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pendentive
pendentive in architecture, a constructive device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to points at the bottom and spread at the top to establish the continuous circular or elliptical base needed for the dome. In masonry the pendentives thus receive the weight of the dome, concentrating it at the four corners where it can be received by the piers beneath. Prior to the pendentive's development, the device of corbeling or the use of the squinch in the corners of a room had been employed. The first attempts at pendentives were made by the Romans, but full achievement of the form was reached only by the Byzantines in Hagia Sophia at Constantinople (6th cent.). Pendentives were commonly used in Renaissance and baroque churches, with a drum often inserted between the dome and pendentives. |
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"pendentive." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pendentive." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pendenti.html "pendentive." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pendenti.html |
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pendentive
pendentive. One of the curved, slightly concave, triangular surfaces (usually four in number) that form the transition between the base or drum of a circular or elliptical dome and its supporting walls, piers, or columns; by this means, a circular or elliptical dome can rise over a square or polygonal space. Pendentives are often used as a field for painted (and sometimes sculpted) decoration, especially in Baroque churches (see Domenichino, for example).
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IAN CHILVERS. "pendentive." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "pendentive." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-pendentive.html IAN CHILVERS. "pendentive." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-pendentive.html |
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pendentive
pendentive (archit.) each of the spherical triangles formed by the intersection of a hemispherical dome by two pairs of opposite arches. XVIII. — F. pendentif, f. L. pendēns, -ent-, prp. of pendēre hang; see -IVE.
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T. F. HOAD. "pendentive." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "pendentive." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pendentive.html T. F. HOAD. "pendentive." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pendentive.html |
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pendentive
pendentive. See dome.
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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "pendentive." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES STEVENS CURL. "pendentive." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-pendentive.html JAMES STEVENS CURL. "pendentive." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-pendentive.html |
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