A tympanum (pl.: tympana; from Greek and Latin words meaning "drum") is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window, which is bounded by a lintel and an arch.[1] It often contains pedimental sculpture or other imagery or ornaments.[2] Many architectural styles include this element.[3]
Alternatively, the tympanum may hold an inscription, or in modern times, a clock face.
History
In ancient Greek, Roman and Church architecture, tympana of religious buildings often contain pedimental sculpture or mosaics with religious imagery.[4] A tympanum over a doorway is very often the most important, or only, location for monumental sculpture on the outside of a building. In classical architecture and in classicizing styles from the Renaissance onwards, prominent examples are usually triangular; in Romanesque architecture, tympana more often have a semi-circular shape or that of a thinner slice from the top of a circle, and in Gothic architecture they have a more vertical shape, coming to a point at the top. These shapes naturally influence the typical compositions of any sculpture within the tympanum.
The upper portion of a gable when enclosed with a horizontal belt course, is also termed a tympanum.[5]
Bands of molding surrounding the tympanum are called the archivolt.[6]
In medieval French architecture, the tympanum is often supported by a decorated pillar called a trumeau.
^"Glossary - Tympanum". Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
^"Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture - tympanum". University of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
^"Illustrated Architecture Dictionary - Tympanum". www.buffaloah.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-22. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
^"Tympanum". www.OntarioArchitecture.com. Archived from the original on 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
^One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Tympanon". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 498.
^"Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture - archivolt". University of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on 2018-01-13. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
^Bresc-Bautier, Geneviève (2008). The Louvre, a Tale of a Palace. Musée du Louvre Éditions. p. 56. ISBN 978-2-7572-0177-0.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to tympanums.
Sculpted tympanums Chartres Cathedral, West Front, Central Portal
Tympanum of the last Judgment - western portal of the abbey-church of Saint Foy