Egg and Dart Coving

About

The egg and dart motif, like so many other elements of plaster cornice design, was first seen in the carved stone of the temples and buildings of ancient Greece and Rome. Prior to Victorian times, the individual elements of more complicated cornices, had to be moulded separately and then assembled in situ, often onto a base moulded directly onto the ceiling using liquid plaster. Improvements in mould-making during the Victorian period meant complex cornices many featuring the egg and dart design could now be made in lengths, using a bench mounted mould. Once dry they were then transported to site and fixed to the ceiling, in the same way as we still do today. As a result, the price of cornicing dropped, and it became widely adopted during the Victorian period.