Art History - Chapter 3 - Glossary

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amulet

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An object worn to ward off evil or to aid the wearer.

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ashlar masonry

Back 2

Carefully cut and regularly shaped blocks of stone used in construction, fitted together without mortar.

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atlantid

Back 3

A male figure that functions as a supporting column. See also caryatid.

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axial plan

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The horizontal arrangement of the parts of a building or of the buildings and streets of a city or town, or a drawing or diagram showing such an arrangement. In an axial plan, the parts of a building are organized longitudinally, or along a given axis; in a central plan, the parts of the structure are of equal or almost equal dimensions around the center.

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ben-ben

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A pyramidal stone; a fetish of the Egyptian god Re.

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bilateral symmetry

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Having the same forms on either side of a central axis.

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block statue

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In ancient Egyptian sculpture, a cubic stone image with simplified body parts.

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canon

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A rule, for example, of proportion. The ancient Greeks considered beauty to be a matter of correct proportion and sought a canon of proportion, for the human figure and for buildings.

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canopic jar

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In ancient Egypt, the container in which the organs of the deceased were placed for later burial with the mummy.

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capital

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The uppermost member of a column, serving as a transition from the shaft to the lintel. In classical architecture, the form of the capital varies with the order.

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caryatid

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A female figure that functions as a supporting column. See also atlantid.

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chamfer

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The surface formed by cutting off a corner of a board or post; a bevel.

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clerestory

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The fenestrated part of a building that rises above the roofs of the other parts. The oldest known clerestories are Egyptian. In Roman basilicas and medieval churches, clerestories are the windows that form the nave’s uppermost level below the timber ceiling or the vaults.

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colonnade

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A series or row of columns, usually spanned by lintels.

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column

Back 15

A vertical, weight-carrying architectural member, circular in cross-section and consisting of a base (sometimes omitted), a shaft, and a capital.

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course

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In masonry construction, a horizontal row of stone blocks.

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demotic

Back 17

Late Egyptian writing.

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dressed masonry

Back 18

Stone blocks shaped to the exact dimensions required, with smooth faces for a perfect fit.

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engaged column

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A half-round column attached to a wall. See also pilaster.

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facade

Back 20

Usually, the front of a building; also, the other sides when they are emphasized architecturally.

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flute or fluting

Back 21

Vertical channeling, roughly semicircular in cross-section and used principally on columns and pilasters.

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fresco

Back 22

Painting on lime plaster, either dry (dry fresco or fresco secco) or wet (true or buon fresco). In the latter method, the pigments are mixed with water and become chemically bound to the freshly laid lime plaster. Also, a painting executed in either method.

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fresco secco

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Painting on lime plaster, either dry (dry fresco or fresco secco) or wet (true or buon fresco). In the latter method, the pigments are mixed with water and become chemically bound to the freshly laid lime plaster. Also, a painting executed in either method.

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hieroglyphic

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A system of writing using symbols or pictures.

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hypostyle hall

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A hall with a roof supported by columns.

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ka

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In ancient Egypt, the immortal human life force.

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mastaba

Back 27

Arabic, bench. An ancient Egyptian rectangular brick or stone structure with sloping sides erected over a subterranean tomb chamber connected with the outside by a shaft.

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molding

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In architecture, a continuous, narrow surface (projecting or recessed, plain or ornamented) designed to break up a surface, to accent, or to decorate.

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mortuary temple

Back 29

In Egyptian architecture, a temple erected for the worship of a deceased pharaoh.

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mummification

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A technique used by ancient Egyptians to preserve human bodies so that they may serve as the eternal home of the immortal ka.

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necropolis

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Greek, city of the dead. A large burial area or cemetery.

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nemes

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In ancient Egypt, the linen headdress worn by the pharaoh, with the uraeus cobra of kingship on the front.

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palette

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A thin board with a thumb hole at one end on which an artist lays and mixes colors; any surface so used. Also, the colors or kinds of colors characteristically used by an artist. In ancient Egypt, a slate slab used for preparing makeup.

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papyrus

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A plant native to Egypt and adjacent lands used to make paperlike writing material; also, the material or any writing on it.

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pharaoh

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An ancient Egyptian king.

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pillar

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Usually a weight-carrying member, such as a pier or a column; sometimes an isolated, freestanding structure used for commemorative purposes.

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pylon

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The wide entrance gateway of an Egyptian temple, characterized by its sloping walls.

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scarab

Back 38

An Egyptian gem in the shape of a beetle.

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serdab

Back 39

A small concealed chamber in an Egyptian mastaba for the statue of the deceased.

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sphinx

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A mythical Egyptian beast with the body of a lion and the head of a human.

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stucco

Back 41

A type of plaster used as a coating on exterior and interior walls.

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subtractive sculpture

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A kind of sculpture technique in which materials are taken away from the original mass; carving.

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sunken relief

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In sculpture, figures projecting from a background of which they are part. The degree of relief is designated high, low (bas), or sunken. In the last, the artist cuts the design into the surface so that the highest projecting parts of the image are no higher than the surface itself. See also repoussé.

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uraeus

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An Egyptian cobra; one of the emblems of pharaonic kingship.

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ushabt

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In ancient Egypt, a figurine placed in a tomb to act as a servant to the deceased in the afterlife.

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valley temple

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The temple closest to the Nile River associated with each of the Great Pyramids at Gizeh in ancient Egypt.

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wedjat

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The eye of the Egyptian falcon-god Horus, a powerful amulet.