How to Identify Old Chinese Porcelain

In architecture, ornament is a decoration used to enhance the visual appeal of a building or object. Most ornament in architecture does not include human figures, and if present they are small relative to the scale of the building. Architectural ornaments may be carved from stone, wood or precious metals, formed with plaster or clay, or painted or impressed onto a surface. A wide variety of ornamental styles have been used in architecture. Most motifs used in ornament draw from geometrical shapes and patterns, plants, human or animal figures. In Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean region, a rich tradition of plant-based ornaments has been applied for over three thousand years. Traditional ornaments in other parts of the world are typically more reliant on geometrical and animal motifs.