Ancient and Medieval Art History Exam 2

acropolis

Greek, "high city". In ancient Greece, usually the site of the city's most important temples

canon

a rule of proportion. The ancient Greeks considered beauty to be a matter of "correct" proportion and sought a _____ of proportion

contrapposto

Disposition of the human figure in which one part is turned in opposition to another part, creating a counter-positioning of the body about its central axis

cult statue

statue of the deity that stood in the cella of an ancient temple

lost-wax process

a bronze-casting method in which a figure is modeled in wax and covered in clay; the whole is fired, melting away the wax and hardening the clay, which then becomes a mold for molten metal

Pinakotheke

Greek, "picture gallery". An ancient building for the display of paintings on wood panels

white-ground painting

An ancient Greek vase-painting technique in which the pot was first covered with a slip of very fine white clay, over which black glaze was used to outline figures, and diluted brown, purple, red, and white were used to color them.

black-figure painting

in early Greek pottery, the silhouetting of dark figures against a light background of natural, reddish clay, with linear details incised through the silhouettes

caryatid

a female figure that functions as a supporting column

cella

the chamber at the center of an ancient temple; in a classical temple, the room in which the cult statue usually stood

gigantomachy

in ancient Greek mythology, the battle between gods and giants

Doric

one of the two systems invented in ancient Greece for articulating the three units of the elevation of a classical building. This order is characterized by, among other features, capitals with funnel-shaped echinuses, columns without bases, and a frieze of triglyphs and metopes

Ionic

one of the two systems invented in ancient Greece for articulating the three units of the elevation of a classical building. This order is characterized by, among other features, volutes, capitals, columns with bases, and an uninterrupted frieze

kore

Greek, "young woman". An Archaic Greek statue of a young woman

kouros

Greek, "young man". An Archaic Greek statue of a young man

meander

an ornament, usually in bands but also covering broad surfaces, consisting of interlocking geometric motifs

peristyle

in classical architecture, a colonnade all around the cella and its porch(es). A peripteral colonnade consists of a single row of columns on all sides

red-figure painting

in later Greek pottery, the silhouetting of red figures against a black background, with painted linear details; the reverse of black-figure painting

stylobate

the uppermost course of the platform of a classical temple, which supports the columns

agora

an open square or space used for public meetings or business in ancient Greek cities

Corinthian capital

a more ornate form than Doric or Ionic; it consists of a double row of acanthus leaves from which tendrils and flowers grow, wrapped around a bell-shaped echinus

Hippodamian plan

a city plan devised by Hippodamos of Miletos, in which a strict grid was imposed on a site, regardless of the terrain, so that all streets would meet in right angles

mosaic

patterns or pictures made by embedding small pieces of stone or glass in cement on walls or floors

tesserae

Greek, "cube". Tiny stones or pieces of glass cut to the desired shape and size for use in forming a mosaic

portico

a roofed colonnade; also an entrance porch

chimera

a monster of Greek invention with the head and body of a lion and the tail of a serpent. A second head, that of a goat, grows out of one side of the body

concrete

a building material invented by the Romans and consisting of various proportions of lime mortar, volcanic sand, water, and small stones

fibula

a decorative pin, used to fasten garments

granulation

a decorative technique in which tiny metal balls (granules) are fused to a metal surface

tumulus

burial mound; in Etruscan architecture, these cover one or more subterranean multi-chambered tombs cut out of local tufa (limestone)

Tuscan column

the standard type of Etruscan column. Resembles ancient Greek Doric columns, but is made of wood, unfluted, and has a base

Veristic

true to natural appearance; superrealistic

amphitheater

Greek, "double theater". A Roman building type resembling two Greek theaters put together. The Roman version of this featured a continuous elliptical cave around a central arena

atrium

the central reception room of a Roman house that is partly open to the sky. Also the open, colonnaded court in front of and attached to a Christian basilica

basilica

in Roman architecture, a civic building for legal and other civic proceedings, rectangular in plan with an entrance usually on a long side

forum

public square of an ancient Roman city

linear perspective

a method of presenting an illusion of the 3D world on a 2D surface

skenographia

Greek, "scene painting"; the Greek term for perspective painting

Triclinium

dining room of a Roman house

First Style Mural

aim of the artist in this mural style was to imitate, using painted stucco relief, the appearance of costly marble panels

Second Style Mural

a style of Roman mural painting in which the aim was to dissolve the confining walls of a room and replace them with the illusion of a 3D world constructed in the artist's imagination

Third Style Mural

in this style of Roman mural painting, the style in which delicate linear fantasies were sketched on predominantly monochromatic backgrounds

Fourth Style Mural

A style of Roman mural painting that marked a return to architectural illusionism, but the architectural vistas of this style are irrational fantasies

barrel vault

a masonry roof or ceiling constructed on the arch principle. This is semi-cylindrical in cross-section, is in effect a deep arch or an uninterrupted series of arches, one behind the other, over an oblong space

coffer

a sunken panel, often ornamental, in a vault or ceiling

encaustic

wax based paint kept molten on a heated palette; after application to an absorbent surface, it is reheated to fuse the paint

engaged column

a non-structural partial column projecting from a wall

oculus

Latin, "eye". The round central opening of a dome. also, a small round window in a Gothic cathedral

pilaster

a flat, rectangular, vertical member projecting from a wall of which it forms a part. Usually has a base and a capital, often fluted

tempera

a technique of painting using pigment mixed with egg yolk, glue, or casein; also the medium itself

triumphal arch

in Roman architecture, a freestanding arch commemorating an important event

baptistery

in Christian architecture, the building used for baptism, usually situated next to a church

catacombs

subterranean networks of rock-cut galleries and chambers designed as cemeteries for the burial of the dead

central plan

parts of the structure are of equal or almost equal dimensions around the center

codex

separate pages of vellum or parchment bound together at one side; the predecessor of the modern book

illuminated manuscript

a luxurious handmade book with painted illustrations and decorations

mausoleum

lie in the grass next to a monumental tomb

mithraem

an underground rock cave for a male cult dedicated to the Roman god Mithras

nimbus

a halo or aureole appearing around the head of a holy figure to signify divinity

orant

in early Christian art, a figure with both arms raised in the ancient gesture of prayer

parchment

lambskin prepared as a surface for painting or writing

typology

in Christian theology, the recognition of concordances between events, especially between episodes in the Old and New Testaments

vellum

calfskin prepared as a surface for writing or painting

geometric krater, Greece. Geometricizing

Kouros, Greece. Marble. Archaic

Kore, Greece. Marble. Archaic

EXEKIAS, Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game, Italy. Archaic

EUPHRONIOS, Herakles wrestling Antaios, Italy. Archaic

Temple of Hera, Italy. Archaic

West pediment of Temple of Artemis, Greece. Limestone. Archaic

East pediment from the Temple of Zeus, Greece. Marble. Classical.

POLYKLEITOS, Doryphoros, Italy. Marble copy. Classical.

Zeus, Greece. Bronze. Classical

NIOBID PAINTER, Artemis and Apollo slaying the children of Niobe, Italy. Classical

Parthenon, Greece. Classical

Three Goddesses, Greece. Marble. Classical

Procession frieze, Greece. Marble. Classical

PRAXITELES, Aphrodite. Marble copy. Late Classical

PHILOXENOS OF ERETRIA, Battle of Issus, Italy. Tessera mosaic. Hellenistic

Altar of Zeus, Turkey. Hellenistic

Nike alighting on a warship, Greece. Marble. Hellenistic

ALEXANDROS OF ANTIOCH-ON-THE-MEANDER, Aphrodite. Marble. Hellenistic

Seated Boxer, Italy. Bronze. Hellenistic

Laocoon and his sons, Italy. Marble. Hellenistic

Model of a typical sixth-century Etruscan temple

Apollo, Italy. Painted terracotta. Republic

Sarcophagus with kneeling couple, Italy. Painted terracotta. Republic

Interior of the Tomb of the Leopards, Italy. Republic

Aule Metele, Italy. Bronze. Early first century BCE

Temple of Portunus, Italy. Republic.

Portrait of a Roman general, Italy. Marble. Republic

Ara Pacis Augustae, Italy. Early Empire

SEVERUS and CELER, Domus Aurea, Italy. Early Empire

facade of the Colosseum, Italy. Early Empire

Arch of Titus, Italy. Early Empire

Column of Trajan, Italy. High Empire

Interior of the Pantheon, Italy. High Empire

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, Italy. Bronze. High Empire

Painted portrait of Severus and family, Egypt. Tempera on wood. Late Empire

Interior of the synagogue, Syria. Tempera on plaster. Pre-Constantinian