AP Art History Vocab Terms Unit 3

Ablution

A religious rite that involves washing before entering into a sacred space (U3 L2)

All’antica

In the manner of antiquity (U3 L4)

Ambulatory

A walking space perhaps designed along the side aisles of a nave and/or transept, around an apse, or around the center of a central plan church; from Latin “ambulare” meaning to walk or proceed on foot (U3 L3)

Apse

An architectural feature; a recessed semi-circular dome that comes at the end of an aisle in a church or a temple. Before Christianity, it was where the statue of a deity was placed. In a Christian church, it may hold the choir seats or main altar (U3 L1)

Apsidal Chapels (Radiating Chapels)

Sacred provisional spaces that branch off or radiate from the apse and house reliquaries or special chapels for private devotion (U3 L3)

Arabesque

A visual motif that includes linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage (U3 L2)

Arch

The curved structural element used to span a space; arches can have many shapes depending on cultural or sacred traditions (U3 L3)

Archivolt

Repeated bands of decorative molding that frame the arch or entryway associated with the portal of a Romanesque or Gothic church (U3 L3)

Arquebus

A long, heavy match-lock rifle developed in the 15th century C.E., more like a portable cannon that required a tripod or support in order to be fired (U3 L6)

Axial Plan

An architectural or design feature where all elements are arranged around a central access. It is also referred to as a basilica plan because of its derivation from the Roman basilica or law court. (U3 L1)

Baroque

A style of art and architecture that followed the Renaissance; it spread throughout Europe from the late 16th century to the mid-19th century. The style is characterized by drama, movement, and emotion. Baroque work was influenced by the Catholic Counter-Reformation. (U3 L0)

Barrel Vault

An extruded, or elongated, semi-circular arch shaped like a continuous half cylinder; visible on the plan of a Romanesque church nave as an empty rectangle without an “X” (U3 L3)

Basilica

An architectural term; in ancient Rome, it was a large, public building near the town forum. Basilicas served as courts of law and also as gathering spaces within cities. Early Christians appropriated this style of building for their churches since they could hold large groups of people. Now, the term has come to mean a Roman Catholic Church that has a special designation by the pope. (U3 L1)

Bible Moralisée

Illuminated manuscripts that lavishly illustrate selected passages of the Bible and approved church doctrine, providing commentary in addition to verse; translates as “moralized bible” (U3 L3)

Biombo Enconchado

A Spanish phrase derived from the Japanese byobu, for “folding screen,” and enconchado, for “mother-of-pearl shell inlay,” usually done in wood that is then painted over and covered with a resin for protection (U3 L6)

Burin

A metal cutting tool used to carve into a plate for the purpose of printmaking (U3 L5)

Buttress

A thickened portion of wall used as support for a heavy canopy, visible on the plan of a building as a thick wall or projection off the main structure (U3 L3)

Casta Painting

A series of paintings featuring mother, father, and child that illustrate the results of interethnic mixing, a primary concern of European cultures coming into contact with the peoples of the New World (U3 L6)

Catacombs

Man-made underground passageways. These were primarily used for religious gatherings and ceremonies, and even for burial of the dead. These were most commonly found during the Roman Empire and were associated with the early Christians. (U3 L1)

Cathedral

A church that contains the “seat” or place of a bishop and as such serves the center of the dioceses or conference. The term is used exclusively for Christian churches. (U3 L1)

Central Plan

An architectural design feature of a building in which the design is symmetrical around a center point. While it is often a circle, central plans can include other types of symmetrical polygons. (U3 L1)

Choir

A space set aside for musicians within a church, usually near the altar within an extended Romanesque or Gothic apse (U3 L3)

Clerestory

An architectural feature; a hall of windows that often lies a story or floor above the main floor of a building. It is a feature designed to bring light to an otherwise enclosed space. (U3 L1)

Codex

A bound manuscript that is the forerunner to books we use today, featuring separate folio pages bound on one side only (U3 L6)

Council of Trent

A series of meetings held by the Roman Catholic Church from 1545 to 1563 that provided an official response from the Church in light of criticism from the Protestant Reformation; the main provisions of its decree served to denounce Protestantism, to reform the Church, to clarify the relationship between works and faith, and to reaffirm the Church's support for sacred art and architecture as viable and valuable worship aids. (U3 L6)

Counter-Reformation

Response by the Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, consisting of policy reforms and a reaffirmation of doctrines (U3 L4)

Crossing

The section of a basilica plan church in which the transepts cross the nave; typically used as the core measurement to determine the various other parts of the building, and used to focus attention of the churchgoers toward the altar (U3 L3)

Cruciform

“Cross-shaped” basilica church plans found usually in Romanesque and Gothic churches (U3 L3)

Embroidery

The art of adding decorative embellishment to a pre-woven fabric; the art sits above the woven fabric background, rather than inside of it like a tapestry (U3 L3)

Engraving

A printmaking process that involves cutting into a metal plate with a burin to create line art below the surface of the metal plate so that the design can be inked, wiped, and then pressed onto paper; also known as intaglio printing. (U3 L5)

Eucharist

Also known as Holy Communion, this is a central practice in Christianity that commemorates Jesus’s Last Supper with his disciples. It is one of the seven sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church in which bread and wine are consecrated into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. (U3 L1)

Feudalism

The economic and political system prevalent in the Middle Ages, based on land ownership by elite lords who have the fealty (pledged loyalty) of servants who work and develop the land as directed (U3 L3)

Flying Buttress

An exaggerated buttress that transfers the weight of a stone Gothic canopy to the ground by way of struts and supports, visible on most plans as an extreme projection off the main structure (U3 L3)

Gallery

Second-floor spaces designed to sit above side aisles; the gallery is visible from the nave arcade of a Romanesque church. (U3 L3)

Glazing

In oil painting, glazing involves applying thinned, translucent layers of pigment in linseed oil on top of a painted design to add visual depth, to unify the various parts of a composition, or to develop complexity as it pertains to light effects. (U3 L5)

Gothic

The term used to describe the art and architecture prevalent in Europe via innovations in France during the Middle Ages and Early Northern Renaissance; also known in Latin as “opus francigenum,” or “French work,” and in French as “opus modernum,” or “modern work”; the pejorative term was derived by later art historians to describe Germanic works outside of Italy. (U3 L3)

Groin Vault

A vault formed by the crossing of two barrel vaults, indicated by a dotted-line “X” on a floor plan; also known as a cross vault (U3 L3)

Haggadah

The commemorative and didactic text read aloud at Seder during the first two nights of Jewish Passover; the term is derived from the Hebrew word for “telling.” (U3 L3)

Hellmouth

Associated with the decoration of a Romanesque or Gothic tympanum, a hellmouth is a depiction of the entrance into hell animated as a terrifying beast’s open mouth through which judged sinners are shoved and stuffed (U3 L3)

Horror Vacui

Literally the “fear of empty space”; the entire space or composition is filled with detail and content.

Horseshoe Arch

A round arch in which the bottom of the arch is narrower than the arch’s full span (U3 L2)

Huipil

A one-piece, slip-over poncho made by sewing together the sides of a single piece of textile, leaving room for the neck and arms; originally worn by the indigenous females in Mexico and Central America (U3 L6)

Icon

A religious work of art, usually a painting, thought to be a window to help Christians pray or ask for the intercession of other holy men and women. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, the saints, and angels. (U3 L1)

Illuminated Manuscript

Handwritten books that are painted with rare paints and precious metals. The pages are made from thin animal skin and were commonly produced by religious orders before the invention of the printing press. (U3 L1)

Illusionistic

Created to provide the illusion of reality (U3 L4)

Imam

A religious leader in Islam, who often conducts the call to prayer and Friday services (U3 L2)

Inka

Refers to a member of the small Quechua linguistic group living in and around Cusco who extended their control over neighboring cultures to create a vast empire nearly covering the west coast of South America (U3 L6)

Jali

A perforated stone or lattice screen that often has geometric patterns (U3 L2)

Jamb Figures

The sculptured figures affixed to the sides of a Romanesque or Gothic portal or entryway typically on the exterior of a church (U3 L3)

King’s Gallery

A row of sculptured royal figures depicted in a line of Gothic alcoves featuring pedestals and decorative canopies that are visible as part of the Gothic façade (U3 L3)

Lancet Windows

Long vertical windows featuring panel tracery and stained glass; the name “lancet” refers to the shape like the blade of a lance, sword, or spear (U3 L3)

Linear Perspective

A graphic system where objects recede away to a singular point (U3 L4)

Mandorla

An almond-shaped opening in the firmament depicted as a portal between the heavenly world and the secular world through which significant beings appear; a visible element in Romanesque Last Judgment scenes depicting Christ and the second coming at the end of time (U3 L4)

Manila Galleon

Refers to the Spanish trading vessels that made a round trip between Manila in the Philippines and Acapulco in Mexico, paying freshly mined New World silver for exports of porcelain, silk, ivory, spices, and a myriad other exotic items (U3 L6)

Martyr

A person who dies for a sacred belief, a sacred being, or a sacred cause, thereby achieving immortal life in the afterlife and elevated status from devotees, pilgrims, followers, or admirers on Earth (U3 L3)

Maul Stick

In painting, a maul stick (also known as a mahl stick) is used to steady the hand of the painter as paint is applied; it usually features a stick with a soft ball wrapped in fabric or leather that can be rested against the frame of a work or against layers already dried. (U3 L5)

Medieval

Refers to and relates to the Middle Ages; this time period is characterized by the economic dependence on agriculture, the wide use of the feudal system, and weak state administrations. (U3 L0)

Mexica

A Nahuatl-speaking culture located in the Valley of Mexico that established alliances and extensive dominion over rivals in Central Mexico (U3 L6)

Minaret

A tall, slender tower on a mosque from which the call to prayer is projected (U3 L2)

Nahuatl

The common language spoken among the peoples in the Aztec, or Mexica, Empire (U3 L6)