Dictionary:

pediment

  (pĕd'ə-mənt)

1. 1. A wide, low-pitched gable surmounting the façade of a building in the Grecian style.
   2. A triangular element, similar to or derivative of a Grecian pediment, used widely in architecture and decoration.
2. Geology. A broad, gently sloping rock surface at the base of a steeper slope, often covered with alluvium, formed primarily by erosion.

[Alteration (influenced by Latin pēs, ped-, foot) of earlier perement, probably alteration of PYRAMID.]

For more information on pediment, visit Britannica.com.

1. In Classical architecture, a triangular gable usually having a horizontal cornice, with raked cornices on each side, surmounting or crowning a portico or another major division of a façade, end wall, or colonnade.
2. A gable above or over a door, window, or hood; usually has a horizontal cornice, crowned with curved sides, or may also be crowned with another configuration (such as broken sides) or its base may be broken in the middle. For definitions and illustrations of specific types, See angular pediment, broken pediment, broken-scroll pediment, center-gabled pediment, curved pediment, open pediment, pointed pediment, round pediment, scroll pediment, segmental pediment, split pediment, swan’s-neck pediment, triangular pediment.

pediment

pedimented dormer

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. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding. 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 suitable to the nature of the building being adorned..

The pediment is found in classical Greek temples, renaissance, and neo-classical architecture. 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. 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.

Part of the eastern pediment on the Parthenon.

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. A further variant is the "Swan-necked" pediment, where the raking cornice is in the form of two S-shaped brackets. The decorations in the tympanum can extend through these openings, enriched with "Alto-relievo" sculpture, "tondo" paintings, mirrors or windows. These forms were adopted in Mannerist architecture, and applied to furniture designed, or inspired, by Thomas Chippendale.

Significant pediments in the United States

• United States Capitol, Washington D.C.
• United States Supreme Court building, Washington D.C.
• National Archives Building, Washington D.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

See also

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

Gallery

Broken segmental pediment at La Rotonda

The Pantheon in Rome, Italy. The pediment of this 2000-year-old building is the triangular piece above the columns

References

• Dictionary of Ornament by Philippa Lewis & Gillian Darley (1986) NY: Pantheon

External Links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

:Category:Tympanums

• Pediment sculptures in Washington, DC:
  • Labor & ICC Buildings
  • Commerce Building
  • National Archives
  • Supreme Court

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - frontispice

Nederlands (Dutch)
fronton, brede stenen vlakte onderaan berg

Français (French)
n. - fronton

Deutsch (German)
n. - Ziergiebel

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (αρχιτ.) αέτωμα

Italiano (Italian)
frontone

Português (Portuguese)
n. - frontão (m) (Arquit.)

Русский (Russian)
фронтон

Español (Spanish)
n. - frontón

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - prydnadsgavel, fronton, grundval

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
山形墙, 三角墙

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 山形牆, 三角牆

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 박공벽

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ペディメント, 山麓緩斜面, 破風

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) زخرف مدخل في بناء, قوصرة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮גמלון (בחזית בניין), אדן סלע‬

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