A pediment is an ornamental triangle formed by a typically low-pitched gabled roof, used to adorn a building’s main entrance. The triangular area may be plain, but is often filled with design detail and even sculpture. Pediments are traditionally considered exterior building features, but also have been used inside.

What is the purpose of a pediment?

pediment, in architecture, triangular gable forming the end of the roof slope over a portico (the area, with a roof supported by columns, leading to the entrance of a building); or a similar form used decoratively over a doorway or window. The pediment was the crowning feature of the Greek temple front.

What is a stone pediment?

A pediment is an architectural feature which consists of a triangular ornament placed on top of a structure or feature such as a gable. … The pediment appears to have originated in Ancient Greece, where it was used as the crowning glory on Greek temples such as the Parthenon in Athens.

Why is it called a pediment?

This architectural element was developed in the architecture of ancient Greece and first appeared as gable ends of Greek temples. … These forms were adopted in Mannerist architecture, and applied to furniture designed by Thomas Chippendale. The terms “open pediment” and “broken pediment” are often used interchangeably.

What is a pediment in furniture?

Pediment: Triangular piece just under a pointed roof; a triangular part at the top of the front of a building that supports the roof and is often decorated; triangular gable between a horizontal entablature and a sloping roof; a large triangular structure built over a door or window as a decoration.

Is a pediment always triangular?

The pediment is the triangular place under the roof of a Greek temple. Each temple has two pediments, one on the front and one on the back. They’re always isosceles triangles.

What is pediment in geography?

A pediment is a gently sloping erosion surface or plain of low relief formed by running water in arid or semiarid region at the base of a receding mountain front. A pediment is underlain by bedrock that is typically covered by a thin, discontinuous veneer of soil and alluvium derived from upland areas.

Who first used the term pediment?

This architectural element was developed in the architecture of ancient Greece. In ancient Rome, the Renaissance, and later architectural revivals, the pediment was used as a non-structural element over windows, doors and aedicules.

Who has named pediment?

1The landforms known as pediments were so called by Gilbert (1890, p. 183; see also McGee, 1897, p. 92) as a metaphor for features typical of classical Greek architecture.

What's a broken pediment?

Definition of broken pediment : a pediment frequent in the baroque style having a gap at the apex (as for a statue or vase)

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What is a classical pediment?

In classical, neoclassical and baroque architecture, a pediment is the triangular gable that forms the end of a pitched roof. It is placed above the horizontal entablature which is typically supported by columns. It is also sometimes seen as the top element of a portico.

Why was the pediment a challenging location for sculptural decoration?

The challenges facing pediment sculptors were considerable: choice of subject matter coherence and decorative effect, effective use of the awkward field, especially the narrow spaces towards the comers, and scale.

What is the most decorative type of column?

Of all of the column types, the Corinthian style is by far the most decorative. Similar to the Ionic order, Corinthian columns also have an entasis. Given their artistic qualities and gorgeous elegance, ancient Romans used Corinthian columns quite often.

What is a segmental pediment?

A pediment above a door or window that takes the form of an arc of a circle.

What is the name for the triangular space above the gate?

A relieving triangle is a space (usually triangular) above a lintel in megalithic architecture to relieve the weight of the masonry. One example of a relieving triangle is the Lion Gate at Mycenae.

What are pediments made of?

Use of Pediments For many Greek temples, first made of wood, the triangular geometry had a structural function. Fast forward 2,000 years from ancient Greece and Rome to the Baroque period of art and architecture, when the pediment became an ornamental detail to be extravagantly modified.

Why is pediment slope suitable for farming?

Overview of South Africa’s Topography SA’s landscape has been shaped over a long time by movement below the surface of the Earth and by the movement of water across the surface of the Earth. Different layers of rocks have been laid down over millions of years and then shaped by erosion.

What is pediment plain?

pediment, in geology, any relatively flat surface of bedrock (exposed or veneered with alluvial soil or gravel) that occurs at the base of a mountain or as a plain having no associated mountain. … The portion of a plain adjacent to mountain slopes is known as a piedmont.

How is pediment formed in geography?

A pediment develops when sheets of running water (sheet floods) wash over it in intense rainfall events. It may be thinly covered with fluvial gravel that has washed over it from the foot of mountains produced by cliff retreat erosion.

What's a portico in architecture?

portico, colonnaded porch or entrance to a structure, or a covered walkway supported by regularly spaced columns. … The portico is a principal feature of Greek temple architecture and thus a prominent element in Roman and all subsequent classically inspired structures.

What is the roof of a Greek temple called?

The triangular gable on ancient Greek buildings is called the pediment. In ancient Greek architecture, the roof pediment was used for decoration. On ancient temples, the pediments were often elaborately carved with scenes of battles or gods interacting with one another.

What is the purpose of a portico?

A portico is an area with a roof by the front door of a home. Either columned or roof-only, porticos are places to prepare for going out or coming in from the elements. The roof allows one to open an umbrella before stepping into the rain.

Where are Inselbergs found?

Inselbergs were first named from arid Africa, and the “sugarloafs” of the Rio area of coastal southern Brazil are renowned. In the United States, the Yosemite region is famous for its granitic domes; Stone Mountain, Georgia, and Looking Glass Rock, North Carolina, are other well-known domed mountains.

How are Inselbergs formed?

Formation of an Inselberg Inselbergs arise from rocks which erode at a slower rate than that of the surrounding rocks. The landform consists of an erosion-resistant rock which protects a softer rock such as limestone. The resistant rock remains isolated as ongoing erosion erodes the less resistant rock around it.

What defines baroque architecture?

Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. … Twisted columns were also often used, to give an illusion of upwards motion, and cartouches and other decorative elements occupied every available space.

What are the characteristics of classical architecture?

Classical architecture originated in ancient Greece and Rome, and is characterized by symmetry, columns, rectangular windows, and marble, to name a few. For centuries, architects have drawn influence from these civilizations and incorporated traditional ideals into subsequent styles of architecture.

What is found at the top of a column or pilaster?

capital, in architecture, crowning member of a column, pier, anta, pilaster, or other columnar form, providing a structural support for the horizontal member (entablature) or arch above. In the Classical styles, the capital is the architectural member that most readily distinguishes the order. Types of capitals.

What does Palladian style mean?

Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from and inspired by the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). … Palladio’s work was strongly based on the symmetry, perspective, and values of the formal classical temple architecture of the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

Where are columns most commonly used?

Columns are frequently used to support beams or arches on which the upper parts of walls or ceilings rest. In architecture, “column” refers to such a structural element that also has certain proportional and decorative features.

What is inside the Naos of a Greek temple?

cella, Greek Naos, in Classical architecture, the body of a temple (as distinct from the portico) in which the image of the deity is housed. In early Greek and Roman architecture it was a simple room, usually rectangular, with the entrance at one end and with the side walls often being extended to form a porch.

Does the entablature include the pediment?

In classical architecture, an entablature is a horizontal assemblage of moldings, bands and detailing in the upper portion of a building. It is usual for the entablature to rise in horizontal layers up to either the roof, triangular pediment or arch. … The term is derived from the Latin word for table.