Editing Cornice (section)

{{Short description|Horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture}}
{{Distinguish|Corniche}}
{{About|the architectural feature|the overhanging snow form|Snow cornice}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
[[Image:Corniches.png|thumb|right|Illustrations of cornices in different styles]]
[[File:Illustrations of various examples of ancient Egyptian cornices.jpg|thumb|Illustrations of various examples of ancient Egyptian cornices, all of them having [[cavetto]]s]]

In [[architecture]], a '''cornice ''' (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge"<ref>Compare {{OEtymD |cornice |access-date=2019-05-19}}</ref>) is generally any horizontal decorative [[Moulding (decorative)|moulding]] that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a pedestal, or along the top of an interior wall. A simple cornice may be formed with a crown, as in [[crown moulding]] atop an interior wall or above kitchen cabinets or a bookcase.

A projecting cornice on a building has the function of throwing rainwater free of its walls. In residential building practice, this function is handled by projecting [[gable]] ends, roof [[eaves]], and [[rain gutter|gutters]]. However, house eaves may also be called "cornices" if they are finished with decorative moulding. In this sense, while most cornices are also eaves (overhanging the sides of the building), not all eaves are usually considered cornices. Eaves are primarily functional and not necessarily decorative, while cornices have a decorative aspect.

A building's projecting cornice may appear to be heavy and hence in danger of falling, particularly on commercial buildings, but it often is actually very light and made of pressed metal.