Employment
When employed in Architecture the forms and proportions given will be found most suitable. In interior decoration and structural work, as in furniture, considerable latitude is permissible.
It must be understood that the profiles of mouldings should not be designed merely for the play of line, but for the effect resulting from light and shade. In those close to the eye and in fair light, elliptic curves will be more effective than more rounded sections, which are most suitable to remote positions.
In composition, mouldings of curved profile should always be separated by fillets or occasionally a facia, and the various members associated with regard to their functional purpose. Obvious repetition of the same dimension is to be avoided, and contrast should exist not only in the shapes of profiles, but also in their respective heights.
MODIFIED PROPORTION DUE TO PERSPECTIVE
No. 137.
Attitude
Attitude must be taken into account, as, for instance, in a cornice which is above the eye level it is apparent that the mouldings will not appear in elevation but in perspective; and not only the respective heights will be visible, but also the projections.