Early Renaissance features bifora windows; High Renaissance windows have pediments or are framed with columns or pilasters carrying a pediment. Which architectural element is described?

Early Renaissance features bifora windows; High Renaissance windows have pediments or are framed with columns or pilasters carrying a pediment. Which architectural element is described?

• A. Doors
• B. Arches
• C. Cornices
• D. Windows

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is how openings in a building are treated as a formal architectural feature. In Early Renaissance, bifora windows appear as a two-light opening, and in the High Renaissance the same openings are given a refined classical frame, often with pediments or with columns/pilasters carrying a pediment. This framing and crowning of an opening is a treatment specifically applied to windows, making windows the best fit for the description. Doors can also have pediments, but the emphasis on the window being framed and crowned in this way points to the architectural element described.

The idea being tested is how openings in a building are treated as a formal architectural feature. In Early Renaissance, bifora windows appear as a two-light opening, and in the High Renaissance the same openings are given a refined classical frame, often with pediments or with columns/pilasters carrying a pediment. This framing and crowning of an opening is a treatment specifically applied to windows, making windows the best fit for the description. Doors can also have pediments, but the emphasis on the window being framed and crowned in this way points to the architectural element described.