Art History: Prehistoric to Gothic Periods Key Terms and Artworks

What central concern of early humans does the emphasis on the anatomy of the Venus of Willendorf imply (Fig.1-4)?

Fertility and procreation, ensuring the survival of the human species[cite: 2]

What is a ground line?

A painted or carved baseline on which figures appear to stand[cite: 2]

What is the simplest and oldest method of spanning a passageway?

The post-and-lintel system (two upright posts supporting a horizontal lintel)[cite: 2]

Define stele.

A carved stone slab used to mark graves or commemorate historical events[cite: 2]

Term for Sumerian writing system?

Cuneiform (wedge-shaped characters)[cite: 2]

What are the subjects of the two sides of the Standard of Ur (Fig.2-9)?

War (military victory and captives) and Peace (banquet and tribute/economy)[cite: 2]

Which artwork in this chapter is an example of sunken relief?

Akhenaten and His Family (or similar Amarna period reliefs where figures are carved into the surface)[cite: 2]

What is the most significant resource for understanding Egyptian civilization and religious beliefs?

Tombs, burial practices, and mortuary art (along with the Book of the Dead and hieroglyphics)[cite: 2]

Be familiar with art produced in the Cycladic culture.

Abstract, minimalist marble figurines, mostly female and geometric in design[cite: 2]

Which Aegean culture produced Kamares Ware?

Minoan culture (characterized by white and red designs on a black background)[cite: 2]

The funerary practice of the which Aegean culture included covering the faces of the dead with gold masks?

Mycenaean culture (e.g., Mask of Agamemnon)[cite: 2]

Be familiar with the features of Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns. Be able to match image of column to the correct Greek order.

Doric: simple cushion capital, no base. Ionic: scroll-like volute capital, has a base. Corinthian: elaborate acanthus leaf capital[cite: 2]

Compare/contrast the lives of Etruscan women and Greek women.

Etruscan women enjoyed high status, could attend banquets, own property, and be literate; Greek women were largely secluded and lacked legal autonomy[cite: 2]

What tomb type appears in the Etruscan cemetery at Cerveteri?

Tumulus tombs (mound-covered subterranean tombs carved from tufa)[cite: 2]

What is the function of a fibula?

A decorative pin or clasp used to fasten clothing[cite: 2]

Roman mural painting schemes are divided into four different styles. Be familiar with the features of each style.

First Style: faux marble/masonry blocks. Second Style: illusionistic architectural vistas/windows. Third Style: delicate ornamental linear fantasies on monochromatic backgrounds. Fourth Style: theatrical combination of the previous three styles with fantastical architectural elements[cite: 2]

What was the Edict of Milan?

A 313 AD proclamation issued by Constantine establishing religious toleration for Christianity in the Roman Empire[cite: 2]

What are the subjects of the sarcophagus of Santa Maria Antiqua (Fig. 8-7)?

Early Christian themes including Jonah, the Good Shepherd, and baptisms[cite: 2]

What is the term for a luxurious handmade book with painted illustrations and decorations?

An illuminated manuscript[cite: 2]

What do we see in images of Theotokos?

The Virgin Mary seated holding the Christ Child[cite: 2]

Define iconoclasm.

The destruction of religious icons and images, often for religious or political reasons[cite: 2]

Be familiar with the Great Mosque of Kairouan - be able to match the description of the features of the mihrab, the hypostyle hall, and the minaret.

Mihrab: niche indicating the direction of Mecca. Hypostyle hall: hall filled with rows of supporting columns. Minaret: tall tower used for the call to prayer[cite: 2]

_______ and ________ are the hallmarks of Early Medieval art in Western Europe?

Interlace patterns and animal style (polychrome metalwork)[cite: 2]

What key features help to identify the Irish or Celtic high cross?

A free-standing stone cross featuring a surrounding stone ring (halo) intersecting the arms, decorated with biblical scenes and interlace[cite: 2]

Who is depicted in this ninth-century equestrian portrait (see Fig. 11-12 ?)

Charlemagne (or Charles the Bald)[cite: 2]

What is the name of the greatest medieval Irish book?

The Book of Kells (or Book of Durrow)[cite: 2]

The burial group recovered from which English site epitomizes the early medieval tradition of burying great lords with rich furnishings?

Sutton Hoo[cite: 2]

Define pilgrimage.

A journey to a sacred shrine or holy site undertaken for religious reasons[cite: 2]

Define relic.

The physical remains of a saint or holy person, or objects touched by them, venerated by believers[cite: 2]

Define tympanum.

The semi-circular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch, commonly found in Romanesque and Gothic portals[cite: 2]

What was the purpose of The Crusades?

Military expeditions organized by Western European Christians to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control[cite: 2]

Where in Italy is there a church with a leaning bell tower?

Pisa (the Campanile of the Pisa Cathedral)[cite: 2]

What is the name of the person represented here, on the Stavelot reliquary? (Fig. 12-28)

Saint Alexander (or depictions related to the True Cross)[cite: 2]

What socioeconomic system was gradually replaced by the growth of towns and cities during the Romanesque period?

Feudalism and manorialism[cite: 2]

What innovative feature of Gothic cathedrals is an external support that counters the outward thrust of the nave vaults?

The flying buttress[cite: 2]

Who is the architect that is credited as the spiritual founder of the Gothic Style?

Abbot Suger (of Saint-Denis)[cite: 2]

What feature, visible on Laon Cathedral (Fig.13-8), became standard on French Gothic facades?

The rose window and deep-set portals with flanking towers[cite: 2]

The equestrian statue in Bamberg Cathedral (Fig.13-51) revives a form from what period(s)?

Classical antiquity (reminiscent of Roman equestrian statues like Marcus Aurelius)[cite: 2]

The High Gothic tripartite nave elevation consisted of what three elements?

Arcade, triforium, and clerestory[cite: 2]

In Europe during the 1340s, what was it that eliminated between 25 and 50 percent of the Continent's population in about five years?

The Black Death (Bubonic plague)[cite: 2]

The Great Schism began with a split in Papacy, leading to the election of two Popes in what two countries?

Italy (Rome) and France (Avignon)[cite: 2]

Be familiar with the Lamentation from the Arena Chapel.

Giotto's fresco depicting deep emotional grief, naturalistic space, and volumetric figures mourning over the dead body of Christ[cite: 2]

In The Saint Francis Altarpiece, what is the saint displaying on his hands and feet?

The stigmata (wounds of Christ)[cite: 2]

What did the humanist cult of fame emphasize?

Individual achievement, secular legacy, and personal renown/talents rather than just collective religious anonymity[cite: 2]

In contrast to his father, Giovanni Pisano worked in a style that originated in what tradition?

French Gothic art (characterized by dynamic movement and emotion)[cite: 2]