Art History Vocab

Figurative

Art that portrays human with animal form

Painterly

Defined by Color/texture rather than line

Incised

Cut or engraved

Low relief

Raised forms that project only on slightly from a flatbackground

Adobe

Made of sun-dried clay combinedwith organic materials

Polychrome

displaying several different colors

Ochre

a naturally occurring clay pigment that ranges in color from yellow to red, brown, or white

Frieze

any sculpture or paining in a long, horizontal format

Terra-cotta

baked clay or ceramic, also known as earthenware

Slip

a layer of fine clay or glaze applied to ceramics before firing

Finial

an ornament at the top, end, or corner of an object or building

Coarseware

a type of thick, gritty pottery used for everyday purposes

Façade

any exterior vertical face of a building, usually the front

Register

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

Pictorial narrative

storytelling in pictures that presents a connected sequence of events

Stele

a carved stone slab that is placed upright and ote includes commemorative imagery and/or inscriptions

Iconography

images or symbols used to convey specific meanings in an artwork

Inlay

decoration embedded into the surface of a base material

Hierarchical scale

the use of size to denote the relative importance of subjects in an artwork

Seal

a small piece of hard material with an incised design: it is rlld or stamped on clay to leave an imprint

Hieroglyph

type of written script that uses conventional signs to represent concepts, sounds or words

Orthostat

an upright, standing stone slab, often protecting the lower part of a wall

Amulet

an object that is worn or carried in the belief that it will protect the owner

Sunken relief

relief that is carved into a sunken area and does not project above the Surface

Sarcophagus

a container for human remains

Striated

marked by lines or grooves

Diadem

a crown or ornamated headband

totem

an animal, plant, or geometric design that is the identifying symbol of a family, clan or other group of related individuals

Stylized

Simplified or abstracted