What is a taenia?
A taenia is the narrow, slightly projecting band or fillet that sits on top of the architrave in the Doric order and separates the architrave from the frieze. The word comes via Latin from Greek tainia: band or ribbon.
In a Doric entablature the sequence from bottom to top is architrave, taenia, the frieze with triglyphs and metopes, and the cornice. Directly below the taenia, under each triglyph, hangs a short strip: the regula. Beneath it are six small conical or cylindrical drops, the guttae. Taenia, regula and guttae belong together and mark the transition from the plain architrave to the rhythm of the triglyphs.
You find the taenia on Greek temples such as the Parthenon, in Roman architecture and later in Renaissance, classical and neoclassical buildings. Nineteenth-century facades, doorcases, chimneypieces and timber panelling also often imitate the Doric entablature, taenia included.
In practice
- Identify the order. A band above the architrave with regulae and guttae beneath almost certainly means the Doric order.
- Restore to profile. When repairing plaster, stone or timber, the taenia profile must be matched exactly. Take a template from a sound section before replacing damaged parts.
- Shed the water. The top of a projecting band catches water. Outdoors it should fall slightly or be capped to prevent frost damage and rot.
- Keep the proportions. In new classical design, classical pattern books set the size of taenia, regula and guttae relative to the column diameter.
Common mistake: mixing up taenia and regula. The taenia runs continuously; the regula is the short piece under each triglyph.
Related terms
- Doric order
- Architrave
- Frieze
- Regula
- Guttae
- Mutule
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