Molding (decorative)

Cavetto molding profile and resulting shadow pattern
Ovolo molding profile and resulting shadow pattern
Cyma recta molding profile and resulting shadow pattern

In architecture and interior design, a molding (or moulding in British and Australian English) is a strip of material with a particular sectional profile, used either ornamentally or for practical considerations such as weatherproofing, concealing transitions between surfaces, and other purposes. Moldings have traditionally been made from materials such as milled wood, stone, cement, stucco or plaster; but plastic and engineered wood moldings are also common in more modern contexts.

Types

Decorative plaster moldings and coving in a late Victorian town house in South Wales.
Moldings from 1728 Table of architecture in the Cyclopedia

Common molding-related terms include:

Use

At their simplest, moldings can hide or help to weatherproof natural joints in the structure of buildings. Decoratively, they can be a means of adding visual interest to a surface without having to change the material or apply pigments. Moldings are often implemented for a combination of practical and decorative purposes.

As decorative elements, the contrast between light and shade created by moldings gives definition to the object. If a vertical wall is lit at an angle of about 45 degrees above the wall (for example, by the sun) then adding a small overhanging horizontal molding, called a fillet molding, will introduce a dark horizontal shadow below it. Adding a vertical fillet to a horizontal surface will create a light vertical shadow. Graded shadows are possible by using moldings in different shapes: the concave cavetto molding produces a horizontal shadow that is darker at the top and lighter at the bottom; an ovolo (convex) molding makes a shadow that is lighter at the top and darker at the bottom. Other varieties of concave molding are the scotia and congé and other convex moldings the echinus, the torus and the astragal.

Placing an ovolo directly above a cavetto forms a smooth s-shaped curve with vertical ends that is called an ogee or cyma reversa molding. Its shadow appears as a band light at the top and bottom but dark in the interior. Similarly, a cavetto above an ovolo forms an s with horizontal ends, called a cyma or cyma recta. Its shadow shows two dark bands with a light interior.

Together the basic elements and their variants form a decorative vocabulary that can be assembled and rearranged in endless combinations. This vocabulary is at the core of both classical architecture and Gothic architecture.

Design

Classical

Roman moldings in the cornice of the Maison carrée in Nimes, France

In the Classical traditions of Ancient Greece and Rome, the combination and arrangement of moldings were primarily done according to preconceived compositions.[citation needed] Typically, moldings were rarely improvised by the architect or builder, but rather they followed established conventions that defined the ratio, geometry, scale, and overall configuration of a molding course or entablature in proportion to the entire building. Classical moldings had their roots in even earlier civilizations, with examples such as the 'cornice cavetto' and 'papyriform columns' appearing in ancient Egyptian architecture,[citation needed] while Greek and Roman practices developed into the highly regulated classical orders that eventually became known throughout the Roman Empire. Widely recognised Classical molding techniques included the astragal and ovolo profiles, the egg-and-dart motif, among many other standard designs.

From the Renaissance onwards there was a renewed interest in Classical architectural forms, including its molding patterns. Necessary to the spread of Classical style was the circulation of pattern books, which provided reproducible copies and diagrammatic plans for architects and builders.[citation needed] Works containing sections and ratios of moldings had appeared as early as the Roman era with Vitruvius, and this inspired the publication of influential treatises such as Andrea Palladio's Four Books on Architecture, Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola's Five Orders of Architecture, and James Gibbs's Rules for Drawing the Several Parts of Architecture. Pattern books can be credited for the regularization and continuity of classical architectural moldings across countries and continents particularly during the colonial era, contributing to the global occurrence of Classical moldings and elements.[citation needed]

Romanesque and Gothic

Layered moldings integrated into the Gothic arches of Wells Cathedral, England

In the Middle Ages, much of the formal knowledge of Classical architectural principles was lost,[citation needed] resulting in the development of new molding patterns in the Romanesque and Gothic styles of architecture.[citation needed] There was significant variation in the decorative forms used, with techniques spreading and constantly evolving through the migration of trained masons who transferred their knowledge and skills from region to region.[citation needed] Moldings were frequently integrated into the masonry structure of arches, vaulting ribs, window tracery, and column shafts. Hood moldings over openings were also common, helping to shed rainwater away from walls and windows in order to protect the building from water damage.

Medieval architectural forms were later imitated by prominent Gothic Revivalists such as Augustus Pugin and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who formalized the Gothic style and compiled their own systematic pattern books recording the moldings and other decorative elements they had observed. This allowed other architects to easily replicate the style, contributing to the spread of the Gothic Revival around the world in the 19th century.

Modern day

Pattern books remained common currency amongst architects and builders up until the early 20th century, but soon after mostly disappeared as Classical architecture lost favor to Modernist and post-war building practices that actively avoided using ornamental features like moldings.[citation needed] However, the study of formalized pattern languages, including moldings, has since been revived through online resources and the popularity of new classical architecture in the early 21st century.[citation needed]

While decorative moldings continue to be made from wood and plaster, the use of synthetic materials such as extruded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or expanded polystyrene (EPS) have become widespread more recently.[when?] The hollow plastic core is often covered in a cement-based outer coating. Other easily mass-produced materials such as medium-density fibreboard (MDF) are also popular. In the modern construction industry, synthetic moldings offer a more cost-effective alternative to traditional materials while providing similar aesthetic appeal.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Table of architecture". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al. p. 128.
  2. ↑ Wikisource One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bed-Mould". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 622.
  3. ↑ "Bed Mould". metrie.com. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lewis, Philippa & Gillian Darley (1986) Dictionary of Ornament, NY: Pantheon
  5. ↑ Wikisource One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cable Moulding". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 921.
  6. ↑ Spiers, Richard Phené (1911). "Mouldings" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 932–934.
  7. ↑ Wikisource One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cyma". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 690.
  8. ↑ Wikisource One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Keel-Moulding". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 712.
  9. ↑ "Lamb's tongue profile". Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  10. ↑ See drawings of period ceilings in Bankart, George, "The Art of the Plasterer", 1908; also Millar, William, "Plastering, Plain & Decorative", 1897
  11. ↑ Wikisource One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Torus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 79.
  12. ↑ Distinctive Wood Designs Inc. (2010) "Trim Mouldings"

Further reading