Roman and Etruscan Art Terms

Tuscan

An order of architecture originating with the Etruscans, featuring slender, smooth wooden columns that sit on simple bases; no carvings on frieze or capitals

Acroteria

Sculptures in the round placed on a roof

Fresco

A painting technique that involves applying paint onto a freshly plastered wall; the paint forms a bond with the plaster and becomes durable and long-lasting

Triclinium

A dining table in ancient Italy for reclining at meals

Tumulus

burial mounds in Etruscan architecture, tumuli covered one or more subterranean multi-chambered tombs cut out of the local tufa

Necropolis

Greek: "City of the dead"; a large burial area

Tufa

A type of limestone

Patrician

A Roman aristocrat or nobleman (often a senator, but not always)

Bust

A sculpture (typically but not always a portrait) depicting a head, neck, and the upper chest

Realistic

closely resembling real life

Veristic

Hyper-realistic image; naturally occurring features

Stylized

exaggerated beyond what is realistic, we can consider it

Mosaic

Decoration using small pieces of stone, marble, or glass called tesserae that are cemented to a wall or floor

Tesserae

Small pieces of colored stone, marble, or glass used to create a mosaic

Modeling

Using light and shadow to show roundness, volume, and three-dimensionality

Orthogonals

Straight lines emanating from the vanishing point

Horizon Line

The physical line at which sky meets land

Vanishing Point

A point in the picture plane where all orthogonals intersect

Linear Perspective

The mathematical process of creating the illusion of space and depth and distance

Foreshortening

A visual effect in which an object is turned deeper into the picture plane to give the effect of receding in space

Atmospheric Perspective

The effect the atmosphere has on the appearance of an object as it is viewed from a distance (contrast decreases; co

Arcade

A row of arches

Engaged column

A column that is not freestanding and is still attached to the wall on its backside

Keystone

The center, topmost stone of an arch that holds the others in place

Voussoirs

The other stones in an arch

Barrel vault

An arch extended into space horizontally that is curved at the top

Groin vault

Two intersecting barrel vaults (can also be two pointed or ribbed vaults as shown in the bottom right image)

Cupola / Dome

A rounded, circular roof; achieved by rotating an arch 180 degrees

Vault

A ceiling constructed with arches; in other words, a ceiling that is not flat

velarium

a retractable canvas roof

Forum

A public square with market place in a Roman city

Basilica

An axially planned building with a long nave, side aisles, and apses

Taberna

Single-room shops with wide doorways

Oculus

A round opening at the top of a dome

Coffers

A sunken panel in a ceiling to lighten the weight of the ceiling

Catacomb

Underground passageways used for burials

Cubicula

Small underground rooms in catacombs serving as mortuary chapels

Apse

The endpoint of a church, where the altar is located

Nave

The main aisle of the church

Side aisles

Smaller aisles on the sides of the basilica

Clerestory

The top of a church

Selenite

A transparent, colorless gypsum that looks like glass and was used in windows

Spandrel

A triangular space enclosed by the curves of arches

Spolia

The reuse of architectural or sculptural pieces in buildings generally different from their original contexts