauty and aesthetics and can be found in architecture, art, design and nature.
In ancient Greece, Phidias (500 BC – 432 BC) used the ratio to build sculptures associated with the Parthenon, the temple of the Goddess Athena. Plato (428 BC – 347 BC) later described it in the Timaeus, which also establishes mathematical relationships more generally as a basis for cosmic order. [2] The ratio was first described mathematically and named Phi by the father of geometry, Euclid in the Elements.
It Goes By Many Names
The Golden Ratio arises from the equality of proportions, when the relationship between the larger and the smaller part is the same as that between the whole and the larger part. Equivalent to 1.618, known as Phi and represented by the Φ symbol in Greek, is expressed mathematically by the equation x = (1 + √5)/2. It is variously called the divine proportion, the golden section and golden ratio.
In Architecture
While it is disputed that the ratio was intentionally used in the design of the Parthenon, the proportion determines pleasing dimensional relationships between the width of a building and its height. It has become a common architectural practice, used throughout history since the time of the Greeks.
In Art
While the Greeks may have been the first to calculate the ratio and apply it in architecture, it was picked up in the Italian renaissance. Leonard Da Vinci illustrated Divina proportion (1509), written by Luca Pacioli. In art, Leonardo Da Vinci incorporated this divine proportion into his Virtruvian Man (1490) and the Mona Lisa (1503).
Numerous works of art employ the ratio, including the most famous wood block print of the Japanese artist Hokusai "Under the Wave off Kanagawa”. It was not until 1835 that the term Golden was first used by Martin Ohm (1792 - 1872) to describe the Golden Ratio, a proportion found in many great artistic masterpieces.
In Design
Today, the Golden Ratio is used throughout modern design, inspiring everything from Channel handbags to Aston Martin sports cars and the standard shape of credit cards.[3] No matter where it is applied, the ratio is effective as it provides a proportion that our subconscious minds find pleasing and attractive.
In Nature
Perhaps why this proportion is so pleasing to the human eye is because it is also found throughout nature. Long before the Golden Ratio was used by humans, it was evident everywhere in nature in the form of the Fibonacci Sequence. It can be seen in flowers, shells, storms and galaxies. The Fibonacci Sequence is the rate at which nature grows. Anywhere it appears, it is transfixing!
In Relation to the the Fibonacci Sequence
In the Fibonacci sequence, every number is the sum of the previous two. So for example, 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8, 5+8=13, 13+21=34 and so on... It is related to the Golden Ratio as the ratio of the sum of the numbers (a b) divided by the larger number (a) is equal to the ratio of the larger number divided by the smaller number (a/b). As the numbers increase, the relationship becomes closer to 1.618.In Nature’s Design Products
The Golden Ratio is ubiquitous in nature, art and architecture. For this reason, it is used as the guiding principle in the design of Nature’s Design products. All glass and porcelain pieces are carefully conceived in accordance with the Golden Ratio. This makes them genuinely pleasing to the eye and energetically in alignment with the flow of life force energy.In Nature’s Design products, the Fibonacci Sequence can be seen in the segments in the glassware. The size of the segments are proportional according to the sequence. While the ratio itself cannot be seen, it is imbued in the glassware via the segments and the ratio between them.
Looking at the Alladin Carafe, the segments from top to bottom are 1, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8.
Essentially, the Carafe is expanding at the same rate that nature grows! When water is poured into the carafe it is being returned to a natural environment. This restructures the water back to its natural geometric crystal structure. The shape of the Carafe, inspired by the Golden Ratio alone is what restructures the water. Generally, the larger the glassware piece, the more segments and the more obvious the segments and Golden Ratio proportions become.
Nature’s Design glassware brings the ancient, captivating and beautiful proportions of the Golden Ratio into your home or office.
References
Encyclopedia Britannica. The Golden Ratio. https://www.britannica.com/science/golden-ratio
Gardner, Jean & De Jesus Zamora, Jose. (2015). Call Me Gaia: The Geometry of Fragmentation or The Geometry of Life? Parsons Journal for Information Mapping. Vol.4.
Hague, Matthew. In Search of the Golden Ratio. The Globe and Mail. August 13, 2014 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/in-search-of-the-golden-ratio-in-architecture/article20040240/
Plato. Timaeus. Edited by John M. Cooper. Hackett Publishing. Indianapolis.
Skinner, Stephen. Sacred Geometry: Deciphering the code. 2006. Stirling, New York.