Introduction To Italian Renaissance Vocabulary

Front 1

A decorative architectural frame around a door, window, or niche consisting of an entablature and pediment supported by two columns or pilasters.

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aedicule

Front 2

In Greek or Roman classical style.

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all'antica

Front 3

A vaulted passageway or aisle that leads around the apse of a Christian church.

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ambulatory

Front 4

Any pope elected in opposition to another held to have been canonically chosen.

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antipope

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A semicircular or polygonal recess at the end of the major axis of a Roman basilica or Christian church.

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apse

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The lowest part of an entablature, beneath the frieze and cornice, resting directly on the capital of a column;also the frame over a door or window.

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architrave

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A column that is attached to a background wall and is therefore not completely cylindrical; also referred to as an engaged column.

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attached/engaged column

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In classical architecture, the story above the main entablature.

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attic story

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Relating to the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus from 27 BCE - 14 CE.

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Augustan

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A canopy placed over an honorific or sacred space such as a throne or church altar.

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baldacchino

Front 11

A narrow handheld scroll, usually flowing free as if blown by the wind, and normally carrying an inscription.

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banderole

Front 12

A ceiling in the form of a semi-circular vault.

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barrel vault

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In ancient Roman Architecture, a large rectangular public building with an open interior space, usually withe side aisles separated from the main space by rows of evenly spaced columns. The structure was later adopted as a building type for Early Christian churches.

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basilica

Front 14

A column capital decorated with a latticework pattern resembling basket-weave.

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basket capital

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A red clay-like pigment used as the ground for gold leaf.

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bole

Front 16

A tool with sharp, triangular-shaped metal point used for cutting lines to be printed from metal and wood blocks.

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burin

Front 17

The Italian word for a balcony for singers and musicians.

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cantoria

Front 18

A full-scale preparatory drawing on paper which is used to transfer the outline of a design onto the surface to be painted; from the Italian "cartone," meaning heavy paper.

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cartoon

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Italian for "large case" or "large chest," referring to carved and painted chests used to hold clothing, often given as gifts to a prospective bride for her dowry by her future husband.

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cassone

Front 20

Temporary wooden scaffolding and supports erected in the constructed of vaults, arches, or domes.

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centering

Front 21

The eastern portion of a Christian church, reserved for the clergy and choir and often separated from the main body of the church by a screen, rail, or steps. The term is also used to describe the entire east end of a church beyond the crossing.

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chancel

Front 22

An Italian word literally meaning "light-dark," used to describe the dramatic contrast of light and dark in painting to create effects of three-dimensionality.

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chiaroscuro

Front 23

A multicolored surface made by pouring enamels into compartments outlined by bent wire fillets or strips.

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cloisonné

Front 24

Recessed panels, square or polygonal, that decorate a vault, ceiling, or the underside of an arch (soffit)

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coffering

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A term characterizing Venetian painting of the 16th C where form is created by the pre-application of pigment on the painted surface and by the building of forms through a successive layering and interaction of pigment; opposite of DISEGNO.

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colorito

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Architectural system using a column capital consisting of two rows of acanthus leaves at the bottom and Ionic volutes above.

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Composite order

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A pier or large column with several engaged shafts or pilasters attached to it on one or all sides. These structural supports are found in both Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

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compound pier

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Italian for "set against" or "counter-posed." Derived from ancient art, it gives freedom to the representation of the human figure by counterpoising parts of the body around a central vertical axis. Most of the weight is placed on one leg with an S-curve in the torso. Normally movement of engaged and relaxed parts alternates left-right through the figure.

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contrapposto

Front 29

An order in Greek architecture characterized in part by its elongated and refined forms, including column capitals composed of deeply cut and symmetrically arranged acanthus leaves.

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Corinthian column

Front 30

The uppermost, projecting portion of an entablature; also the crowning ornamental molding along the top of a wall or arch.

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cornice

Front 31

Term used to indicate a style opposed to Mannerism, using direct and naturalistic presentation of the subject.

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counter-maniera

Front 32

A pattern of open notches built into the top parapets and battlements of many fortified buildings for the purpose of defense.

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crenellation

Front 33

In Gothic architecture, a decorative feature, usually shaped like a curling leaf, projecting at regular intervals from the angles of spires, pinnacles, and gables.

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crocket

Front 34

Shaped like a cross, such as the plan of a church.

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cruciform

Front 35

A rounded, convex roof or vaulted ceiling (dome).

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cupola

Front 36

In architecture, a pair of curves tangent to the line defining the area, decorated and meeting at a point within the area.

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cusping

Front 37

A pattern of small, identical, nonfigurative, usually geometrical, units adopted as a means of covering a surface or as a background for figurative work.

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diaper

Front 38

A transverse arch across the nave of a church partitioning the rood and the space of the building into sections.

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diaphragm arch

Front 39

A work consisting of two images (usually paintings on a panel) side by side, traditionally hinged to be open and closed.

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diptych

Front 40

Literally "design" or "drawing," a term used in central Italian art to describe the creation of figures and volume through a sharply defined drawn line; opposite of COLORITO.

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disegno

Front 41

The upper part of a classical architectural order above the columns and capitals and comprising architrave, frieze, and cornice.

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entablature

Front 42

The slight swelling in the shaft of a column as it tapers toward the top to give added vertical thrust to the column and a visual vitality to the form.

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entasis

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An offering made by a worshiper to the deity or saint being prayed to, either in thanksgiving or supplication.

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ex voto

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Surrogate, or painted to look as if the image represents an actual object; normally used as part of wall decorations, for example feigning tapestry or niches.

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fictive

Front 45

Representing the likeness of a recognizable human (or animal) figure also a work whose principal subject consists of representations of human beings.

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figural/figurative

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A wall painting technique in which pigments are applied to a surface of wet plaster (called BUON FRESCO). Painting on dry plaster (FRESCO A SECCO) is a less durable technique as the paint tends to flake off with time.

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fresco

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Pigments applied onto a surface of wet plaster.

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buon fresco

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Painting over dry plaster (less durable technique as the paint tends to flake off with time)

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fresco a secco

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The flat middle division of an entablature usually decorated with moldings, sculpture, or painting. Also used loosely to describe any sculpted or decorated horizontal band.

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frieze

Front 50

A fluid white coating of finely ground plaster and glue used to prepare a painting surface (such as a wooden panel for tempera painting) so that it will accept paint readily and allow controlled brushstrokes.

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gesso

Front 51

A form of architectural decoration in which applied columns or pilasters extend over more than one story of a building from the ground to the cornice, uniting the entire structure in a single compositional scheme.

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giant (colossal) order

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A glaze or size made of egg white.

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glair

Front 53

A painting in various shades of gray, sometimes suggesting low relief.

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grisaille

Front 54

Relating to the time from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to the first century BCE.

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Hellenistic

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A semicircle or semicircular structure

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hemicycle

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Used in architectural decoration, this is a rectangular plain pillar which terminates in the head and torso of a human.

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herm

Front 57

Visual conventions and symbols used to portray ideas and identify individuals and attributes in a work of art.

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iconography

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A type of art in which space and objects are intended to appear real by the use of artistic devices such are foreshortening and perspective.

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illusionistic

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Oil paint thickly applied.

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impasto

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A decorative block with splayed sides placed between the abacus and the capital on a column or pier.

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impost block

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The decoration of wood surfaces (paneled walls, chests, and choir-stalls) with inlaid designs created from colorful and contrasting woods and other materials such as ivory, metal, and shell.

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intarsia

Front 62

A tall, slender window with a sharply pointed arch (like a lance), common in Gothic architecture.

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lancet window

Front 63

In arch, a small circular turret with windows all around, crowning a roof or dome.

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lantern

Front 64

The Italian term for a room or small building open on one or more sides with columns to support the roof.

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loggia

Front 65

A method of casting metal such as bronze by a process in which wax is used to coat an original rough model, which is then worked in finer detail. The finished model is coated with plaster, then heated so that the wax melts away, leaving an empty space into which molten metal is poured.

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lost-wax method/ cire-perdue

Front 66

An upright almond shape representing a radiance of light in which a scared figure, such as Christ, is represented.

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mandorla

Front 67

A style most commonly associated with the arts of central Italy during the 16th C, characterized by its extreme artificiality and elegance.

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mannerism/la maniera moderna

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A church or other building erected on a site sacred to Christianity, symbolizing a place of martyrdom or making the grave or a martyr.

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martyrium

Front 69

The subordinate architectural structural features of a building.

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membering

Front 70

In arch, the square area between the triglyphs of a Doric frieze, often decorated with relief sculpture.

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metope

Front 71

The enclosed rectangular porch or vestibule at the main entrance of a church which extends across the entire facade of the structure.

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narthex

Front 72

A concave recess in the wall, often used to house statuary.

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niche

Front 73

In arch, a circular opening in a wall or dome.

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oculus

Front 74

One of the architectural systems (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian) used by the Greeks and Romans to decorate and define the post and lintel system of construction; also a monastic society or fraternity.

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order

Front 75

Diagonal lines moving to the centric point in a painting or relief, in accordance with the laws of linear perspective.

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orthogonals

Front 76

Raised plaster detailed.

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pastigulia

Front 77

An inverted, concave, triangular area of wall serving as the transition from a square support system to the circular base of a dome.

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pendentive

Front 78

A clear gray Tuscan limestone used in Florence.

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pietra serena

Front 79

A decorative structural feature looking like a flattened column, projecting slightly from the face of a wall.

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pilaster

Front 80

Decorative framing within an opening, usually a window, in which details are inscribed on the surface rather than cut free.

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plate tracery

Front 81

A chief magistrate in Italian medieval towns and republics.

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podesta

Front 82

The use of many colors in a painting, sculpture, or building; also the coloring applied to the surface of sculpture and architectural details.

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polychromy

Front 83

A painting or relief, usually an altarpiece, constructed from multiple panels and sometimes hinged to allow for movable side panels or wings.

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polyptych

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The platform on which an altarpiece is set, often decorated with narrative sculpture or painting relating to the main subject.

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predella

Front 85

A decorative four-leaf clover shape superimposed on a diamond, used in Gothic architecture and art.

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quatrefoil panel

Front 86

A receptacle, often made of precious materials, used to house a scared relic.

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reliquary

Front 87

An artistic style of the Middle Ages (c. 1000-1200) drawing its name from the use of rounded arches, tunnel vaults, and other features of Roman architecture. In painting and sculpture works are often broad an monumental, with an emphasis on two-rather than three-dimensionality.

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Romanesque

Front 88

Small round windows, or motifs resembling such apertures.

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rondels

Front 89

The appearance of rough-cut masonry blocks on a wall achieved by beveling edges so that the apparent joints are indented.

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rustication

Front 90

Italian word for "sacred conversation"; in art, the depiction of the Virgin and the Child flanked by saints in such a way that they occupy a single pictorial space.

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sacra conversazione

Front 91

In a Christian church, the room where the priest's vestments and the scared vessels are housed.

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sacristy

Front 92

Italian for "squashed", referring to very thin reliefs often barely incised on a surface.

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schiacciato

Front 93

A Venetian term for a religious confraternity of laypeople.

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scuola

Front 94

A decorative technique in which a surface layer of paint, plaster, or slip is incised to reveal a ground of contrasting color.

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sgraffito

Front 95

The underside of an arch.

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soffit

Front 96

An arch or system of concentrically wider and gradually projecting arches placed diagonally to support a polygonal or circular dome on a square base.

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squinch

Front 97

An upright slab with an inscription or relief carving, usually commemorative.

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stele

Front 98

A continuous horizontal band decorating the face of a wall.

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stringcourse

Front 99

A canopied recess containing an image; or an ornamental receptacle for the consecrated host, usually in the form of a miniature building placed on an altar.

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tabernacle

Front 100

Paint consisting of pigment dissolved in water and mixed with a binding medium, usually the yolk (but sometimes the white) of an egg. Egg _______ was the principal technique for panel painting from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, when it was gradually superseded by oil painting.

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tempera

Front 101

A small temple-like structure, usually round or polygonal.

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tempietto

Front 102

Italian for "green earth", the color used for the underpaint of flesh tones in tempera painting; sometimes used for monochrome painting.

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terra verde

Front 103

A painting or relief in circular shape.

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tondo

Front 104

An architectural system using a horizontal beam over supports (synonymous with post and lintel).

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trabeated

Front 105

The apse of a basilica; also an alternative term for a gallery-- the upper story over an aisle-- in a Romanesque or Gothic church.

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tribune

Front 106

In a Doric frieze, the rectangular area between the metopes, decorated with three vertical grooves.

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triglyph

Front 107

Having three lobes.

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trilobed

Front 108

A painting, usually an altarpiece, made up of three pnaels, the center one of which is usually larger than the other two.

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triptych

Front 109

An illusionistic painting intended to "deceive the eye" into believing that the subject depicted actually exist in three-dimension reality.

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trompe-l'oeil

Front 110

In architecture, a framework of wood or metal beams, usually based on triangles, used to support a roof or bridge.

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truss

Front 111

In linear perspective drawings, the representation of a three-dimensional form viewed from an angle, so tat the lines formed by its horizontal edges will appear to diminish to two different vanishing points on the horizon.

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two-point perspective

Front 112

A semicircular area formed by the intersection of a wall and an arch or vault; often decorated with sculpture.

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tympanum

Front 113

An arched ceiling or roof made of stone, brick, or concrete which spans an interior space.

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vault

Front 114

A style capturing the exterior likeness of an object or person, usually by rendering its visible details in a finely executed, meticulous manner.

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verism

Front 115

The spiral scroll on capitals of Ionic columns.

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volute