| 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 |