Entablature
An entablature (entab’lechoor; Latin, and tabula, a tablet) is a classical architectural element, the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above the columns, resting on their capitals. It is commonly divided into the architrave, the supporting member carried from column to column, pier or wall, the part immediately above the column; the frieze, an unmolded strip that may or may not be ornamented; and the cornice, the projecting and protective member.
The Doric version of the entablature is fairly simple. The architrave, the lowest band, is split, from bottom to top, into the guttae, the regulae, and the taenia.
The frieze is dominated by the triglyphs, vertically channelled tablets, separated by metopes, which may or may not be decorated. The triglyphs sit on top of the taenia, a flat, thin, horizontal protrusion, and are finished at the bottom of by (often ornate) decoration of drops, called guttae, which belong to the top of the architrave. The top of the triglyphs meet the protrusion of the cornice from the entablature. The underside of this protrusion is decorated with mutules, tablets that are typically finished with guttae.
The cornice is split into the soffit, the corona, and the cymatium. The soffit is simply exposed underside. The corona and the cymatium are the principal parts of the cornice.
The Ionic order of entablature adds the fascia in the architrave, which are flat horizontal protrusions, and the dentils under the cornice, which are tooth-like rectangular block moldings.
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