egg and tongue

Two major Roman motifs are egg and tongue, and ball and reel.

Moulding ornament includes a version of egg and tongue, anthemion, leaves and flowers.

Here, the volutes are larger as in the Ionic order and the upper row of acanthus leaves is replaced by the egg and tongue and bead and reel mouldings from the Ionic capital.

In England in the 17th century the door panels were raised with bolection or projecting moldings, sometimes richly carved, round them; in the 18th century the moldings worked on the stiles and rails were carved with the egg and tongue ornament.