The junction between the body of the pier and the plinth is embellished and softened by a moulding which forms a kind of cushiony pad. The profile allows us to see the upper rounded rim (torus), the deeply grooved middle concavity (scotia) and the lower rim.
The molding resembles those found in the Erechteum, Athens, and are therefore call Attic moldings (from Attica, the country around Athens).  As the builders of the cathedral continued their work over a period of decades they continued to adjust the profile to satisfy current taste. The deeply projecting lower torus on the left is characteristic of the early work on the nave, 1220s; the greater height on the right is characteristic of the choir, 1240s.