The sunken area created between the crossing of structural members Coffers often appear in a flat ceiling or on the interior surface of a dome They are often the focus of decoration and serve also to lighten the weight of the structure
{i} sturdy chest or box in which valuables are stored, strongbox; treasure chest; treasury; funds; cofferdam; floating dock;(Architecture) ornamental sunken panel (in a dome, flat ceiling)
The coffers of an organization consist of the money that it has to spend, imagined as being collected together in one place. The proceeds from the lottery go towards sports and recreation, as well as swelling the coffers of the government. In architecture, a square or polygonal ornamental sunken panel used in a series as decoration for a ceiling or vault. Coffers were probably originally formed by wooden beams crossing one another to produce a grid. The earliest surviving examples were made of stone by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Coffering was revived in the Renaissance and was common in Baroque and Neoclassical architecture