ABACUS
a large slab placed above the column capital to support the architrave or an arch placed above it.

ACANTHUS
a plant found on the shores of the Mediterranean and particularly admired by the Greeks and Romans for the elegance of its leaves. Found on many classical designs such as the Corinthian and Composite columns.

Check out some of our Acanthus Appliques.

ACROTERIA
plinths for statues or ornaments placed at the apex and ends of a pediment: also, more loosely, both the plinths and what stands on them.

AEDICULE
a frame formed by two columns and an entablature with pediment.

AMORINO
ornament from the Renaissance; alternatively referred to as a cupid.

AMPHIPROSTYLE
when both façades have columns - but no columns on the sides. The number of columns never exceeded four (4) on each façade. An example is the Temple of Nike in Athens, Greece.

ANNULET
a small flat fillet encircling a column. It is used under the echinus of a Greek Doric capital several times, and is also called a shaft ring. The term has also been applied to the fillets separating fluted in columns, and is also called a "list" or "listella."

ANTA (ANTAE)
a species of pilasters used in Greek & Roman architecture to terminate the pteromata, or side walls, of temples - when they are prolonged beyond the face of the end walls. The first order of temples, according to Vitruvius, is called "in antis," because the pronaos, or porch, in front of the cell is formed by the projection of the pteromata terminated by the antae - with columns between them. They may be said to correspond to the "respond" in English architecture.

ANTEFIX
ornamental blocks on the edge of a roof to conceal the ends of the tiles.

ANTHEMION
Greek ornament of alternating palmettes and lotus motifs or two types of palmettes (one open, one closed) usually found on a cornice or neck of an Ionic capital; frequently used in the 1700s.

ARCHITRAVE
the lowest part of the entablature, the part below the frieze that rests directly on the abacus of the column capital.

ASTRAGAL
a small molding of a rounded, convex section. The ring that separates the capital from the column shaft of a Classical column, and may be ornamented.

ATLANTID
a sculpted male figure acting as a column to support an entablature, named after Atlas (a Titan in Greek mythology).

ATTIC STORY
the part placed above the entablature of a building, e.g.: often seen in triumphal arches.

BALUSTER
a small column or a little, round, short pillar that is part of a balustrade. The word “baluster” comes from the Italian word blausto or balaustra meaning the flower of the pomegranate.

BASE MOLDING
a projecting molding or band of moldings near the bottom of a wall; it is sometimes placed immediately on top of the plinth, and sometimes a short distance above it, in which case the intervening space is frequently paneled in circles and quatrefoils.

BEAD & REEL
a decoration of alternating, sometimes grouped, circular and oval beads generally small in scale and used to enrich the astragal. Also referred to as ''Bead & Barrel.''

Check out our Bead & Barrel molding designs.

BEAM
appears formerly, as at present, to have been applied generally to the principal horizontal timbers of a building.

BED MOULD
is a convex, rounded molding that is commonly of a semi-circular section. It is molding under a corona, between it and the frieze, or any molding under any projection.

BELL
the body of a Corinthian or a Composite capital, supposing the foliage stripped off, is called the bell; the same name is applied also to the Early English and other capitals in Gothic architecture which in any degree resemble this form.

BELVEDERE
a tower or turret built for the purpose of giving a view.

BOARD-AND-BATTEN
a form of wood siding for exterior walls, consisting of long vertical boards and thin strips, or battens, which extend over adjacent boards or joints (the spaces between adjacent surfaces). Often seen as shutters.

Browse our Board-and-Batten Shutter designs.

BOLSTER
the return side of an Ionic capital resembling a baluster on its side; or a cushion.

BUCRANE
a carved representation of an ox-head or an ox-skull (or aegicrane if ram or goat), garlanded, and found in the metopes of the Roman Doric frieze - often alternating with rosettes or phialai.

CABLE FLUTING
a round molding frequently worked in the flutes of columns & pilasters in Classical architecture, and nearly filling up the hollow part. They seldom extend higher than the third part of the shaft.

CAPITAL
the crown which joins the top of a column with the abacus and aids in distributing weight. Different types include the simple convex Doric and the highly decorative Corinthian with stylized acanthus leaves.

Take a look at our our Capital designs.

CARTOUCHE
an oval tablet with an elaborate scroll-carved frame, used as ornamentation for building moldings, borders, panels, etc.

Take a look at our Cartouche designs.

CARYATID
a sculpted female figure acting as a column to support an entablature, e.g.: in the Erechtheion.

CAVETTO
a concave molding of one quarter of a circle, used in the Grecian and other styles of architecture.

CHERUB
a baby male figure, winged - usually associated with clouds, funerary monuments, etc. in Baroque sculpture. Cherubs are usually podgy, and may be given overt displays of grief. They must be distinguished from putti - which are little boy figures who are wingless.

COMPOSITE ORDER
one of the five Classical Orders. A Roman elaboration of the Corinthian Order, having the acanthus leaves of its capital combined with the large volutes of the Ionic Order, and other details also elaborated. The column height should be (10) times the diameter.

CONCH (or CONCHA)
also known as an apse, a recess in a wall often highly decorated or containing a statue. Often times, it reflects a shell pattern.

CORBEL
a block of stone, elaborately carved, projecting from a wall and sometimes supporting a load like the beams of a roof, floor or vault, or sometimes used for decorative effect only. Also: a projecting block supporting a beam or other horizontal element. Today, many corbels are made from wood & plaster.

Check out our Plaster Corbel designs.

CORINTHIAN ORDER
the most slender and most ornate of the three Greek Orders, characterized by a bell-shaped capital with Volutes and two rows of acanthus elaborate cornice. It is considered one of the most lavish Orders of Architecture. The Corinthian Order was used by both the Greeks and the Romans. The column height should be (10) times the diameter.

CORNICE
the decorative molded projecting part at the top of the entablature which also aided in drainage of rainwater.

CUPOLA
a small dome, a rounded roof on a circular or polygonal base crowning a roof or turret. Also, a small, often squarish tower on a roof.

CYMA (or CYMATIUM)
a moulding in the form of a reverse curve, used as the crowning component of a cornice and elsewhere.

CYMA RECTA
a cyma moulding having a concave curve uppermost, with a convex curve below.

DOME
a convex covering over a circular, square, or polygonal space. Domes may be hemispherical, semi-elliptical, pointed or onion-shaped. Also, a large rounded roof or ceiling on a circular or many-sided base, cupola.

DORIC ORDER
the column and entablature developed by the Dorian Greeks, sturdy in proportion, with a simple cushion capital. This Order was utilized by both the Greeks & the Romans. The column height should be (8) times the diameter. The Greek Doric column typically has an overall height between (4) - (6-1/2) diameters.

EAGLE
animal attributed to power or victory.

Browse some of our Eagle Applique designs.

ECHINUS
the egg-and-anchor, or egg-and-tongue ornament, frequently carved on the ovolo in Classical architecture: the term is also applied to the ovolo molding, but in strictness it belongs to it only when then enriched.

EGG AND DART
a typical feature of decoration on cornices. This style showcases egg-like motifs with arrow-like elements, alternating in between each egg shape. Egg & Tongue, and Egg & Anchor are commonly used terms.

Browse our Egg and Dart Compo moulding designs.

ENTABLATURE
the structure which lies horizontally above columns and which is composed of the architrave, frieze and cornice.

ESCUTCHEON
a shield on which a coat of arms is fixed.

EYE
the decorative central disc of an Ionic volute, sometimes enriched with a flower of other motif.

the front face or elevation of a building. (All buildings have a facade though some are decorated more than the rest of the building).

FAME
a winged female figure blowing a trumpet, often found in spandrels, as in triumphal arches.

FASCIA
a broad fillet, band, or face, used in Classical architecture, sometimes by itself but usually in combination with moldings. Architraves are frequently divided into two or three fasciae, each of which projects slightly beyond that which is below it.

FESTOON
a carved ornament in the form of a garland of fruit and flowers, tied with ribbons and suspended at both ends in a loop; commonly used on a frieze or panel also called a swag.

Take a look at our Compo Festoon designs & our Plaster Festoon designs.

FILLET
a narrow plain band with a vertical face, interposed between adjacent mouldings, e.g. on a cornice.

FINIAL
formal ornament at the top of a newel or gable. Often seen in the center of an entryway pediment.

Browse our Plaster Finial designs.

FLEUR DE LIS
French lily flower; heraldic flower with three petals forming a stylized lily.

Browse our Fleur de Lis applique designs.

FLUTES
the curved vertical channels carved in a column. Columns in the Greek Doric Order have (20) flutes, and the Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite Orders showcases (24) flutes. Typically, columns in the Tuscan Order are not fluted.

FRIEZE
the widest and central part of the entablature often richly decorated with relief sculpture.

GAZEBO
a small apartment on a roof with a view - also called a belvedere. A summer house, or any ornamental structure commanding a view.

GREEK KEY
a labyrinthine fret used in bands, often on string-courses and sometimes on friezes.

Browse our Greek Key moulding designs.

GRIFFIN
animal with the head, wings, and claws of an eagle and the body of a lion.

Browse our Compo Griffin Appliques.

GUTTAE
small ornaments resembling drops, used in the Doric entablature on the under side of the mutules of the cornice, and beneath the taenia of the architrave, under the triglyphs. There are generally (18) of them under the mutules, set in three rows - each row parallel to the front, and (6) under the regula.

HELIX (pl. HELICES)
little spiral ornaments or volutes, 16 in number, in the Corinthian capital - also called urillae, under the abacus. There are two at each angle of the abacus, and two in the center of each face - branching form the caulicoli, or stalks, that rise between the acanthus leaves. Vitruvius called the inner spirals only helices, calling the outer spirals a the corners volutae - which is also his term for the volutes of the Ionic capital.

HIPPOCAMP
a creature with the head and forelegs of a horse, and the tail of a fish.

HYPOSTYLE
a covered colonnade: a hall with many columns.

IONIC ORDER
the Classical order of architecture, originated by the Ionian Greeks, characterized by its capital with large volutes, a fascinated entablature, continuous frieze, usually dentils in the cornice, and by its elegant detailing, less heavy than the Doric, less elaborate than the Corinthian. The Ionic Order is the second of the Orders used by the Greeks, and the third used by the Romans. The column shaft is generally fluted, with fillets between the flutes. The column height should be (9) times the diameter.

JOISTS
the horizontal timbers in a floor, on which the flooring is laid: also the small timbers which sustain a ceiling.

KEYSTONE
the central, topmost stone of an arch. It locks in the voussoirs before the centering scaffolding can be removed.

LAMBS TONGUE
(1) - the end of a handrail which is turned out or down from the rail and curved so as to resemble a tongue. (2) - a cut moldings, usually two ovolos separated by a fillet and set off by fillets at the other ends.

Browse our Lambs Tongue molding designs.

LINTEL
a horizontal beam over an opening in a wall that carries the weight of the structure above.

LOTUS
a common Greek and Egyptian ornament, often mixed with the palmette. Lotus flowers and lotus buds can sometimes be found together.

LOUVERED
a window shutter or door fitted with slanting fixed or movable slats to admit air, but exclude rain, snow, or to provide privacy. Often seen in shutters.

Browse our Louvered Shutter designs.

MANSARD ROOF
a roof having two slopes on each of its four sides; the lower slope is steeper than the upper. Mansard roofs have dormers in them so that a usable third floor is created as opposed to an attic.

MANTEL
a decorative shelf, or horizontal beam over a fireplace. The mantelpiece is carried on the jambs of the chimney space.

MEDALLION
a square, elliptical, circular, or oval tablet on which are figures, designs, or busts - usually carved in relief. Today's medallions can be made in a variety of materials, such as Plaster, Wood, Urethane, and more!

Browse our hundreds of historically-accurate Ceiling Medallion designs to see any match your style.

METOPE
a square space in the frieze between two triglyphs, often filled with relief sculpture or ornaments such as shields. Prevalent with the Doric Order.

MITRE
the line formed by the meeting of moldings or other surfaces, which intersect or intercept each other at an angle.

MODILLION
Greek classical feature of large rectangular shapes closely placed beneath the cornice, that are similar to a bracket in use, although modillions are purely ornamental as they formalize the look of beams protruding from beneath the roof of a early wood-framed building.

MODULE
a measure of proportion by which the parts of an order or of a building are regulated in Classical architecture; it has been generally considered as the diameter, or semi-diameter, of the lower end of the shaft of the column.

MOLD
the model or pattern used by workmen, especially by masons, as a guide in working moldings, ornaments, and other architectural products.

MOLDING
a member of construction or decoration so treated as to introduce varieties of outline or contour in edges or surfaces, whether on projections or cavities, as on cornices, capitals, bases, etc.

Browse our Molding Collections.

MONOLITHIC COLUMN
a column carved from a single piece of stone.

MOUCHETTE
a teardrop-shaped Gothic tracery design.

MULLION
a vertical bar on a window, door, and shutters that divide and support the panes or panels.

MUTULE
a projecting block worked under the corona of the Doric cornice, in the same situation as the modillions in the Corinthian & Composite Orders. It is often made to slope downward towards the most prominent part, and has usually a number of small guttae, or drops, worked on the underside.

NECK
in the Classical Orders, the space between the bottom of the capital and the top of the shaft, which is marked by a sinkage or a ring of moldings.

NEWEL
the end post of a balustrade; an ornamented post at the top, bottom, or landing of a stairway that supports the handrail.

NEWEL CAP
the cap is on the top of the newel.

NICHE
a recess in a wall for a statue, vase, or other erect ornament. Among the ancients they were sometimes square, but more often semi-circular at the back, and terminated in a half-dome at the top.

Take a look at our Plaster Niche Caps.

OCULUS
a circular opening / a round window.

OGEE
an S-shaped double curve, one convex and the other concave. The cyma molding.

ORDER
in Classical Architecture, an entire column, consisting of base, shaft, and capital, with an entablature. There are usually said to be five orders: the Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite; but the first and last, sometimes called 'the two Roman Orders,' are little more than varieties of the Doric and Corinthian, and were not used by the Greeks.

ORNAMENT
in architecture, every detail of shape, texture, and color that is deliberately exploited or added to attract an observer.

Browse our collection of Ornaments.

OVOLO
a convex molding much used in Classical architecture; in the Roman examples it is usually an exact quarter of a circle, but in the Grecian it is flatter, and is most commonly quirked at the top.

a stylized palm leaf shape used as a decorative element in classical art and architecture.  Take a look at some of Brockwell Incorporated's Palmette Molding designs.

QUATREFOIL
four-leafed Gothic design found in tracery.

QUOIN
cornerstone of a building, rising the entire height of the wall, and distinguished from the main construction material by size, texture, or conspicuous joining. In masonry construction, they reinforce the corners,; in wood construction, they do not bear any load, are made of wood and imitate the effect of stone or brick.

ROSETTE
a kind of rose was sometimes used as an ornament on the face of the abacus on Corinthian capitals. It is also used as a decorative ornament on a variety of surfaces with the purpose of adding an ornate touch.

Browse our Compo Rosette designs.

RUNNING DOG
Greek ornamental design to look like a course of waves. Also called Vitruvian Wave.

SOFFIT
exposed underpart of an arch, architrave, or overhanging cornice.

TAENIA
the fillet or band at the top of a Doric architrave, separating it from the frieze.

TAPER
a gradual diminution of thickness in a column.

TETRASTYLE
with four columns at each façade.

TORCH
when turned upside down, this symbol that is usually placed on funerary monuments and often held by a putto, represents death (the extinguishing of the flame). Upright torches are often associated with candelabra, and occur as decorative motifs in Neoclassical Architecture. The upright torch also symbolizes life, truth, hope & enlightenment.

TORUS
a bold projecting molding, convex in shape, generally forming the lowest member of a base over the plinth.

TRACERY
elaborate ornamental pattern-work in stone subdividing the upper part of a Gothic window. Today, traceries are often seen as a plaster material, and used for ceiling decorations.

Take a look at our Tracery Designs.

TRANSOM
a horizontal glazed opening above a door or window.

TREFOIL
three-leafed as in Gothic tracery design.

TRELLIS
a frame of thin bars of wood used as a screen or on which plants may climb. The structure is cross-barred or lattice-work.

TRIGLYPH
a decorative element of a frieze with two vertical grooves. Often used in alteration with metopes.

TRIUMPHAL COLUMN
a large, single column on a pedestal, erected as a public monument. The most celebrated example is that of Trajan (second century AD) with its spiral bands of sculpture and its massive base that contained the tomb-chamber of the Emperor.

TUSCAN ORDER
a simplified version of the Roman Doric Order, having a plain frieze and no mutules in the cornice. The Tuscan Order is considered to be the simplest of the five Orders of Classical Architecture. Classically, the shaft of the column is never fluted, and the capital has a square abacus. The base consists of a square plinth and a large torus. The column height should be (7) times the diameter.

TRUMEAU
a center post supporting the lintel that spans the width of an arch in a Romanesque portal ensemble.

TYMPANUM
the area within a pediment, often decorated with scroll sawn ornaments, scalloped siding or sculpted figures as in Greek and Roman buildings.

URN
large ornamental bulbous containers often containing floral arrangements that became a decorative end piece on roofs and newel posts in classical Greek architecture.

Take a look at our Urn Appliques.

VELLAR CUPOLA
a dome over staircases or salons, that is, over any compartment that is more than one story high. Also known as a sail dome.

VIGNOLA
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola. He was an Italian architect in the 16th century who helped form the canons of classical architecture. He additionally helped create the system of columns being classified within the (5) Classical Orders of Architecture.

VILLA
a house in the country, often large and luxurious.

VITRUVIAN SCROLL
a peculiar pattern of scroll-work, consisting of convolved undulations, used in Classical architecture. The name given after the great architectural writer Vitruvius. It is essentially a series of stylized waves. Also called a Running Dog.

Browse our Vitruvian Scroll mouldings.

VITRUVIUS
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio. He was a Roman author and architect during the 1st century BC, who significantly contributed to classical architecture with his multi-volume book, De architectura.

VOLUTES
the scrolls of an Ionic capital, and also seen in the Corinthian & Composite Orders. The spiral elements of the capital.

WAINSCOT
this term originally seems to have implied rough planks of oak timber, and subsequently to have been given to wooden paneling, to which they were converted for lining the inner walls of houses and churches. It was extensively employed during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I, and for a long period afterwards. The name has long ceased to be confined to oak paneling. It is also called Seeling-work.

WEATHERING
an inclination given to horizontal surfaces to throw off water.

WREATH
a twisted band, garland, or chaplet, representing flowers, fruits, leaves, etc. - often used as decorative elements.

Prevalent in Classical Greek & Roman eras, the wreath held several symbolic meanings, including: Victory, Strength, Eternity, and Remembrance.

Take a look at our Wreath Applique Designs.

WROUGHT IRON
a tough, malleable, relatively soft iron that is readily forged and welded, having a fibrous structure containing approximately 0.2% carbon and a small amount of uniformly distributed slag.

YARD
a paved area, generally at the rear of a house. An enclosed utilitarian area surround by walls or outbuildings.

ZIGGURATS
platforms with the temple of the local god on them - shops, houses clustered around them. Found in Mesopotamia, built by the Sumerians.

ZOPHORUS
a frieze decorated with reliefs featuring animals.