Art History Glossary
A cornice is a horizontal moulding that crowns a building or part of a building, such as over a door or window, around the top edge of a pedestal, or at the junction of an interior wall and ceiling, when it is also known as a crown-moulding.[1] The term is derived from the Italian cornice, meaning “ledge”.[2]
An external cornice is a horizontal projection the primary purpose of which in classical buildings is to prevent rainwater from running down the face of a wall.[3]