Ceiling

Ceiling (Fr. ciel; Lat. cælum, 'heaven'). This term seems to have been suggested by the use of arched coverings for churches, and even for rooms, which prevailed in the middle ages, and were frequently painted blue and decorated with stars. Arched ceilings among the Romans were known by the name of camcræ, and were formed by semi-circular beams of wood, at small distances from each other, over which was placed a coating of lath and plaster. But the ceilings most commonly in use amongst the Romans were flat, the beams, as in modern times, having been at first visible, and afterwards covered with planks and plaster. Sometimes hollow spaces were left between the beams, which were frequently covered with gold and ivory, or paintings or 'pateræ'—large flowers—such, for instance, as are used in the panels of the vault of the Pantheon. The oldest flat ceiling in existence is believed to be that of Peterborough Cathedral. Like that at St Albans Abbey, it is made of wood. Ceilings of churches in the middle ages were generally painted and gilded in the most brilliant manner; and many existing ceilings still exhibit the traces of early decoration of this kind. In French churches the ceilings are generally vaulted, but in England they are more usually of wood. The older ceilings generally follow the line of the timbers of the roof, which, in the Early English and Decorated, are often arranged so as to give the shape of a barrel vault. In ceilings of this description there seldom are many ribs, often only a single one along the top. In the Perpendicular style, the ceiling often consists of a series of flat surfaces or cants, formed on the timbers of the roof. Though sometimes altogether destitute of ornament, they are more frequently enriched with ribs, dividing them into square panels, with Bosses (q.v.) or flowers at the intersections. Wooden ceilings are sometimes formed in imitation of stone-groining, with ribs and bosses, examples of which will be found at York, Winchester, and Lincoln. In the Elizabethan age ceilings were generally of plaster, but they were ornamented with ribs having bosses or small pendants at the intersections. It is not unusual for the ceiling immediately over the altar, or the roodloft, to be richly ornamented, whilst the rest is plain. See ROOF.