1 Flashcards
animal style or interlace
Decoration made of interwoven animals or serpents, often found in early medieval Northern European art.
Archivolts
Curved moldings composed of the wedge-shaped stone voussoirs of the arch-frame the tympanum
baldachin
A canopy (whether suspended from the ceiling, projecting from a wall, or supported by columns) placed over an honorific or sacred space such as a throne or church altar.
Bodhisattvas
Person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to save suffering beings.
brahma
embodies all of creation
Carolingian
Established dynasty by Charlemagne the great.
cathedral
Bishop’s administrative center, one for every bishop, one bishop for every town
chasing
Ornamentation made on metal by incising or hammering the surface.
chior
part of the church reserved for clergy, monks or nuns; either between transept crossing and apse or extending into the nave; separated by screens or walls
clerestory
the topmost zone of the wall with windows providing direct light into the nave
cloister
an enclosed space with an open top, often surrounded by an arcaded walkway with important monastic building right off of this space
cong
shape of bowl, made of jade
guang
ritual pouring vessel
Qin Laws
legalism
circle jade
heaven
Qi
“life’s movement”
dao
path of the world/universe
Daoism
emphasizes the close relationship between humans and nature
dao // “the way & the power”
Devaraja
“god-king”
flying buttress/buttress
A projecting support built against an external wall, usually to counteract the lateral thrust of a vault or arch within. In Gothic church architecture, a flying buttress is an arched bridge above the aisle roof that extends from the upper nave wall, where the lateral thrust of the main vault is greatest, down to a solid pier.
Gallery
Second level of church used for choir or viewing
garbhagrina
“womb chamber”
grisaile
Monochrome paintings in shades of grey.
halberd
weapon held by the terra cotta warriors to pull soldiers off horses, stab horses and victims
historiated capital
The sculpted block that tops a column. According to the conventions of the orders, capitals include different decorative elements (see order). A historiated capital is one displaying a figural composition and/or narrative scenes.
The element of the interior elevation of a church found directly below the clerestory and consisting of a series of arched openings in front of a passageway within the thickness of the wall.
iconography
identifying and studying conventional symbols in works of art
illumination
A painting on paper or parchment used as an illustration and/or decoration in a manuscript or album. Usually richly colored, often supplemented by gold and other precious materials. The artists are referred to as illuminators. Also: the technique of decorating manuscripts with such paintings.
Jambs
Vertical elements in a Romanesque portal
Junzi
gentleman
Kami
Deities who the Kasuga shrine is dedicated.
keep
The innermost and strongest structure or central tower of a medieval castle, sometimes used as living quarters, as well as for defense. Also called a donjon.
Kondo
Golden hall in Horyuji Compound
lakshanas
defining factors of Buddha; present in every Buddha figure; top-knot, urna, yogic pose, elongated lobes
Lakshmi
female goddess (or energy) with vishnu
lancet
A tall, narrow window crowned by a sharply pointed arch, typically found in Gothic architecture.
lantern
A turretlike structure situated on a roof, vault, or dome, with windows that allow light into the space below.
li and qi
idea and matter
linga shrine
a place of worship centered around an object or lingam, which symbolizes Shiva’s power
lingam
form of a phallus
loggiaItalian
term for a gallery. Often used as a corridor between buildings or around a courtyard, a loggia usually features an arcade or colonnade
mandapa
an open hall dedicated to ritual worship, in Hindu temples
mandorla
Light encircling, or emanating from, the entire figure of a sacred person.
module
A basic unit of construction (The bay)
Mozarabic
Of an eclectic style practiced in Christian medieval Spain when much of the Iberian peninsula was ruled by Islamic dynasties.
Pagoda
Towers associated with East Asian Buddhist temples.
pictograph
a type of writing using only symbols to depict a person or object
Pier
Bottom layer of Carolingian church used as mausoleum.
pilgrimage church
a church that attracts visitors wishing to see the relics of the church and to attend services
plate tracery
Stonework or woodwork forming a pattern in the open space of windows or applied to wall surfaces. In plate tracery, a series of openings are cut through the wall. In bar tracery, mullions divide the space into segments to form decorative patterns.
portal
grand entrance, door, usually to an important public building and often decorated with sculptures
quatrefoil
A four-lobed decorative pattern common in Gothic art and architecture.
Quin
Name of the emperor who unified chinese empire.
ren
Human Heartedness
rib vault
a groin vault with decorative or structural ribs
romanesque
in the roman manner
Rose window
A round window, often filled with stained glass set into tracery patterns in the form of wheel spokes, found in the façades of the naves and transepts of large Gothic churches.
rune stone
In early medieval northern Europe, a stone used as a commemorative monument and carved or inscribed with runes, a writing system used by early Germanic peoples.
seal
red markers to indicate people who have owned the object or document, like a signature
shikhara
shape of the northern-style temples; smooth representing the Himalayan
Shinto
Japan’s indigenous religious belief system.
spolia
Fragments of older architecture or sculpture reused in a secondary context. Latin for “hide stripped from an animal.”
stave church
A Scandinavian wooden structure with four huge timbers (staves) at its core.
stringcourse
horizontal band decorating the face of the outside wall and separating the levels of the church
taiji
great, ultimate daoism
taotie
dragon or animal-like mask (spiritual faces) commonly used as a decorative motif
transept
arm of the cruciform church perpendicular to the nave; where it crosses the nave, it is called the crossing
transverse arch
An arch that connects the wall piers on both sides of an interior space, up and over a stone vault.
triforium
The element of the interior elevation of a church found directly below the clerestory and consisting of a series of arched openings in front of a passageway within the thickness of the wall.
Trumeau
Central pier
Tympanum
Semicircle directly over door in Romanesque church
vimana
stair-like top on the southern-style temples
westwork
The monumental, west-facing entrance section of a Carolingian, Ottonian, or Romanesque church. The exterior consists of multiple stories between two towers; the interior includes an entrance vestibule, a chapel, and a series of galleries overlooking the nave.
