A scroll pediment is a pediment, or triangular or curved crowning element, formed by two S-shaped or swan-neck scrolls rising towards the centre, usually with a gap between them where a finial, urn, cartouche or bust may be placed. It is also known as a swan-neck pediment and is a type of broken pediment.
The form derives from Baroque architecture and was used over doorcases, windows and chimneypieces in Britain from the late seventeenth century. It became especially popular on furniture of the Queen Anne and early Georgian periods, crowning bureau bookcases, cabinets, longcase clocks and mirrors, and remained fashionable throughout the eighteenth century, with carved rosettes at the ends of the scrolls and a central carved or turned finial. American Chippendale highboys and secretaries also made distinctive use of the motif. On furniture, collectors should check that the pediment is original to the piece, since many plain cornices have been later converted, and that any finial is period and appropriate. A good scroll pediment adds height and presence, and furniture so crowned works well in rooms with tall ceilings or as the focal point of a hall or library.
