art history

Term

Answer

Wunderkammer

Cabinet of curiosities; collection of rare/unusual objects

Taxonomy

System of classification and organization

Provenance

History of an object's ownership/origin

Accession

Official acquisition and recording of an object into a collection

Linear Perspective

Technique creating 3D depth on a 2D surface

Vanishing Point

Point where parallel lines appear to meet

Benin Bronzes

Edo artworks, many looted by British forces in 1897

Colonialism

Control of one territory/people by another power

Restitution

Returning an object to its original owner/community/country

Acquisition by Treaty

Obtaining something through a formal agreement

Elgin Marbles

Greek sculptures removed from the Acropolis; now mainly in British Museum

Baroque

Dramatic, emotional, elaborate 17th–18th century style

Cochineal

Red dye/pigment made from insects

Biombo

Folding screen, especially associated with Japanese/Mexican traditions

Aniconism

Avoidance/restriction of figurative religious imagery

Reception

How audiences receive and interpret an artwork

Perspective

Interpretation from a particular viewer's viewpoint