Art History Midterm 1 Flashcards
Abu’l Fazl
The Akbarnama (the story) was written in Persian by Abu’l Fazl between 1590 and 1596 This version of the manuscript is thought to be the earliest illustrated version of the
Abū Ishā al-Sahili
Abu Isha al-Sahili – assumed architect of Djinguereber Mosque – oldest monument, built using indigenous techniques
adobe (or banco)
Mud brick: made by layer upon layer of wet soil (“banco” or adobe) rendered on to limestone rocks or onto bricks made from banco. Used in Djinguereber Mosque
Afroeurasia/Eurasia
Africa/Asia + Europe/Asia
Akbar/Akbarbama
Akbar, third emperor the Mughal Dynasty
“Book of Akbar”
Akbar supported arts and culture – patron of the arts (important) remained illiterate for his lifetime
7 copies of the Akbarnama exist in the world
Royal copy made for Akbar himself
Mughal painting under Akbar is known for its unique blend of indigenous Indian, Persian, and Western traditions
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great – powerful imperialist – conquered Persian Emperor (greatest power of the world at this time)
Has Persian Heritage
(Iskander/Isfandiyar)
“The Bier of Iskander” (Alexander the Great)
Ilkhanid Dynasty
(the) Americas
Iberians travelled to Americas
Found routinely crossing the Atlantic was possible
Iberian mariners found an open sea
Passage from Atlantic to pacific
“We’re surrounded by water, we can get anywhere”
Early passages between Europe and Americas
apse*
Where magistrate and people held meetings in church
Also where altar is placed
arabesque
intertwining plants and abstract curvilinear motifs
arch – round and pointed*
Roman – rounded arch (utilitarian)
Gothic – pointed arch (let celestial light in through stained glass windows)
- Invented vaulted arch ** reading – ribbed vault
arts of the book
Islamic manuscripts - Combining painting with calligraphy
Teams of artists replicating by hand - unique art form
aryballo
Storage jar
Named after Greek influence
Inca, Peru
Large one – utilitarian
Small one – votive, representation, symbolic role (connecting life and death through burial)
Ritualistic exchange of gifts (small symbolic Aryballos)
Insect designs – natural world
astronomy vs. astrology
Astronomy - study of stars (scientific)
Astrology - study of the stars impact on real life (spiritual)
altar/altarpiece*
Placed in the apse
Altarpiece - image bearing structure
Atlantic Rim
Becoming richest and most dynamic area - development of gunpowder empires
Aztec/Mexica
After a three-month siege, Spanish forces under Hernãn Cortés capture Tenochititlan, the capital of the Aztec empire. Cortes’ men levelled the city and captured Cuahtemoc, the aztec emperor
10 million people forced from Africa, transferred to Americas for plantation work
Babur/Baburnama
Babur founded the Mughal dynasty – a period of court life in South Asia known for its opulence, literary culture, miniature paintings, and monumental architecture.
Book of Babur”
Paintings made in the reign of Babur’s grandson Akbar
Mughals came from central Asia to southern Asia
Baroque*
Drama, heightened emotion
- Used by catholic counter-reformation
basilica*
Roman bascilica - nave down the centre, square
Used for business
(the) Bible*
Word of God. Protestant reformation = Bible (not the Church) the only reliable source of instruction
blue and white ceramics
Sea routes linking Ming China with the Mughals of South Asia, the Safavids of West Asia and the Ottomans of West Asia and the Mediterranean
Invention of White porcelain: The most important development in the global history of ceramics – true hard porcelain made from white rock kaolin - China stone ground
Porcelain in high demand in West Asia – but doesn’t have Chinese clay or clay ovens
- Developed imitation porcelain from earthy clay and white glaze
Book of Kings
Shahnama - a 50,000-couplet poem recounting the history of Iran from the creation pf the world to the coming of the Arabs in the seventh century through the reigns of fifty successive monarchs
Made for the Mongol Court (Shahnama)
Link between them in the present and stories in the past
“A mirror for princes”
(the) Carolingian
800: Charlemagne ,the Carolingian king of the Franks, was crowned Emperor of the West by Pope Leo III
Under Charlemagne, a Carolingian king, the ‘West’ began to take shape as both a territory – Western Europe – and as a religion – Christianity – under the Roman Catholic Church
Renaissance
Carolingian renaissance - Lindau gospels
Come from one of Charlemagne’s many Imperial workshops
Scriptoria – room (for writing &/or copying manuscripts)
Carolingian Renaissance
Precious portable objects
cathedral
Christian place of worship
Hagia sophia (before repurpose)
Gothic cathedral in Ghent
Catholic Counter-Reformation*
- Ignored Martin Luther
- 1545: Council of Trent
o Assembly of high officials of the church to address issues - Affirm purgatory and use of buying salvation
- Affirm necessity and correctness of religious art
- St. Peter’s Basilica – architectural example of fighting Luther
o At centre of site is obelisk
o Square – arms of the church, reaching out to the faithful
Conversion of St. Paul piece
Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
800: Charlemagne ,the Carolingian king of the Franks, was crowned Emperor of the West by Pope Leo III
Under Charlemagne, a Carolingian king, the ‘West’ began to take shape as both a territory – Western Europe – and as a religion – Christianity – under the Roman Catholic Church
Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor)
Who made the map of Tenochitlan? Hernan Cortez sent to Emperor Charles V – holy roman emperor
Christianity/Christendom
The Holy Roman Empire, 753-1806
Resurgence of “Rome” and Christianity
Huge amount of politics and shuffling for territory & control
Big idea = by the time we get to Napolean (19th C) “modern western Europe – Christendom is “the religion”; the West has risen and taken control – rise of capitalism
church plan*
Ancient Roman basilica
Used for business
Apse – where magistrate and people held meetings
Romanesque church plan – arches and structure
Put an altar piece in the apse where the priest stands
chiaroscuro*
an Italian term which translates as light-dark, and refers to the balance and pattern of light and shade in a painting or drawing
cobalt blue
West Asia exported cobalt
Elaborate Tughra with Cobalt blue (cobalt is important)
Columbia Exchange
Coined in 1492
Exchange of food, animals, plants to and from Americas – changed world’s diet globally
copper-red glaze
Chinese Red: Colour of power, celebration, fertility, prosperity, and repelling evil
Dish with copper-red glaze: Important ceremonial dish to put food in as an offering
Red colour from bubbles?
Red in China = Privileged – all things auspicious and happy (fire, heart, sun = positive forces of energy)
Colours can represent state of existence
Monochrome ceramics in china – greatest achievement of ceramics
effigy
A sculpture or model of a person; vulture vessel
Emperor Yongle (Ming)
Zheng He, a Muslim sea trader Given over to Chinese as a child transfer from rule
Served Chinese emperor Zhu Di, known as the Emperor Yongle
Control trading in the Indian Ocean – commissioned 3,500 ships
Firdausi
The Bier of Iskander written by Firdausi, 935-1020, a Persian poet of the first rank
(the) Great Dying
microorganisms introduced that killed many people in the Americas (smallpox, scarlet fever, influenza, etc.)
While the great dying is referring to devastation, there are instances where individuals fight back – use their agency in order to preserve, maintain, persist their way of life
Great Global Convergence
- Processes of global convergences, or the linking of the world’s population
- Profoundly different from the emergence of the first civilization – acceleration and change
Gothic*
Gothic – pointed arch (let celestial light in through stained glass windows)
Invented vaulted arch ** reading – ribbed vault
Gothic cathedral in Ghent (Belgium) put altar piece by where pastor is giving a sermon
Gunpowder Empires
• Safavid – Persia/Iran
• Mughal – India
• Ottoman – Turkey
(Dynasties)
hajj to Mecca
King Mansa Musa, Malian King (r. 1312-37
Mali the first MAJOR Islamic empire in sub-Saharan Africa
Mansa Musa pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, 1324-25
o Drew attention from Islam and European powers
o 1500 men, 1200 slaves, 80 camels, 300lbs carrying tons of gold
Hernán Cortés &
the Spanish Conquest
After a three-month siege, Spanish forces under Hernãn Cortés capture Tenochititlan, the capital of the Aztec empire. Cortes’ men levelled the city and captured Cuahtemoc, the Aztec emperor
Aztecs claim long history from ancient people
Cortes rules Tenochitlan
Holy Roman Empire
Christianity dominates Europe
Religious leader
Grab for territory
Colonial outreaches
800: Charlemagne ,the Carolingian king of the Franks, was crowned Emperor of the West by Pope Leo III
Under Charlemagne, a Carolingian king, the ‘West’ began to take shape as both a territory – Western Europe – and as a religion – Christianity – under the Roman Catholic Church
horror vacui
The filling of the entire surface of a space or an artwork with detail.
Ilkhanid Dynasty
Mongol Dynasty
Inca/Inka
Inca in the Andean mountains of South America
incipit/initial page
Matthew
“incipit” page = it begins
Initial page – contains initial (on the right) features the opening words of the gospel text
Think of these books at “moving” “living, breathing” – they are subject to change
Indian Ocean Trade
The Ming Dynasty (China)
Anarchy on land encouraged move to sea routes for trade - connection to China through sea
Zheng He, a Muslim sea trader served Chinese emperor Zhu Di, known as the Emperor Yongle
Control trading in the Indian Ocean – commissioned 3,500 ships
Massive ships could have ruled the Indian Ocean and travelled to Americas, but new emperor halted expeditions
indulgences*
Sale of indulgences in the Catholic church in order to buy absolution
Islam/Islamic
The Persian Safavid Empire, 1501-1722
Greatest dynasty to emerge from Iran in the Islamic period
Twelver Shiism, the largest branch of Shia Islam, as the official religion of their dynasty
Much of the Safavid art and architecture reflects their adoption of a Shi’a identity
Jahangir
Jahangir was known for using religiously-informed allegories, including the adoption of Christian imagery
Loved the arts
Jingdezhen ware
Chinese porcelain produced in or near Jingdezhen in southern China (Blue and white ceramics)
Kirti Mukha
Common in the iconography of Hindu temple architecture of India and Southeast Asia (dragon face)
Kufic
Arabic script
madrasa
Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious, whether for elementary instruction or higher learning
Mali Empire
King Mansa Musa, Malian King (r. 1312-37
Mali the first MAJOR Islamic empire in sub-Saharan Africa
Mansa Musa
Mali King
Mansa Musa pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, 1324-25
manuscript illumination
Copying of books (by hand)
Martin Luther*
German monk who sparked the Protestant reformation by posting the 95 theses
Ming Dynasty
At the beginning of the Ming dynasty, China was a world leader in the use of gunpowder-based weaponry, shipbuilding, and navigation, and the production of porcelain and various other materials requiring technological knowledge
Sea routes linking Ming China with the Mughals of South Asia, the Safavids of West Asia and the Ottomans of West Asia and the Mediterranean
Mongol Empire (China)
Predating Mughal
India
mosque
Followers of Islam that believed in one formless god and built mosques for congregational worship
Djinguereber Mosque
The Great Friday Mosque of Djenné
mud brick
Made by layer upon layer of wet soil (“banco” or adobe) rendered on to limestone rocks or onto bricks made from banco
Mughal Empire (India)
Genghis Kahn, collapsed mongol/mughal empire
nave *
Part of the middle of a church
Ottoman Dynasty (Turkey)
Located in modern day Turkey
Began in the 14th Century. Lasted formally as late as 1923, but largely disintegrated by then
Turkic Muslim group
An expansive geography along the frontiers of the Islamic world
Ottomans a world of power
Followers of Islam that believed in one formless god and built mosques for congregational worship
Don’t believe in forced conversion - -Gave Catholics and Jews quite a lot of protection
Capture and seize of Constantinople
Ottoman reuse of the Byzantine Cathedral Hagia Sophia.
Ottonian
919: a Saxon is elected king, and in 962 his son, Otto I is made Emperor, ushering in a period of immense prosperity and artistic productivity for the Saxon empire
Determined to define himself as a Roman Emperor in the style of Constantine and Charlemagne, each Ottonian King perpetuated a highly intellectual court and created an extensive artistic legacy
Persian Safavid Empire
Greatest dynasty to emerge from Iran in the Islamic period
Twelver Shiism, the largest branch of Shia Islam, as the official religion of their dynasty
Much of the Safavid art and architecture reflects their adoption of a Shi’a identity
pilgrimage*
Mansa Musa pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, 1324-25
Journey for religious reasons
porcelain
Invention of White porcelain: The most important development in the global history of ceramics – true hard porcelain made from white rock kaolin China stone ground
Porcelain in high demand in West Asia – but doesn’t have Chinese clay or clay ovens
- Developed imitation porcelain from earthy clay and white glaze
Jingdezhen ware
Monochrome red dish
Chinese porcelains were popular luxury objects in the Persian empire in 15th-17th Centuries
Protestant Reformation*
- Rebellion against the catholic church + a bid to reform it
- Change the sale of indulgences - absolution
- Martin Luther sparked the reformation by posting the 95 theses
- Invention of the printing press + translation of the Bible into vernacular
- = Bible (not the Church) the only reliable source of instruction
- Direct relationship to God
(cult of the) relic
Romanesque *
Relics in churches to draw visitors on pilgrimages
Roman Catholic Church
Main form of Christianity before the Protestant Reformation
(trans) Saharan Trade
African trade routes show movement across Sahara going North and East
Saz style
vibrant floral compositions, pale background
scriptoria
room for writing &/or copying manuscripts
Shahnama
“Book of Kings” – a 50,000-couplet poem recounting the history of Iran from the creation pf the world to the coming of the Arabs in the seventh century through the reigns of fifty successive monarchs
Made for the Mongol Court (Shahnama)
Link between them in the present and stories in the past
“A mirror for princes”
Shah Jahan
5th Mughal descendant
Builder of the Taj Mahal
Shah Tahmasp
1568- Shah Tahmasp gave expensive illustrated copy to (idk… alexander?)
Turkmen School: lively treatment and bright colours of landscape and surfaces
Herat school: sober palette and balanced compositional layout
Silk Roads
Major Network of Trade
Sudano-Sahelian style
Djinguereber Mosque – oldest monument, built using indigenous techniques
Imported architect, Sudano-Sahelian style
Abu Isha al-Sahili – assumed architect
Timbuktu, Mali
Tenochtitlán (Mexico City) & Templo Mayor*
Complex, developed, planned, etc
Capital of the Aztec Empire
Templo Mayor - Site for Ritual & Ceremony
Two pyramids side by side – representing two sacred mountains
Contain principal idols and human sacrifice
Must convert barbarians. Change idols to image of the virgin Mary which morphs into “Our lady of Guadalupe”
Irony of preventing human sacrifice, but conquers the city
Wind and Storm God… interpreted Cortes’ arrival as the arrival of this God.
Timbuktu
Timbuktu has a LARGE collection of Arabic manuscripts
Legendary city in West Africa (now Mali)
A significant religious, cultural, and commercial centre
A market for obtaining the goods and products of Africa south of the desert (connected)
African trade routes show movement across Sahara going North and East
Connected to Atlantic ocean by river
A major city in the Mali and then Songhai Empire, and a centre of Islamic scholarship (KEY)
2500 universities or something crazy
Wellspring for spread of Islam
Intellectual, cultural, religious centre
Sacred Muslim texts, in bound editions, were carried great distances to Timbuktu
Timur (Tamer the Lame, or Tamerlane)
Mongol Ancestor of Babur
toron
Projections from mosque for maintenance of brick
tughra
an Insignia that belongs to Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent
Tughra is simply insignia, isn’t solely for Sultan, but used by Sultan for royal edicts, coins, etc.
Elaborate Tughra with Cobalt blue (cobalt is important)
ukiyo-e (floating world)
Printmaking in Japan
Drawn on paper, transferred onto translucent paper, transferred to wood block, carve out negative space
Used to be used for text, now used for coloured images – dissemination (getting many images out to many people)
Venice
“hinge” between East and West
Venice would dominate the trade in luxury goods in the 14th century
Venice grew to be one of the largest cities in Europe and the capital of a great trading empire
As Byzantium fell to the Ottomans, Venetians increasingly came into contact with Muslims and their ideas, culture, and way of life
Player, interpreter, connection that made goods flow from the east to Europe and Venice to the east
Venice became Christian Europe’s most important interface with the Muslim civiizations of the Near East
(the) ‘West’/the ‘East’
Europe vs Asia
Western Europe
Centres of Power and Prosperity
- Architecture, imagery & Christian faith
- Reformation and counter-reformation
Christianity is ruling Western Europe
woodblock printing
/printmaking/printing press
Woodblock printing from East Asia
Print-making in Europe - Close to talking about the printing press
Precedent for printing press in China and Korea – Clay movable characters
Zheng He
Zheng He, a Muslim sea trader Given over to Chinese as a child transfer from rule
Served Chinese emperor Zhu Di, known as the Emperor Yongle
Control trading in the Indian Ocean – commissioned 3,500 ships
Zheng He’s inscription, dedicated to Tianfei or “Heavenly Princess,” the goddess of Chinese sailors:
