Class 3 Flashcards
Cloissoné
decorative work in which enamel, glass, or gemstones are separated by strips of flattened wire placed edgeways on a metal backing
Evangelist
the writer of one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John)
vellum
fine parchment made originally from the skin of a calf
enamel
an opaque or semitransparent glassy substance applied to metallic or other hard surfaces for ornament or as a protective coating
Gospel
the record of Jesus’ life and teaching in the first four books of the New Testament
animal interlace
A decorative technique using abstracted animal forms in an interwoven pattern.
illuminated manuscript
a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations. In the strictest definition of the term, an illuminated manuscript only refers to manuscripts decorated with gold or silver.
scriptorium
a room set apart for writing, especially one in a monastery where manuscripts were copied.
Colophon
an inscription at the end of a book or manuscript, used esp. in the 15th and 16th centuries, giving its title, author, date, etc.
Scribe
a person who copies out documents, especially one employed to do this before printing was invented
Mozarabic
of or relating to the Christian inhabitants of Spain under the Muslim Moorish kings
Monastery
a building or buildings occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows
Tempera
a method of painting with pigments dispersed in an emulsion miscible with water, typically egg yolk. The method was used in Europe for fine painting, mainly on wood panels, from the 12th or early 13th century until the 15th, when it began to give way to oils.
carpet page
a characteristic feature of Insular illuminated manuscripts. They are pages of mainly geometrical ornamentation, which may include repeated animal forms, typically placed at the beginning of each of the four Gospels in Gospel Books.
initial page
Letters which began new chapters or important passages in the book could be decorated or historiated. Decorated letters were embellished with geometric, foliate ,and zoomorphic designs, or with mixed elements of all three. Historiated initials, deriving their name from the French “ystoire”, served as frames which enclosed small figural or narrative scenes.
