Anjali Padmanaban
Art History/Criticism
Vocabulary #6:
Ambulatory-
moving about or from place to place; not stationary
Apse- a semicircular or polygonal termination or recess in a building, usually vaulted and used especially at the end of a choir in a church
Arcade-
a series of arches supported on piers or columns
Archivolt-
a molded or decorated band following the extrados of an arch or forming an archlike frame for an opening.
Axial Plan-
the parts of a building are organized longitudinally, or along a given axis
Basilica Plan-
including a nave, two or four side aisles
Longitudinal Plan-
a plan in which length exceeds width
Baptistery-
a building or a part of a church in which baptism is administered
Bay-
a recess of land, partly surrounded by hills
Campanile-
a bell tower, especially one freestanding from the body of a church.
Cathedral-
the principal church of a diocese, containing the bishop's throne
Clerestory-
a portion of an interior rising above adjacent rooftops and having windows admittingdaylight to the interior
Embroidery- the art of working raised and ornamental designs in threads of silk, cotton, gold, silver, or othermaterial, upon any woven fabric, leather, paper, etc., with a needle.
Jamb-
either of the vertical sides of a doorway, arch, window, or other opening
Narthex-
an enclosed passage between the main entrance and the nave of a church.
Portal-
a door, gate, or entrance, especially one of imposing appearance, as to a palace.
Psalter-
the Biblical book of Psalms
Reliquary-
a repository or receptacle for relics.
Rib Vault-
a vault supported by or decorated with diagonal ribs.
Tapestry- a fabric consisting of a warp upon which colored threads are woven by hand to produce a design,often pictorial, used for wall hangings, furniture coverings, etc.
Transept- any major transverse part of the body of a church, usually crossing the nave, at right angles, at theentrance to the choir.
Triforium- the wall at the side of the nave, choir, or transept, corresponding to the space between thevaulting or ceiling and the roof of an aisle, often having a blind arcade or an opening in a gallery
Trumeau-
a column supporting a tympanum of a doorway at its center.
Tympanum-the recessed, usually triangular space enclosed between the horizontal and sloping cornices of apediment, often decorated with sculpture
Voussoir-
any of the pieces, in the shape of a truncated wedge, that form an arch or vault
Chevet-
an apse, as of a Gothic cathedral.
Choir-
the part of a church occupied by the singers of the choir
Close-
to put (something) in a position to obstruct an entrance, opening, etc.; shut
Compound Pier-
feature of a nave arcade designed for the support of arches andto bring arch and pier into harmony
Fan Vault- a vault composed of a number of concave conoidal surfaces, usually four, springing from the corners of the vaulting compartment and touching or intersecting at the top, often decorated with ribs.
Flying Buttress-
a segmental arch transmitting an outward and downward thrust to a solid buttress that through its inertiatransforms the thrust into a vertical one.
Moralised Bible- intended to instruct by means of pictures
Ogee Arch-
an arch, each haunch of which is an ogee with the concave side uppermost.
Pieta-
a representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ, usually shown held on her lap.
Pinnacle- a relatively small, upright structure, commonly terminating in a gable, a pyramid, or acone, rising above the roof or coping of a building, or capping a tower, buttress, or other projecting architectural member
Rose Window-
a circular window decorated with tracery symmetrical about the center.
Allegory- a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another
Altarpiece-
a painted or carved screen behind or above the altar or communion table in Christian churches; reredos.
International Gothic Style-
a phase of Gothic art which developed in Burgundy, Bohemia, France and northern Italy in the late 14th century and early 15th century
Maesta-
the Italian word for "majesty", designates an iconic formula of the enthroned Madonna with the child Jesus, whether or not accompanied with angels and saints
Maniera Greca: it is a traditional style and even way (tempera) of painting you can see in traditional Greek icons. Use of gold (real gold leaf) clear, curved lines lines
Predella: the base of an altarpiece, often decorated with small paintings or reliefs.
Tempera: a technique of painting in which an emulsion consisting of water and pure egg yolk or a mixture of eggand oil is used as a binder or medium, characterized by its lean film-forming properties and rapiddrying rate.
Trecento: the 14th century, with reference to Italy, and especially to its art or literature.
Book of Hours: a book containing the prescribed order of prayers, readings from Scripture, and rites for the canonical hours.
Donor: a person who gives property by gift, legacy, or devise, or who confers a power of appointment
Engraving: the art of forming designs by cutting, corrosion by acids, a photographic process, etc., on thesurface of a metal plate, block of wood, or the like, for or as for the purpose of taking off impressions or prints of the design so formed
Etching: the act or process of making designs or pictures on a metal plate, glass, etc., by the corrosive actionof an acid
instead of by a burin
Grisaille: work of art, as a painting or stained-glass window, executed in grisaille.
Polyptych: a work of art composed of several connected panels.
Triptych: a set of three panels or compartments side by side, bearing pictures, carvings, or the like.
Woodcut: a carved block of wood from which prints are made.
Bottega: the studio of a master artist, in which lesser artists, apprentices, or students learn by participating in the work.
Humanism: any system or mode of thought or action in which human interests, values, and dignity predominate.
Lantern: a tall, more or less open construction admitting light to an enclosed area below
Orthogonal: pertaining to or involving right angles or perpendiculars
Pilaster: a shallow rectangular feature projecting from a wall, having a capital and base and usually imitating theform of a column.
Quattrocento: the 15th century, used in reference to the Italian art and literature of that time.
Rusticate: to finish (a wall surface) so as to produce or suggest rustication.
Stringcourse: a horizontal band or course, as of stone, projecting beyond or flush with the face of a building, oftenmolded and sometimes richly carved.
Trompe L’oeil: visual deception, especially in paintings, in which objects are rendered in extremely fine detail emphasizing the illusion of tactile and spatial qualities
Arcadian: a native of Arcadia.
Canvas: a closely woven, heavy cloth of cotton, hemp, or linen, used for tents, sails, etc.
Chiaroscuro: the use of deep variations in and subtle gradations of light and shade, especially to enhancethe delineation of character and for general dramatic effect
Cinquecento: the 16th century, with reference to Italy, especially to the Italian art or literature of that period.
Glazes: to cover (a painted surface or parts of it) with a thin layer of transparent color in order tomodify the tone
Ignudi: the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, at the commission of Pope Julius II, is one of the most renowned artworks of the High Renaissance
Matryrium: a church or other edifice built at a site, especially a tomb, associated with a Christian martyr or saint
Quoins: a wedge-shaped piece of wood, stone, or other material, used for any of various purposes
Sacra Conversazione: a depiction of the virgin and child (the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus)
Sfumato: the subtle and minute gradation of tone and color used to blur or veil the contours of a form in painting.
Genre Painting: a genre depicting everyday life
Villa or Chateau: a stately residence imitating a distinctively French castle.