AHI 001B Midterm 1 Vocab

c. or ca.

about or roughly

tempera

egg-based paint

aniconic

symbolic or suggestive rather than literally representational; without idols or images: opposed to the use of idols or images

vault

curved ceiling

4th century

300s

orant

figure with hands raised in prayer

sarcophagus

stone coffin

putto/i

a nude chubby child figure, often with wings, frequently appearing in both mythological and religious paintings and sculpture

ambulatory

curved, covered walkway

mosaic

picture made of small colored pieces

codex

an ancient manuscript text in book form

frontispiece

an illustration facing the title page of a book

vellum

skin of calf treated for writing or drawing

illuminated manuscript

a text containing images and/or decorated initials, borders, or marginalia

diptych

two wood, ivory, or metal panels of equal size, usually hinged together so that they can be folded, and closed with some clasp. there are usually images on the inside surfaces of the panels and sometimes also on the other sides. the panels are most commonly vertical rectangles

exedra

semi-circular recess with semi-dome

pendentive

curving triangular surface forming the transition between a dome or circular drum and the structural supports of a square-planned space below

minaret

tower attached to a mosque from which the muezzin gives the call to prayer

mihrab

prayer niche that indicates the direction of prayer, in the qibla wall of a mosque

icon

small portable paintings of holy figures. medium for spiritual transaction with holy figures

theotokos

one who gives birth to Christ

encaustic

method of painting with molten wax first used by ancient Greek and Roman artists. color pigment added to wax.

iconoclasm

destruction of images

iconoclast

breaker of images

iconophiles

lover of images

greek cross plan

church in form a greek cross with central square and four arms of equal lengths

squinch

arch built diagonally across the corner of a square building to support a polygonal or round superstructure, such as a spire or dome

relic

part of a deceased holy person's body or belongings kept as an object of reverence

gold glass

decorative glass where gold leaf if fused between glass

tesserae

a small piece of glass or stone used in mosaic

fresco

wall painting technique in which pigments are dissolved in water only and then applied to fresh, wet plaster

caliph

ruler

caliphate

the political-religious state comprising Muslim, lands, and people under its control

martyrium

building or chamber used as a burial place

qibla

direction of prayer towards Mecca

Minbar

pulpit in a mosque, often made of wood or stone

spolia

re-use of earlier building materials and sculpture in later monuments

arcade

single arch or series of arches carried on piers or columns

maqsura

enclosure in a mosque, situated near the mihrab and minbar, defined by a metal or timber screen, used by a ruler for purposes of protection and status

hypostyle

a buildings whose roof rests on a series of pillars or columns

horseshoe arch

architectural arch that curves beyond a semicircle, resembling a horseshoe, with an opening narrower at the bottom than at its wides point

iwan

vaulted hall with walls on three sides and completely open on the fourth

reconquista

centuries-long effort by christian kingdoms in the iberian peninsula to reclaim lands held by Muslim rulers (moors) following the Islamic conquest in the 8th century, culminating in 1492 with the fall of Granada

convivencia

coexistence, cohabitation

sebka

surface decoration based in a grid of rhombuses

stilted arch

arch that springs above the impost. the space between is occupied by a vertical member

muqarnas

3-d decorative device used widely in Islamic architecture, tiers of individual elements projects over those below

madrasa

a place to study law

mamluk

muslim rulers of slave stock