14th C. Tuscany: Proto-Renaissance Terms Flashcards
City State
A city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state. City states in Italy were almost more identified than the country itself–as its political union was weak.
Dante Alghieri
Poet, writer, political thinker. Dante was a Medieval Italian his poetic trilogy, The Divine Comedy, was largely rebound and made an incredible mark on literature and theology. See biography.com
Dante wrote The Divine Comedy in Florentine Italian, which was the vernacular of the day. It carried a lot of Greek influence within its Christianity. He played God in the work, naming people who were in heaven, purgatory, and hell.
Petrarch
Poet and scholar whose humanist philosophy set the stage for the Renaissance. He is also considered one of the fathers of the modern Italian language. See biography.com
Guild
A medieval association of craftsmen or merchants, often having considerable power. Painters were a part of St. Luke’s guild, which also included doctors. He himself was a rumored artist. They shared the guild because both painters and doctors grind things.
Maniera greca/ “Greek Manner” (“Italo-Byzantine”) style
Byzantine or Greek mode of painting. Characteristics include bright gliding colors and striations that denote folds in the fabric. Giotto was the first Italian painter to move away from Maniera Greca to a more naturalistic style. See reference.com
Icon
Religious work of art. More common among the Eastern orthodox churches. Icon painting is rooted in the theology of the Incarnation (Christ being the ikon of God). The honor paid to the image passes to the prototype. Icons also served as tools of edification for the illiterate faithful. In some sects, Icons were seen as directly disobeying the commandment of ‘no graven images.’ This disagreement would lead to iconoclasm.
See Wikipedia.
Hodegetria
Virgin Hodegetria is an iconographic depiction of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary, or throne of God) holding the Child Jesus at her side while pointing to Him as the source of salvation for mankind. In the Western Church this type of icon is sometimes called Our Lady of the Way.
See Wikipedia.
Chrysography
The art of writing in ink made of powdered gold suspended in a small amount of glair or gum.
See dictionary.com
Egg Tempera
A watercolor medium consisting of pigments ground with pure egg yolk. Egg tempera was used by nearly every painter of the Italian Renaissance before 1500 AD. See dictionary.com
Permanent and fast drying. Paintings are long lasting. See Wikipedia.
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis for short. A deep blue semiprecious stone, prized for its color. The stone was ground into powder and made into ultramarine blue. This is the finest and most expensive of all blue pigments. Often used for the Virgin Mary.
See Wikipedia.
“Throne of Wisdom”
Also “The Seat of Wisdom.” An icon of the mother of God in majesty. Images will depict her seated on a throne with the infant Jesus on her lap. Refers to her status as a vessel of the incarnation. Also has reference to Solomon, whose lineage Christ would share.
See Wikipedia.
St. Francis of Assisi
Had a famous vision of Christ telling him to build up His church. St. Francis went about preaching among the poor. He loved nature and teaching in the common vernacular. Received the stigmata. The Franciscan order is a mendicant order, patterned after the life of St. Francis.
See my brain.
Mendicant
A beggar. Mendicant orders refer to certain Christian religious monastic orders that adopted a lifestyle of poverty, traveling and living in urban areas for purposes of preaching, evangelization, and ministry, especially to the poor.
See Wikipedia.
Stigmata/stigmatization
In Christianity, Stigmata refers to the marks or wounds of Jesus Christ. Stigmatization was a blessing given by God to the most faithful, who had taken Christ’s image upon them through the works of their life. Receiving the stigmata was a great honor.
See my brain.
Buon Fresco
Italian for true fresco. Alkaline-resistant pigments are ground in water and applied to wet plaster. The process binds the painting to the wall. This is different than fresco-secco and finto fresco techniques wherein the paints are applied to dry plaster.
See Wikipedia.
