Art History

apotropaic power

believed to ward off evil

apse

curved extension in a building

architrave

a beam resting on top of columns or extending across an entranceway.

atrium

an interior courtyard, open or covered.

barrel vault

“tunnel vault,”a continuous series of arches forming a semi-cylindrical ceiling or roof.

bollard

posts

buon fresco

mural painting with water based pigments to lime plaster for longevity

bust

a person's head, neck, and a part of the shoulders

capital

the topmost part of a column, usually decorative

chryselephantine

A sculptural technique using gold and ivory, (gold, elephant)

classical

The traditions and styles of ancient Greek and Roman art, architecture, and culture.

coffers

a recessed panel, or series of panels, in a ceiling.

contrapposto

posture that shifts weight to one leg used in models

cuirass

torso body armor

cuneiform

earliest writing form, etching symbols into clay

doric

architectural order, column with a capital and a frieze of triglyphs and metopes

entablature

horizontal lintel with different bands of molding,(architrave, frieze, and cornice)

entasis

bulging center of a column, an optical illusion for large pillars

etruria/etruscans

a region of central italy prior to absorption into Roman Republic

foreshortening

illusion of objects extended back into space by shrinking or compressing length

frieze

sculpture/painting in a long horizontal format

groin vault

two barrel vaults forming a curved x-shaped roof

high relief

raised forms that project far from a flat background.

hellenistic

a period of Greek and Mediterranean art traditionally dating between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE and the emergence of the Roman Empire in the late first century BCE.

hierarchical scale

use of scale ranked by importance(hierarchy)

hodegetria

an icon showing Virgin Mary holding Jesus

icon

image of a religious subject for contemplation

iconoclasm

destruction of religious icons

impluvium

a sunken basin or pool to collect rainwater

inlaid

decor embedded into the surface

incised

cut/engraved

ionic

Similar to Doric order but more slender, and decorated with scroll-like shapes

kouros/kore

(-ous:) Archaic greek sculpture of a naked young man (-re:)Archaic Greek statue of a clothed young woman.

low relief

raised forms that project only slightly from a flat background.

mandorla

almond shaped frame of light in art of divine figures

metope

a plain or decorated slab on a Doric frieze, between triglyphs.

modeling

3d form

monolith

single large block of stone

mosaic

a picture or pattern made from the arrangement of small colored pieces of hard material

naturalism

a mode of representation that appears natural (unwarped)

nave

central hallway of a church in the middle

oculus

eye, opening

ocher

natural clay pigment

pediment

in architecture, the triangular component that sits atop a columned porch, doorway, or window.

pendentives

triangular support for circular domes

peplos

long, belted garment of wool worn by women in ancient Greece.

polykleitos

ancient Greek sculptor ~420 BC

polychrome

several different colors

porphyry

purple rock with crystals used in sculpture

post-and-lintel

two upright posts supporting a horizontal beam (lintel)

register

a horizontal section of a work, usually a clearly defined band or line.

sarcophagus

coffin

spandrel

space in the top corner of an arch

spolia

repurposed architectural materials

stele

decorative carved stone slab standing upright like a coffin

tesserae

small blocks used to make mosaics

tetrarchy

power split into four rulers, sculpture

thalassocracy

a state or civilization with a political and economic system centered on maritime supremacy and control over the seas

triglyph

rectangular tablet with three vertical bands and two distinct grooves found on the frieze of the Doric order

typology

a way to group structures by their uses

velarium

retractable canvas awning used in ancient Rome to shade spectators from the sun in large venues like the Colosseum

verism

preferring realism over ideal, meaning “true“

votive

image/object offered to a deity