Vocabulary

Fibula

A metal dress-pin used as a clothes’ fastener, indicating allegiance, wealth, and status.

Cloisonné

Decorative work where enamel, glass, or gemstones are separated by strips of wire on a metal backing; it combines mosaic and stained glass.

Parchment

Animal skin dried and treated for writing, painting, and bookbinding; 'vellum' refers specifically to calf skin.

Ashlar

Dressed stone that has been cut and worked.

Carolingian Art

Art associated with Charlemagne and his successors from the late 8th century to the early 10th century.

Westwork

A monumental façade consisting of two towers.

Romanesque

Stylistic term for architecture in western Europe from the mid-10th to the 12th century.

Choir

The area in a church where the service is sung and the main altar is located.

Tribune/Gallery

An upper story over the aisle that opens onto the nave or choir.

Pilgrimage Church

A church regularly visited by pilgrims.

Engaged Column

A column that is embedded in a wall and partly projects from it.

Compound Pier

A clustered column consisting of a central element with attached engaged or semi-detached shafts.

Tympanum

The triangular space within a pediment, or between a lintel and an arch above a door or window.

Theophanic Vision

The appearance of a deity to humans.

Cloister

The center of a monastic architectural ensemble, consisting of a quadrilateral yard surrounded by covered passageways.

Historiated Capital

A capital adorned with figures of animals or humans, often used in Romanesque architecture.

Blind Arch

An arch that is infilled and does not serve as a passageway.

Blind Arcade

A series of arches used as a decorative element with no passageway.

Dwarf Gallery

An arcaded gallery below the roof line, recessed into the wall thickness.

Transverse Arch

An arch that runs across the vault from side to side, dividing the bays.

Groin Vault

A vault formed by the intersection of two barrel vaults at right angles.

Barrel Vault

A vault formed by the repeated arch.

Rib Vault

A masonry vault supported within a framework of ribs.

Abbess

The female superior of a community of nuns.

Horror Vacui

A fear or dislike of leaving empty spaces in artistic composition.

Reliquary

A receptacle for preserving relics or objects of veneration.

Repoussé

Metal work hammered into relief from the reverse side.

Baptistery

A building designated for the rite of baptism in the Christian Church.

Archivolt

Bands or moldings surrounding an arched opening.

Triforium

A narrow passage in the wall with arches opening onto the nave, occurring at clerestory level.

Flying Buttress

A free-standing buttress attached to a main structure by an arch.

Lux nova

Term meaning 'New Light'.

Contrapposto

A sculptural scheme where the figure's weight rests on one leg, indicating relaxation and movement.

Rayonnant

A phase of French Gothic architecture characterized by delicate two-dimensional window tracery.

Flamboyant

An architectural style featuring sinuous, flickering patterns typically found in French Late Gothic architecture.

Frontispiece

An illustration facing the title page of a book.

Psalter

A collection of psalms for liturgical or devotional use.

Miniature

Small-scale painted illustrations in manuscripts.

Breviary

A book containing daily services for the Roman Catholic Church.

Enamel

Glass melted onto a metal surface.