Running-dog Pattern

running-dog pattern, in classical architecture, decorative motif consisting of a repeated stylized convoluted form, something like the profile of a breaking wave. This pattern, which may be raised above, incised into, or painted upon a surface, frequently appears on a frieze, the middle element of an entablature, between the architrave below and the cornice above.

The running-dog pattern is sometimes referred to as the Vitruvian scroll, after Vitruvius, a Roman architectural historian of the 1st century bc. Because of its shape, it is also known as the wave ornament, or wave scroll, and a molding upon which it appears is called a wave molding. The area between the wave forms, or curls, may also be decorated with other stylized forms; and the pattern may be reversed, with the waves breaking upside-down. The pattern is most common in the Composite order of architectural decoration, which combines elements of the Corinthian and Ionic orders.

Often delineated in sharply contrasting black on white, the running-dog pattern was also sometimes used in decorating furniture and smaller household articles.