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Profiles and panels

A monument’s profile is built from edges, recesses, projections, and changes of finish. The 1919 dealer’s handbook drawing labels raised and sunken panels, a surface margin line, a band for a monogram or emblem, and several mouldings. Those marks show how the face was organized before lettering or ornament was considered. (DM PDF p.11; printed p.8)

A panel creates a bounded field within the larger face of a die or base. The handbook distinguishes raised and sunken panels and labels a surface margin line beside rock-face work. It records a period drawing vocabulary; it does not prescribe one panel shape or proportion for all stones. (DM PDF p.11; printed p.8)

Inscription composition is a separate question: the lettering section covers how a block of words fits within its field. Here the subject is the stone around that field: where a recess begins, how much border remains, and how the face changes at its edge. (LM PDF pp.99-107.)

Two original conceptual sections compare a raised panel projecting beyond its surrounding face with a sunken panel recessed behind its surrounding face. Dashed lines identify the face level.
Fig. 02 — Reading a surface. Original explanatory drawing for this library, using the raised and sunken panel terminology in Monument Dealer's Manual (1919), PDF p. 11 / printed p. 8. These simplified sections are not copied from the source, are not to scale, and provide no construction dimensions.
## Mouldings and transitions

The same drawing labels forms such as bead, cyma, and ogee mouldings, along with grooves and a pediment. These profile names help distinguish a projecting edge from a recessed line. The page is a glossary and diagram rather than a modern construction standard. (DM PDF p.11; printed p.8)

The handbook’s diagram places a smooth margin beside a rock-faced field. Later contributors debate whether that contrast looks deliberate or artificial, and whether rough treatment suits a particular form. Their disagreement is useful evidence of period design taste, not a current finish recommendation. See rock-faced work. (DM PDF pp.11, 122-125; printed pp.8, 120-122)

  • DM PDF pp.11-12, 122-125; printed pp.8-9, 120-122.
  • LM PDF pp.99-107.