Pediments are
gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...
s, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the
lintel, or
entablature, if supported by
columns. Pediments can contain an
overdoor
An "overdoor" (or "Supraporte" as in German, or "sopraporte" as in Italian) is a painting, bas-relief or decorative panel, generally in a horizontal format, that is set, typically within ornamental mouldings, over a door, or was originally intend ...
and are usually topped by
hood moulds.
A pediment is sometimes the top element of a
portico. For symmetric designs, it provides a center point and is often used to add grandness to entrances.
The
tympanum, the triangular area within the pediment, is often decorated with a
pedimental sculpture
Pedimental sculpture is a form of architectural sculpture designed for installation in the tympanum, the space enclosed by the architectural element called the pediment. Originally a feature of Ancient Greek architecture, pedimental sculpture ...
which may be freestanding or a
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
sculpture.
The tympanum may hold an inscription, or in modern times, a clock face.
Pediments are found in
ancient Greek architecture as early as 600 BC (e.g. the archaic
Temple of Artemis). Variations of the pediment occur in later architectural styles such as
Classical,
Neoclassical and
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
.
Gable roofs were common in ancient Greek temples with a low pitch (angle of 12.5° to 16°).
History
The pediment is found in classical
Greek temples, Etruscan, Roman, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts architecture. A prominent example is the
Parthenon, where it contains a
tympanum decorated with figures in relief sculpture. This architectural element was developed in the
architecture of ancient Greece and first appeared as gable ends of Greek temples.
In
ancient Rome
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...
, the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
, and later
architectural revivals, the pediment was used as a non-structural element over
windows,
doors and
aedicula
In ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (plural ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns and typically framing a statue,"aedicula, ...
e. Some used to protect windows and openings from weather.
As classical architecture moved to Britain during the Renaissance, pediments wouldn't fit with the steeply pitched roofs and became detached from the structure to only create an impression. The form of the pediment is dictated by the primary function of the roof which in several areas is the dismissal of rainwater.
A variant is the "segmental" or "arch" pediment, where the normal angular slopes of the cornice are replaced by one in the form of a segment of a circle, in the manner of a depressed arch. Both traditional and segmental pediments have "broken" and "open" forms. In the broken pediment the raking cornice is left open at the apex. The open pediment is open along the base – often " sculpture, "
tondo" paintings, mirrors or windows. 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.
[Harris, Cyril M., ed. ''Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture'', Dover Publications, New York, c. 1977, 1983 edition p. 386] Another variant is the swan's neck pediment and is a refinement of a broken pediment with two "S"-shaped profiles resembling a swan's neck. Non-triangular variations of pediments are usually found over doors, windows, and porches.
File:Acròpoli d'Atenes, façana est del Partenó.JPG, One of the few sections of the sculpture of the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...
pediment of the Parthenon still in place; others are the Elgin marbles in the British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
, London
File:Pediments of the Parthenon as they were in 1683 - Stuart James & Revett Nicholas - 1816.jpg, Illustrations with the sculptures of the two pediments of the Parthenon, by James Stuart and Nicholas Revett in 1794
File:Celsus library in Ephesus (5631574095).jpg, Ancient Roman segmental pediment of the Library of Celsus, Ephesus, Turkey
File:F06.St.-Jouin.1912.jpg, Romanesque pediment of the Abbaye Saint-Jouin de Marnes, Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes
Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes (, literally ''Saint-Jouin of Marnes'') is a former commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Plaine-et-Vallées.Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres () is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a population of 374,878 in 2019. , France
File:Orvieto, cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (017).jpg, Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
pediment of the Orvieto Cathedral, Orvieto, Italy
File:Desplats-2.jpg, Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
highly decorated pediment of the Hôtel Desplats ou de Palaminy, Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...
, France
File:Paris - Palais du Louvre - PA00085992 - 1560.jpg, Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
pediment of the Pavillon Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, part of the Palais du Louvre, Paris
File:Münster, Erbdrostenhof -- 2014 -- 4011.jpg, Rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
pediment of the Erbdrostenhof, Münster, Germany
File:Petit Trianon, théâtre de la Reine, entrée.jpg, Louis XVI
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...
pediment of the Théâtre de la reine, part of the Petit Trianon
The Petit Trianon (; French for "small Trianon") is a Neoclassical style château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. It was built between 1762 and 1768 during the reign of King Louis XV of France. ...
, France
File:Détail façade principale Palais Garnier Paris 13.jpg, Beaux-Arts pediment with sculptures on the facade of the Palais Garnier, Paris
File:3-5, Strada Icoanei, Bucharest (Romania) 1.jpg, Romanian Revival door pediment of the Școala Centrală National College
Școala Centrală National College ( ro, Colegiul Național Școala Centrală; literally, “Central School”) is an institution of primary, secondary, and upper secondary education in Bucharest, Romania which functioned along the passing of time ...
, Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
File:Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Tallinn.jpg, Russian Revival pediment with mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn, Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
See also
*
Classical architecture
Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect ...
*
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...
*
Pedimental sculpture
Pedimental sculpture is a form of architectural sculpture designed for installation in the tympanum, the space enclosed by the architectural element called the pediment. Originally a feature of Ancient Greek architecture, pedimental sculpture ...
*
Pedimental sculptures in Canada
Pedimental sculptures are sculptures within the frame of a pediment on the exterior of a building, some examples of which can be found in Canada. Pedimental sculpture poses special challenges to sculptors: the triangular composition limits the ch ...
*
Pedimental sculptures in the United States
*
Temple (Greek)
Greek temples ( grc, ναός, naós, dwelling, semantically distinct from Latin , "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, ...
*
Temple (Roman)
Notes
References
* ''Dictionary of Ornament'' by Philippa Lewis & Gillian Darley (1986) NY: Pantheon
External links
* {{Cite EB1911, wstitle= Pediment , volume= 21 , page= 37
Architectural elements
Columns and entablature