coffered ceiling

In architecture, a coffered ceiling features a decorative pattern of sunken panels, also known as coffers, caissons, or lacunaria. These ornamental recesses are typically square or polygonal and are arranged in a series across a ceiling or vault.

The earliest surviving examples of coffering are from ancient Greece and Rome, such as the stone-coffered ceiling in the Propylaea in Athens. This decorative technique was revived during the Renaissance and remained popular through the Baroque and Neoclassical periods, seen in structures like St. Paul's Cathedral designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Renaissance architects, in particular, elaborated on Roman designs, creating complex patterns with circular, square, and octagonal coffers, often adorned with rosettes.12