AP Art History Unit 9 Medieval Europe Art - Early Medieval Art Vocabulary

Animal style

a medieval art form in which animals are depicted in a stylized and often complicated pattern, usually seen fighting with one another

Chasing

to ornament metal by indenting into a surface with a hammer

Animal style

a medieval art form in which animals are depicted in a stylized and often complicated pattern, usually seen fighting with one another

Chasing

to ornament metal by indenting into a surface with a hammer

Cloisonne

enamelwork in which colored areas are separated by thin bands of metal, usually gold or bronze

Codex (plural: codices)

a manuscript book

Colophon

(1) a commentary on the end panel of a Chinese scroll; (2) an inscription at the end of a manuscript containing relevant information on its publication

Fibula (plural: fibulae)

a clasp used to fasten garments

Gospels

the first four books of the New Testament that chronicle the life of Jesus Christ

Horror vacui

Latin for "fear of empty spaces;" a type of artwork in which the entire surface is filled with objects, people, designs, and ornaments in a crowded, sometimes congested way

Illuminated manuscript

a manuscript that is hand-decorated with painted initials, marginal illustrations, and larger images that add a pictorial element to the written text

Parchment

a writing surface made from animal skins; particularly fine parchment made of calf skin is called vellum

Scriptorium (plural: scriptoria)

a place in a monastery where monks wrote manuscripts

Zoomorphic

having elements of animal shapes