Which of the following best defines a pediment in architecture?

• A. Triangular gables placed above the horizontal lintel of a doorframe.
• B. A curved arch over a doorway.
• C. A decorative frieze along the top of a wall.
• D. A small statue on a pediment.

Answer: (A)

Pediments are the triangular features that crown classical façades, formed where the roof or cornice ends over the entablature. They sit above the horizontal lintel of a doorway or window, creating a triangular gable that often holds sculpture. This shape and placement—that triangular gable extending over the door’s lintel—is why the description of triangular gables placed above the horizontal lintel of a doorframe is the best definition. Pediments originate in Greek temples and show up in Roman and later neoclassical architecture as a formal, decorative way to terminate the facade. The other options describe different elements: a curved arch over a doorway is an arch, not a pediment; a decorative frieze is a long horizontal band along the wall; a statue on a pediment refers to sculpture placed within or atop the pediment, not the pediment itself.