 | Term | Definition |
| |
pylon |
a pair of truncated, pyramidal towers flanking the entrance to an Egyptian temple. |
| |
hypostyle |
a hall with a roof supported by rows of columns |
| |
hierarchical scale |
the representation of more important figures as larger than less important ones |
| |
register |
one of a series of rows in a pictorial narrative |
| |
repousse |
a technique in which a relief is formed on the front by hammering a metal plate from the back |
| |
corbelled vault |
a vault formed by the piling of stone blocks in horizontal courses, cantilevered until the two walls meet in an arch |
| |
kouros |
an Archaic Greek statue of a standing nude male |
| |
kore |
an Archaic Greek statue of a standing, draped female |
| |
caryatid |
a column carved to represent a woman |
| |
pediment |
the triangular section of a temple roof often decorated with sculpture |
| |
entablature |
the part of a building above the columns and below the roof |
| |
contrapposto |
the relaxed natural pose or "weight shift" |
| |
frieze |
continuous horizontal band of sculptural decoration |
| |
mosaic |
images composed of small pieces of colored glass or stone |
| |
voussoir |
a wedge-shaped block used in the construction of a true arch |
| |
pendentive |
the concave triangular section of a vault that forms the transition between a square or polygonal space and the circular base of a dome |
| |
iconoclasm |
banning and destroying images |
| |
encaustic |
painting technique in which pigment is mixed with wax and applied to the surface while hot |
| |
enamel |
a technique in which powdered glass is applied to a metal surface in a decorative design |
| |
mihrab |
a semicircular niche set into the qibla wall of a mosque |
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace