AP Art History Unit 3 Terms

Apse

the semicircular rounded end of a basilica OR the endpoint of a church where the altar is located

Basilica

in Roman and Christian architecture, an axially planned building with a long nave, side aisles, and apses (in Christian architecture, this is where the altar is placed)

Catacomb

an underground passageway used for burial

Clerestory

the top of a church nave that is windowed and lets in light

Coffer

in architecture, a sunken panel in a ceiling to lighten the weight of the ceiling

Cubicula

small underground rooms in catacombs serving as mortuary chapels OR a Roman bedroom flanking an atrium

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

Nave

the main aisle of a church

Selenite

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

Basilica plan

a church with a long nave whose focus is the apse, so-called because it is based upon a Roman basilica

Central plan

a church having a circular plan with the altar in the middle

Drum

a circular or polygonal wall that supports a dome

Encaustic

method of painting that uses colored wax burned onto a wooden surface

Eucharist

service during a Catholic ceremony that commemorates the moment during the Last Supper when Christ transforms bread and wine into His body and blood

Gallery

the second story of a church, placed over the side aisles and below the clerestory; sometimes reserved for women

Genesis

the first book of the Old Testament (aka Jewish Torah)

Icon

a devotional panel depicting a sacred image; the cause of iconoclasm and the Iconoclastic Controversy (700-843)

Impost block

a capital that utilizes at least one inverted pyramid

Martyrium

shrine on: a) place where saint was martyred, or b) place where martyred saint is buried

Narthex

an entrance to early Christian churches; typically separated from the liturgical spaces

Pendentive

a construction shaped like a triangle that transitions the base of a round dome onto a pier or the corner of a room

Squinch

polygonal (8-sided) base of a dome that transitions the dome to a square room

Theotokos

Greek for Mother of God; scene that shows or is dedicated to the Virgin Mary

Vellum

calf hide that has been soaked in lime, dried and scraped until it can be cut into pages

Aniconic

decoration with no human figures or animals, typically Islamic

Animal style

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

Art of the Migration / Migration Period Art

artwork of the Germanic peoples from 300-900 CE; polychrome artwork done in animal style is common

Carpet page

when flat geometric decorative designs cover the whole page of a manuscript (Lindisfarne Gospels)

Chasing

to ornament metal by indenting into a surface with a hammer

Cloisonne

enamelwork (enamel is a smooth substance made of fused glass powder which can be colored) in which colored areas are separated by thin bands of metal, usually gold or bronze

Codex

a manuscript in book form (Lindisfarne Gospels)

Colophon

statement at the end of a book giving information about its authorship (Lindisfarne Gospels)

Fibula

a clasp used to fasten garments (Merovingian looped fibulae)

Gospels

first 4 books of New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) that chronicle the life of Jesus (Lindisfarne Gospels)

Horror vacui

“fear of empty space;” filling entire surface of a space with detail

Horseshoe arch

a curved or pinched arch in Islamic architecture (Great Mosque)

Incipit

Latin for “it begins”; typically, the opening words or text in a book (Lindisfarne Gospels)

Interlacing

a decorative element found particularly in early Medieval European art that involved the crossing or weaving of visual elements (Lindisfarne Gospels)

Mihrab

a niche in a mosque on the qiblah wall; indicates the direction to Mecca (Great Mosque)

Monasticism

religious way of life in which one (a monk) renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work in a monastery (Lindisfarne Gospels)

Moorish

related to the Muslim inhabitants of northern Africa and Iberia (Spain and Portugal)

Mosque

a Muslim house of worship (Great Mosque)

Pyxis

a small cylinder-shaped container with a detachable lid used to hold cosmetics and jewelry (Pyxis of al-Mughira)

Qiblah

the direction toward Mecca which Muslims face in prayer, indicated by a wall (Great Mosque)

Scriptorium (plural: scriptoria)

a place in a monastery where monks wrote manuscripts (Lindisfarne Gospels)

Voussoirs

stones that comprise an arch (excepting the keystone, which is the topmost stone) (Great Mosque)