Cornisas

Cornisas, or cornice, refers to the upper, projecting molding that crowns the exterior or interior edge of a wall or façade. The cornice is designed to shed rain and to provide a visually decisive termination to a wall, creating a shadow line that helps define the building’s silhouette. In classical architecture, the cornice is the uppermost element of the entablature, sitting above the architrave and frieze and often subdivided into a sequence of moldings.

There are several common types of cornices. A plain cornice is a simple projecting edge; a dentil cornice features a series of small rectangular blocks; a modillion cornice uses decorative brackets or modillions; a cavetto is a concave molding often used as the first projection. In decorative traditions, cornices may be elaborately carved or molded in stone, plaster, stucco, wood, or metal and can continue around interior spaces as crown moldings.

Materials and construction: exterior cornices are typically stone, concrete, plaster, or stucco, sometimes metal or precast components. Interior cornices are often wood or plaster and may be used as part of a crown molding scheme.

History and usage: cornices have been employed since antiquity in Greek and Roman architecture and remained central through Renaissance, Baroque, and neoclassical styles. In modern architecture, the term remains for simpler or functional profiles that cap walls or ceilings.

In Spanish-speaking contexts, cornisa denotes a similar projecting edge on buildings and can also refer to the decorative molding along ceilings.