The upper part of the Greek National Academy building in Athens, showing the pediment with sculptures

A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure (entablature), typically supported by columns. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's The term Classical architecture has a specific Archaeological meaning relating to the architecture of Classical Greece An entablature (ɛnˈtæblətʃɚ Latin, and tabula, a tablet) refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above A column in Structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding. A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof The term cornice comes from Italian cornice, meaning “ledge Molding (USA or moulding (AUS CAN UK is a strip of material with various Cross sections used to cover transitions between surfaces The tympanum, or triangular area within the pediment, was often decorated with sculptures and reliefs demonstrating scenes of Greek and Roman mythology or allegorical figures it also consisted of many bright colours suitable to the nature of the building being adorned. A tympanum (plural tympana is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance bounded by a Lintel and Arch. A relief is a Sculptured Artwork where a modeled form is raised (or alternatively lowered from a flattened background without being disconnected from it The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore"

The Madeleine Church in Paris

History

Part of the eastern pediment on the Parthenon. L'église de la Madeleine (more formally L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine; less formally just La Madeleine) Madeleine Church in English is a church Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The Parthenon ( Ancient Greek:) is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis

The pediment is found in classical Greek temples, renaissance, and neo-classical architecture. The term Classical architecture has a specific Archaeological meaning relating to the architecture of Classical Greece Greek temples ( Ancient Greek:, grc-Latn ho naós "dwelling" semantically distinct from Latin la templum " Temple A prominent example is the Parthenon, where it served as a palette for beautiful, intricate sculptural detail, in the Roman Pantheon no such sculpture was intended. The Parthenon ( Ancient Greek:) is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis The Pantheon ( Latin Pantheon, from Greek Πάνθειον Pantheon, meaning "Temple of all the gods" is a building in Rome This architectural element was developed in the architecture of ancient Greece. Architecture was extinct in Greece from the end of the Mycenaean period (about 1200 BC to the 7th century BC when urpeppeeban life and prosperity recovered In Ancient Rome, the Renaissance, and later architectural revivals, the pediment was used as a non-structural element over windows, doors and aedicules. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Not to be confused with Historicism. Historicism refers to artistic styles that draw their inspiration from copying historic styles or artisans GlassWindowjpg|thumb|right|190px|A stained glass panel depicting Biblical scenes at a historic church in Scotland]] A window is an opening A door is a panel or barrier usually hinged or sliding that is used to cover an opening in a Wall or partition going into a building or space An ædicule ("little building" is a common framing device in both Classical architecture and Gothic architecture.

A variant is the "segmental" pediment, where the normal angular slope of the raking cornice is 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 used in Georgian style architecture. Georgian architecture is the name given in most English -speaking countries to the set of Architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840 A further variant is the "Swan-necked" pediment, where the raking cornice is in the form of two S-shaped brackets. A bracket is an architectural member made of wood stone or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight The decorations in the tympanum can extend through these openings, enriched with "Alto-relievo" sculpture, "tondo" paintings, mirrors or windows. Alto-relievo is translated from Italian as high-relief, a technique in Classical antiquity sculpture to reveal human or animal figures that project out from a A tondo (plural "tondi" is a Renaissance term for a circular work of art either a painting or a sculpture These forms were adopted in Mannerist architecture, and applied to furniture designed, or inspired, by Thomas Chippendale. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. Furniture is the Mass noun for the movable objects which may support the human body (seating furniture and beds, provide storage or hold objects on horizontal Thomas Chippendale ( Otley, near Leeds baptised - November 1779 was a London Cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian

Significant pediments in the United States

Broken segmental pediment at La Rotonda

• United States Capitol, Washington D.C.
• United States Supreme Court building, Washington D. Villa Capra "La Rotonda" is a Renaissance Villa just outside Vicenza, northern Italy, designed by Andrea Palladio. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Supreme Court building is the seat of the Supreme Court of the United States. C.
• National Archives Building, Washington D. The United States National Archives and Records Administration ( NARA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government charged C.
• Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison, Wisconsin
• Wayne County Building, Detroit, Michigan
• New York Stock Exchange Building, New York City
• San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, California
• Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City, Missouri
• Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In geology

In geology, a pediment is rock which slightly slopes upward along graded surfaces of rocks of various resistance. ||-||-||-||} The Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the state Supreme Madison is the capital of the US state of Wisconsin and the County seat of Dane County. The Wayne County Building is a Lowrise Government Tower in Detroit Michigan. The New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE) is a Stock exchange based in New York City. The City of New York The City Hall of San Francisco, California opened in 1915 in its open space area in the city's Civic Center, is a Beaux-Arts monument to the brief " The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The Missouri State Capitol is the state capitol building of the U The Philadelphia Museum of Art, located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia 's Fairmount Park, was established in 1876 Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Gilbert (1877) first described pediments on the upturned edges of tilted beds of Henry Mountains in Utah. The Henry Mountains are located in the southeastern portion of the U The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. They slightly relate to the profile of graded streams.

See also

The Pantheon in Rome, Italy. The Pantheon ( Latin Pantheon, from Greek Πάνθειον Pantheon, meaning "Temple of all the gods" is a building in Rome Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The pediment of this 2000-year-old building is the triangular piece above the columns

• Gable
• Temple (Greek)
• Temple (Roman)

References

• Dictionary of Ornament by Philippa Lewis & Gillian Darley (1986) NY: Pantheon
• Surface Processes and Land forms by Don J. A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof Greek temples ( Ancient Greek:, grc-Latn ho naós "dwelling" semantically distinct from Latin la templum " Temple Fanum At the temples Romans prayed and made Ritual Worship Offerings of a small gift or Animal sacrifices to their Roman Easterbrook (1999)NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc

External links