Ovolo is anItalian word that means "little egg".[1] Theovolo orechinus is a convexdecorative molding profile used inarchitectural ornamentation. Its profile is a quarter to a half of a more or less flattened circle.
The 1911 edition ofEncyclopædia Britannica says:
adapted from Ital.uovolo, diminutive ofuovo, an egg; other foreign equivalents are Fr.ove,échine,quart de rond; Lat.echinus... [as used] in architecture, [for] a convex moulding known also as the echinus, which in Classic architecture was invariably carved with the egg and tongue. In Roman and Italian work the moulding is called by workmen a quarter round.[2]
The "egg and tongue" referred to, also known asegg-and-dart, egg-and-anchor, or egg-and-star, refers to alternating egg and V-shapes enriching the surface of the concave ovolo in many early cases.[3]: 116
The description of ovolo as the fundamental convex quarter-round element underlying or being combined with other elements to composemolding, details on column capitals, and other architectural ornamentation remains in common use, as evidenced by the description by Lewis and Darley (1986) of the ovolo as a "[c]onvex moulding... usually a quarter of a circle in section", which also notes that it is "often enriched with egg and dart or similar ornament".[3]: 222 Ovolo adornment by the egg-and-dart element was used onIonic capitals byancient Roman andancient Greek builders (e.g., at theErechtheion),[4] and continue to adorn capitals of modern buildings built in Classical styles (e.g., the Ionic capitals of theJefferson Memorial inWashington, D.C.),[citation needed] and to find use inNeoclassical architecture.[5][better source needed]
The fundamental element of ornamental, architectural molding that is concave (rather than convex like the ovolo) is found incavetto or hollow chamfering moldings, which also usually presents a quarter-round cross-section, albeit concave.[3]: 73 Ovolo and cavetto elements can be combined to form compound moldings; most simply, with the convex ovolo molding below the cavetto, it is known ascyma recta (for its wave-like cross-section), a type of common edge profile commonly referred to asogee.[3]: 97 The compound molding with the concave cavetto below and the convex ovolo above is termedcyma reversa.[3]: 97 In modern residential applications, the ovolo profile is often used as the inside edge ofstile and rail interior andcabinet doors.[6]
TheBritannica article goes on to note that the echinus synonym of ovolo should "not be confounded with the echinus of the Greek Doric capital", which is "of a more varied form and of much larger dimensions than the ovolo, which was only a subordinate moulding."[2]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ovolo".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 391.cavetto moulding orhollow chamfering (Latin,cavare, to hollow). One of the principal forms of moulding, a concave version of the ovolo moulding, usually a quarter of a circle in section. [p. 73] /cyma recta (Latin,cyma, wave). Important compound moulding, combining the ovolo and cavetto with the convex moulding below. In section the moulding is a double curve, concave above, convex below. Also known as ogee moulding.cyma reversa... [presenting concave below, convex above, p. 97] /ovolo. Convex moulding (usually a quarter of a circle in section), often enriched with egg and dart or similar ornament. [p. 222]
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