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Coffered Ceiling

A coffered ceiling is architecture a ceiling , a soffit or vault constructed or covered with compartments arranged on a regular basis (usually in the form of orthogonal grid). The geometric shapes are the usual square , the rectangle and the octagon.

This technique is already used in ancient architecture: typical examples are momumentaux and the dome of the Pantheon and the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in Rome. Other examples of stucco coffered ceilings were found in houses of Herculaneum.

This technique is back in fashion at the time of the Renaissance and Baroque , and has a wide distribution in the neo-classical architecture.

The observation of a ceiling or a dome made with the checkerboard layout often creates the impression, more or less real, that the ceiling is crossed by beams that run the entire length and width of the ceiling, crossing at each intersection of the squares.

This does not necessarily mean that this structure is justified by its static. While it is true that for structures such as the rotunda of the Pantheon, the boxes are designed to lighten the weight of the dome, in most cases, the coffered ceiling is designed for decorative purposes, so that n is not difficult to find paintings by trompe-l'oeil that mimic this kind of work.