Notes: Art and Architecture of Prague — Study Notes

General / Ancient / Classical

• Key terminology used in classical architecture:

  • Tympanum

  • Acroteria

  • Pediment

  • Entablature

  • Stylobate

  • Stereobate

• The portico (above) and ground plan (below) of a classical temple (visual aid: portico above, ground plan below).

• Greek temple example cited: Paestum, Italy, $6^{\text{th}}$ century BC.

• Prague references and global context:

  • National Museum, Prague, 1891

  • Capitol, Washington D.C., early $19^{\text{th}}$ century

• Purpose of these terms: to describe the basic elements and plan of classical temples and to distinguish between different architectural orders.

ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE

• About the three classical Greek orders:

  • Doric

  • Ionic

  • Corinthian

• Structural/ornamental components listed in the slide:

  • Dentils

  • Abacus

  • Echinus

  • Annulus

  • Entablature

  • Capital

  • Abacus (note: appears in multiple entries)

  • Column shaft

  • Fluting

  • Fillet

  • Acanthus

  • Plinth

  • Base

  • Groove terms described in context of orders (e.g., GREEK DORIC, Ionic, Corinthian variants)

  • Nil enlargements: Tuscan (a simpler, often unfluted variant of Doric) with features like necking, annulus, torus

• Key visual/categorical distinctions:

  • Doric: stout column, fluted shaft, typically no base, simple capital (echinus + abacus in some variations)

  • Ionic: slender column, base, capital with volutes

  • Corinthian: ornate capital with acanthus leaves, very floral/ornate

• Specific terms associated with entablature and capitals:

  • Entablature

  • Abacus / Abaci

  • Echinus

  • Annulus

  • Dentils (modular bracket-like ornament in the cornice)

  • Capital (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian variants)

  • Volute (characteristic of Ionic/Corinthian capitals)

  • Fluting (vertical channeling on shafts)

  • Acantus (on Corinthian capitals)

  • Plinth / Base (base platforms for Ionic/Corinthian; Doric often lacks a visible base in early forms)

• Additional architectural parts and their placements:

  • Column shaft and base

  • Plinth

  • Architrave (part of entablature)

  • Frieze (part of entablature; may contain metopes and triglyphs in Doric order)

  • Cornice (top projecting edge of the entablature)

• Edge notes: The slide collates terms used to describe the classical orders and their typical decorative vocabulary.

CORNICE, FRIEZE, ENTABLATURE, TRIGLYPH, METOPE, ARCHITRAVE, GUTTAE, ANTEFIX

• Entablature components and related decorative elements:

  • Architrave

  • Frieze

  • Cornice

  • Metope (a square panel, often sculpted, between triglyphs in Doric friezes)

  • Triglyph (a three-glyph ornament on Doric frieze)

• Guttae: small droplet-like decorations under the nap of the architrave where it meets the moldings (typical in Doric)

• Antefix: decorative extension at the edge of a tiled roof, often finishing the rafter ends.

• Abacus and capital variants (as above) shown again in this section, linking the order vocabulary to these elements.

GREEK ORTHOSTATIC ORDERS

• Reiteration of the three classical Greek orders:

  • Doric

  • Ionic

  • Corinthian

• Context: These are the foundational vocabularies for classical architecture, informing later Roman and Renaissance adaptations.

VAULTS

• Types of vaults listed:

  • Barrel vault

  • Groin vault

  • Coved vault

  • Domical vault

• Notes:

  • Barrel vault: a continuous semicircular arch form spanning a space.

  • Groin vault: formed by intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults.

  • Coved vault: curved, concave profile; often used in decorative settings.

  • Domical vault: hemispherical dome-like vault.

TYPES OF ROOF

• Roof vocabulary and variants:

  • Hip roof

  • Ridge (top edge where two planes meet)

  • Gambrel roof (UK usage)

  • Hipped roof (UK) vs. Hipped roof (US) distinction noted

  • Gable roof

  • Mansard roof (UK and US)

• Visual references indicate cross-cultural naming conventions and regional differences in terminology.

ROMANESQUE (≈ $X^{\text{th}}$–$XIII^{\text{th}}$ centuries) / Přemyslid dynasty

• Timeframe: Romanesque era broadly spans from the $X^{\text{th}}$ to the $XIII^{\text{th}}$ centuries; Prague and Bohemian dynasties (Přemyslid) are highlighted.

• Key features introduced in this era include: rotunda construction, defensive and civic architectural elements, and early church layouts.

• Notable term: Rotunda (a circular or polygonal in-plan building form).

ROTUNDA

• Concepts and examples:

  • Rotunda (circular plan building)

  • Dome and lantern (lantern window assemblies atop domes)

  • Conch / semidome (semicircular dome segments)

  • Altar, apse, nave (church components)

• Example cited: Rotunda of Holy Cross, Prague, mid $12^{\text{th}}$ century$.

BASILICA / CHURCH PLAN ELEMENTS (Romanesque to Gothic contexts)

• Ground plan components and related terms:

  • Basilica

  • Atrium

  • Chapel

  • Altar

  • Narthex

  • Nave

  • Aisle

  • Choir

  • Bishop's seat (cathedral seating hierarchy)

  • Transept (crossing arm)

  • Cancello (cancello/cancelli barriers)

  • Ambo (amboe/ambo)

  • Altars

  • Ambulatory (processional corridor around the apse)

• Plan references: Ground plan of a basilica; notes to refer to individual entries for definitions.

BASILICA - CLERESTORY / GALLERY FEATURES

• Clerestory: high clear-story windows to bring light into the nave.

• Section of basilica showing the relationship between nave, aisles, and clerestory windows.

• Westwork: monumental western façade/entry composition (typical of some Gothic churches).

• Arcade, Transept, Crypt, Choir, Apse components described in plan context.

BASILICA OF ST. GEORGE (Prague) – $X^{\text{th}}$–$X^{\text{th}}$ century

• Example cited to illustrate Prague’s early basilica tradition (Romanesque context).

WINDOW TYPES IN ROMANESQUE

• Coupled (gemel) windows; tripled windows; gemel window terminology.

• Simple windows and rosetta windows as contrasts.

• Simple and rosetta windows illustrated as typical Romanesque window styles.

ROMANESQUE EXAMPLES

• Examples cited include various Romanesque windows and structures such as merchant homesteads and palatial basements (e.g., Kunštát Palace, Romanesque basement, Prague, $12^{\text{th}}$ century$).

GOTHIC (≈ $X^{\text{th}}$ century end of $XV^{\text{th}}$ century) / Přemyslids and Luxembourg/Jagiello dynasties

• Core features:

  • Decorated tracery

  • Dagger finial

  • Crocketing

  • Mullion

  • Perpendicular tracery

  • Ogee arches

  • Terminology variants (e.g., mpost representing mullion/monumental elements in notes)

• Important structural and decorative elements:

  • Pinnacle

  • Finial

  • Spandrel

  • Flying buttress

  • Clerestory

  • Triforium

  • Arcade

  • Buttress

  • Bay

  • Aisle

  • Crossing, Choir, Presbytery, Sanctuary

  • Chevet (east church wall with radiating chapels)

  • Narthex, Cloister, Radiating chapel, Oratory, Chantry

  • Chapels and associated chapels around apses and ambulatory

• Context: Gothic period in Prague and broader central Europe, with palace and church exemplars from the $XIII^{\text{th}}$–$XV^{\text{th}}$ centuries.

PLAN OF A GOTHIC CATHEDRAL

• Key sectional/plan terms:

  • Narthex

  • Cloister (often linked to monastic complexes)

  • Radiating chapel

  • North-East Transept

  • North Transsept

  • Oratory

  • Chantry

  • Chevet

  • North Aisle / South Aisle

  • Nave

  • Crossings

  • Choir / Presbytery / Sanctuary

  • Lady Chapel

  • High Altar

  • Ambulatory

  • South-East Transept / South Transsept / Apse side (Apsidiole)

  • Chapter House

• Note: Plan emphasizes the cruciform Gothic church layout and radiating chapels around the chevet; definitions are linked to individual entries.

RENAISSANCE (≈ $XVI^{\text{th}}$ century) / Jagiellos, Habsburgs

• Key dome-related terms:

  • Cupola

  • Lantern

  • Dome

  • Drum

  • Pendantive (PENDENTIVE)

• Context: Renaissance architecture in Bohemia and Prague under Jagiello/ Habsburg patronage; emphasis on classical revival elements and ornamental program.

VENETIAN WINDOW, PEDIMENT, TYMPANUM, FRIEZE, KEYSTONE, VOUSSOIR, PILASTER, PLINTH, CORNICE

• Important decorative vocabulary of Renaissance and Baroque architecture:

  • Venetian window (three-part window with a larger central pane flanked by two narrower windows)

  • Pediment (triangular gable above a horizontal datum)

  • Tympanum (inscribed or sculpted panel within a pediment)

  • Frieze (horizontal band above columns in classical orders)

  • Keystone (central voussoir of an arch)

  • Voussoir (wedge-shaped block in an arch)

  • Pilaster (rectangular column projecting from a wall)

  • Plinth (base of a column or pilaster)

  • Cornice (top projecting molding of an entablature)

• A note on terminology: the whole thing described as an aedicule (a small shrine or architectural treatment forming a decorative enclosure around an opening or niche).

EARLIER GOTHIC HOUSES (Prague and region)

• Features to note:

  • Semi-circle gable

  • Arcade

  • Swallow-tail gable

  • Sgrafitto (decorative plasterwork with inscriptions or patterns)

  • Lunette gable

  • Scroll or volute gable

• Examples and references to Prague’s Týn School (16th century) and contemporary artists/locations (e.g., Kistoran te cafés, restaurateurs, and cultural exhibits).

• Context: Civic and domestic adaptations of Gothic language in late Medieval Prague.

RENAISSANCE AEDICULES & ARCADE / PRAGUE EXAMPLES

• Renaissance architecture in Prague features:

  • Renaissance aedicule and arcade

  • Basilica of St. George – southern portal, early $XVI^{\text{th}}$ century

  • Summer Palace of Queen Anne, Prague, mid $XVI^{\text{th}}$ century

• Visual cues: The aedicule frame and the use of arcaded screens in Renaissance settings.

PORTIT AND SGRAFFITO (Decoration)

• Sgraffito decoration as a Renaissance revival decorative technique used in Prague (Ball Game Hall, Prague, mid $XVI^{\text{th}}$ century).

• Schwarzenberg Palace, Prague, second half of the $XVI^{\text{th}}$ century shows sgraffito/ornament usage.

• Portit (likely a misprint or shorthand for portico or similar facade feature) and its decorative role.

RUSTICATION

• Rustication as a textural façade treatment in Baroque and earlier periods; rough-field stone or simulated rusticated blocks used to give mass and texture to walls.

BAROQUE (≈ $XVII$–$XVIII$ centuries) / Habsburgs

• Key identifiers:

  • Onion dome

  • Colossal order (a very large order spanning multiple stories)

• Notes on Baroque language: emphasized dramatic movement, ornate decoration, and bold massing; Prague’s Baroque period features these elements prominently.

DECORATIVE PEDIMENTS AND ORNAMENTS

• Pediment, Scroll, Tympanum, Dutch gable (a pediment incorporated into a gable framing the Dutch taste)

• Bull’s eye / oeil-de-boeuf (donut-like or circular openings in a wall)

• Important ornamental devices used in Baroque and later contexts.

DECORATIVE MOTIFS IN BAROQUE / LATE BAROQUE

• Bow, Snag or Festoon (curved garlands)

• Decorated Keystone; Scrolled pediment; Putto (cherubic figures)

• Mullion; Sill; Scroll-topped window; Apron

• Open vs. opened pediments (design variants)

LATE BAROQUE / ROCOCO ORNAMENT – ROCAILLE

• Bull’s Eye and Casula window forms as late Baroque or Rococo ornament

• Rocaille (ornamental rock-work motif typical of Rococo)

PRAGUE’S 17th–18th-CENTURY CONTEXTS

• Examples and notes include:

  • Church of Our Lady of Victory, Prague, 1611 (C) Braque City Line

  • Church of St. Nicholas, Prague, first half of the $XVIII^{\text{th}}$ century

PALACES & CHATEAUX PLANETARY FEATURES

• Palace/Chateau plan vocabulary:

  • Pianonobile (main hall on first floor)

  • Cour d'honneur (central courtyard)

  • Corps de logis (principal block of a palace)

  • Wing

• Example: Troja Palace, Prague, 2nd half of the $XVII^{\text{th}}$ century

SUMMARY NOTES FOR EXAM PREPARATION

• Core architectural vocabulary across periods helps identify style and era:

  • Classical orders and their features (Doric/Ionic/Corinthian; Doric nuances; base/shaft/capital details; entablature and its elements)

  • Romanesque and Gothic transitions (rotunda, nave, apse, transepts, chevet, radiating chapels, flying buttresses, tracery, mullions, pointed arches, perpendicular tracery)

  • Renaissance revival of classical vocabularies (aedicule, arcade, cupola, lantern, pendantive)

  • Baroque expansion of massing and ornament (onion domes, colossal orders, pediments, scrolled pediments, Rococo ornament)

• Prague’s architectural trajectory highlights a continuous dialogue among these styles, with specific local examples (e.g., Basilica of St. George, Rotunda of Holy Cross, St. Vitus Cathedral, Church of Our Lady of Victory) used to illustrate transitions from Romanesque through Gothic to Renaissance and Baroque.

• Practical exam tips:

  • Be able to name and briefly describe the structural and decorative function of terms like architrave, frieze, metope, triglyph, arch, and vault types.

  • Distinguish between roof types (hip, gambrel, mansard) and relate them to regional practice (UK vs US terminology differences).

  • Recognize Gothic features: tracery varieties (Decorated vs Perpendicular), pointed arches, flying buttresses, mullions, pinnacles, crocketing.

  • Identify Renaissance terms: cupola, dome, lantern, pendentive; aedicule and arcade usage in Prague contexts.

  • Connect Prague examples to broader European architectural movements and dynastic patronage (Přemyslids, Luxembourg, Jagiellos, Habsburgs).

TITLE

Art and Architecture of Prague — Comprehensive Study Notes (Romanesque to Baroque; with Classical Orders and Key Prague Examples)