frisos

Frisos are horizontal decorative bands applied to walls, ceilings, or building façades. In classical architecture they form the middle element of an entablature, between the architrave below and the cornice above. The term covers a wide range of ornamental bands, from plain mouldings to sculpted reliefs, used in both exterior and interior contexts.

Friezes can be plain bands or heavily decorated with relief sculpture or painting. In Greek architecture the Doric frieze often includes alternating metopes and triglyphs, while Ionic and Corinthian friezes are more commonly continuous reliefs or ornamental patterns. Frieze panels may depict mythological scenes, historical events, or abstract motifs.

In interior design, a frieze is a decorative band near the ceiling or at mid-wall level, sometimes used to frame murals, wallpaper, or tile work. Frieze motifs range from geometric borders to floral, figural, and narrative designs, and are common in Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical interiors, as well as in traditional crafts worldwide.

Notable examples include the Parthenon frieze, a continuous sculpted band around the temple, the Ara Pacis Augustae frieze, and the spiral frieze on Trajan's Column, which narrates a historical campaign. In modern use, frieze design persists in architecture and interior decoration, where it may be a painted, carved, or mosaic border that runs around rooms or façades.