MOLDING ( from mould, OF. moiler, miller, miller, Fr. men/cr. Sp., Port. molder, to measure, from Lat. mudulare, to measure, from measure, diminutive of modus, measure, melody, manner, mode). A curved, plane, or irregular surface used as an ornament in cornices, panels. arches, etc.. and in all enriched apertures and members of buildings. Their projections form the main element of light and shade in architec ture. There has been an almost continuous in crease in their variety and richness in architec tural history. Babylonia, Egypt, Assyria, and other early nations produced their effects more by color than projections and were satisfied with a few simple forms such as the fillet, eavetto, ovals and torus. In classic architecture the moldings are few' in number, and definitely fixed in their forms. There are eight kinds, viz.: the ryma. the oro/o (or crhinus), the to/on, the caret to. the torus, the astragal, the Scotia, and the fillet, each of these moldings having its proper place assigned to it in each order. (See COLUMN.) A great variety of effect, however, is secured, especially in the Ionic and Corinthian orders, by the carved surface ornamentation on the moldings, forming such systems as the egg and-dart, the anthemion, the pearl, heart-leaf, and other variations.
With the decline of classic architecture in the fourth century moldings went out of fashion— partly through inability to carve their ornamen tation (as in the West), partly through a prefer ence for color effects (as in the Byzantine style).
But with the rise of medizevai art, especially where vaulting was used, and heavy walls became necessary, they again came into use. The doors; and windows. which had always been simple in outline in ancient architecture, were deep-set re cesses, and heavily-molded. In Romanesque ar chitecture, unlike the Classic, these openings were the main molding focus: piers, vaulting riles, and cornices were very subsidiary, In the Gothic style the use of moldings was extended to almost the entire surface of a structure, through the use of tracery, false galleries, and the lace like decoration of surfaces.
In these mediaeval styles the moldings art not reduced to a system as in the Greek and Roman styles. but may he used in every variety of form at the pleasure of the artist. Roman esque moldings were decorated with geometric and with stiff and conventional foliated orna ment. often copied from classic models, while Gothic architecture broke from tradition, orna menting its molded surfaces largely with foli ated designs freely copied from nature with be wildering variety and truthfulness. The Renais sance naturally abandoned the wealth of Gothic moldings and returned to classic simplicity, copying ancient models with great accuracy and adding hut little to the ancient material, even in decorative details, For consult the articles on the different historic. styles and the ,peeial