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The Entablature ClipArt gallery provides 17 examples of entablatures, the horizontal structure of classical buildings that rests on columns and supports the pediment above. Entablatures usually consist of the architrave, the frieze, and the cornice.

The columns in the ruins of Persepolis are circular and slender, and have capitals and bases. The capital generally consists of two half-horses or bulls, whose fore feet overlap the border of the shaft, and which are placed back to back.

Capital and Entablature from the Rock Tomb of Darius

The columns in the ruins of Persepolis are circular and slender, and have capitals and bases. The capital…

A mised order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order with the leaves of the Corinthian order.

Composite Order

A mised order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order with the leaves of the Corinthian order.

One of the three orders of classical architecture. It was said to have been invented by an architect, Callimachus, who was inspired by the sight of a votive basket that had been left on the grave of a young girl.

Corinthian Order

One of the three orders of classical architecture. It was said to have been invented by an architect,…

The entablature resting on the columns has three parts: a plain architrave divided into two, or more generally three, bands, with a frieze resting on it that may be richly sculptural, and a cornice built up with dentils, with a corona and cyma molding to support the projecting roof.

Ionic Cornice from the Temple of Minerva Polias at Priene

The entablature resting on the columns has three parts: a plain architrave divided into two, or more…

An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave, frieze, and the cornice. The term cornice comes from Italian cornice, meaning "ledge." Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding which crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.

Cornice of Entablature over Doorway at the Great Temple at Philæ

An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns,…

Architectural detail from the Palace of Diocletian at Spalato, A.D. 300.

Palace of Diocletian Detail

Architectural detail from the Palace of Diocletian at Spalato, A.D. 300.

An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave—the supporting member carried from column to column, pier or wall immediately above; the frieze—an unmolded strip that may or may not be ornamented; and the cornice, the projecting member below the pediment. The structure of the entablature varies with the three classical orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. In each, the proportions of the subdivisions (architrave, frieze, cornice) are defined by the proportions of the column in the order. In Roman and Renaissance interpretations, it is usually around a fourth of the height of the column. Variants of entablature that do not fit these models are usually derived from them.

Entablanture

An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns,…

"The horizontal portion of an order, including cornice, frieze, and architrave, which is supported by the columns." — Williams, 1889

Entablature

"The horizontal portion of an order, including cornice, frieze, and architrave, which is supported by…

Simple styles, such as the Doric, which accorded so intimately with the whole disposition of the Grecian temple, and the Ionic, were but rarely used; whilst, on the other hand, the Corinthian order was extremely prevalent, for it corresponded to the desire for splendor and magnificence. This order was employed, not, as among the Greeks, in small dimensions, but on the largest scale.

Corinthian Entablature from the Nerva at Rome

Simple styles, such as the Doric, which accorded so intimately with the whole disposition of the Grecian…

"Doric Entablature. E, entablature: a, epistyle or architrave; b, frieze; c, cornice." -Whitney, 1911

Doric Entablature

"Doric Entablature. E, entablature: a, epistyle or architrave; b, frieze; c, cornice." -Whitney, 1911

The frieze of the Doric order is not taken up with sculpture in uninterrupted succession, but it occurs in groups at regular intervals, separated by features called triglyphs (a). The spaces formed between the triglyphs are called metopes (b).

Doric Order Frieze in the Parthenon at Athens

The frieze of the Doric order is not taken up with sculpture in uninterrupted succession, but it occurs…

"A Frieze, in architecture, is that portion of the entablature which is between the architrave and the cornice. It was generally adorned with triglyphs in the Doric order. The term frieze was also applied to a broad band of sculpture, in low relief, that was frequently placed round the cella of a Grecian temple, immediately under the ceiling of the portico, and completely surrounding the exterior."—(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

Roman-Doric Frieze

"A Frieze, in architecture, is that portion of the entablature which is between the architrave and the…

In architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain or—in the Ionic or Corinthian order—decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon the architrave ('main beam') and is capped by the moldings of the cornice.In interiors, the frieze of a room is the section of wall above the picture rail and under the crown moldings or cornice. By extension, a frieze is a long stretch of painted, sculpted or even calligraphic decoration in such a position, normally above eye-level. Frieze decorations may depict scenes in a sequence of discrete panels. The material of which the frieze is made of may be plasterwork, carved wood or other decorative medium.This image is "intended to convey an idea of the details of decoration which characterized the Renaissance style during its best period, and which display considerable grace and finish. They are based on the antique Roman type, but still display a peculiar independent treatment, as in the deeply under-cut foliage in the arabesques and the lightness and clearness of the stalks and tendrils."

Friezes at Venice

In architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain or—in…

In architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain or—in the Ionic or Corinthian order—decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon the architrave ('main beam') and is capped by the moldings of the cornice.In interiors, the frieze of a room is the section of wall above the picture rail and under the crown moldings or cornice. By extension, a frieze is a long stretch of painted, sculpted or even calligraphic decoration in such a position, normally above eye-level. Frieze decorations may depict scenes in a sequence of discrete panels. The material of which the frieze is made of may be plasterwork, carved wood or other decorative medium.This image is "intended to convey an idea of the details of decoration which characterized the Renaissance style during its best period, and which display considerable grace and finish. They are based on the antique Roman type, but still display a peculiar independent treatment, as in the deeply under-cut foliage in the arabesques and the lightness and clearness of the stalks and tendrils."

Friezes at Venice

In architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain or—in…

"Guttae in Doric Architecture. A, form of gutta beneath regula; G, G, guttae beneath mutules and regulae. GUTTA. A drop; specifically, in architecture, one of a series of pendent ornaments, generally in the form of the frustum of a cone, but sometimes cylindrical, attached to the under side of the mutules and regulae of the Doric entablature." -Whitney, 1911

Gutta in Doric Architecture

"Guttae in Doric Architecture. A, form of gutta beneath regula; G, G, guttae beneath mutules and regulae.…

One of the three orders of classical architecture. It originated in the mid-6th century BC.

Ionic Order

One of the three orders of classical architecture. It originated in the mid-6th century BC.

"An ornamental bracket (a), much used in classic architecture, especially in the cornices of the Corinthian and Composite styles." — Chambers, 1881

Modillion

"An ornamental bracket (a), much used in classic architecture, especially in the cornices of the Corinthian…