test 1 Flashcards
sculpture in the round?
A freestanding three-dimensional sculpture that can be viewed from every angle, for example, by walking around it.
megalith?
large stone used as a monument or other structure
ocher/ochre?
naturally occurring clay pigment that rages in color from yellow, red, brown or white.
post-and-lintel?
a form of construction in which two upright posts support a horizontal beam
Trilithon?
two upright megaliths topped with a third, horizontal stone (lintel)
Petroglyph?
an image created on a rock surface through incision, pecking, carving, or abrading
Low relief?
raised forms that project only slightly from a flat background
ziggurat?
a stepped pyramid or tower-like structure in a Mesopotamian temple complex
register?
a horizontal section of work, usually a clearly defined band or line
votive?
an image or object created as a devotional offering to a deity
hierarchical scale?
the use of size to denote the relative importance of subjects in an artwork.
stele?
a carved stone slab that is placed upright and often features commemorative imagery and/or inscriptions.
lost waxing technique?
a method of creating metal sculpture in which a clay mold surrounds a wax model and is then fired; when the wax melts away, molten metal is poured in to fill the space.
palette?
rock that was used to mix pigments on
mastaba?
a massive, flat-topped rectangular tomb building with slanted side walls; built of either mud brick or cut stone
necropolis?
a large cemetery; from the greek for the “city of the dead”
Serdab?
a narrow chamber of the ancient Egyptian mastaba either concealed or accessible only by a narrow passage and containing a statue of the deceased.
corbeled roof?
a roof made of stone slabs that progressively overlap to create a dome, topped with a capstone.
hypostyle hall?
a large room with rows of columns or pillars supporting the roof
pylon?
a monumental stone gateway to an ancient Egyptian temple composed of two wide, tapered towers.
sunken relief?
relief that is carved into a sunken area and does not project above the surface
nephrite?
a hard, fibrous mineral used in the Liangzhu culture for making ritual objects; often called jade.
bi?
flat, perforated disks made of nephrite or other hardstones, made in early cultures in China.
cong?
hollow, squared tubes made of nephrite found in Liangzhu culture of China
oracle bones?
turtle plastrons and ox shoulder bones used for divination in the Shang state
Taotie?
the name given to the composite animal mask frequently found on Shang bronzes
Provenance?
the history of an artwork’s ownership
Repoussé?
a relief design created by hammering malleable metal from the reverse side (not the side to be viewed).
Fresco?
a wall or ceiling painting on wet plaster (also called true fresco or buon fresco); wet pigment merges with the plaster, and once hardened the painting becomes an integral part of the wall; painting on dry plaster is called fresco secco.
Continuous narrative?
multiple events combined within a single pictorial frame.
