canoe prows

Highly decorated ornaments attached to the front of a boat.

canon

From the Greek word kannon meaning "measuring rod or ruler."  It refers to a rule or body of rules.  A set of ideal mathematical ratios based on the perceived perfect measurements of the human body.

canopic jars

Canopic jars held the internal organs of the body such as the stomach and liver, which were removed before mummification. Lids to the jars were carved with the likeness of the deceased.

cantilevered chin

A unique characteristic of the Sudan style whereby the jaw is extended outward from the pole-like neck.

capital

The decorative top of a column that transitions between the vertical shaft and the horizontal lintel or entablature.  Capitals differentiated the 3 different architectural styles of the ancient Greeks.

Carbon 14 dating

A method of dating biological artifacts which determines the amount of decay of its carbon 14 atoms.

cardo

The north-south avenues of an Etruscan city plan.  See decumanus.

Carolingian Renaissance

The revival of classical art and architecture by the emperor Charlemagne (768-814) in northern and western Europe, which lasted into the 10th century.

cartouche

In ancient Egypt, an oval frame containing the hieroglyphic spelling of a pharaoh's name.   The cartouche of King Ptolemy was the clue used to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics.

caryatid

A sculpted female figure used as a column to support the upper entablature.

catacomb

An underground labyrinthine passageway used as tunnels with recesses (loculi) for burying the dead and small rooms (cubiculae) for meeting.

Catal Huyuk

Neolithic site in modern-day Turkey that shows a concern for defense and where the first-known landscape was found.

cella

The principle interior room of a temple that may have contained an altar or cult statue.  Also known as the "naos."

ceramics

The art of working clay into sculptures and containers.  Ceramic objects are also termed "pottery."

Cerveteri

An Etruscan cemetery located northwest of Rome which, when excavated, revealed monumental tumuli with many art objects.

chevet plan

The chevet is an apse enclosed by an open screen of columns, opening into an ambulatory, then into three or more radiating apse chapels.

Chi Rho page

An illuminated manuscript page that is dominated by the first Greek letters of Christ's name, the X (Chi) and P (Rho).

Chief-style

Prestige blankets finely made of contrasting stripes

Chilkat

A sub-group of the Tlingit people known for their exquisite blankets woven from mountain goat wool and cedar bark fiber.

Chimera

In Greek mythology, a fire-breathing she-monster composed of a lion, goat and serpent.

chiton

A full-length gown or tunic, the essential garment of both men and women in ancient Greece.

chryselephantine

The combination of ivory and gold.

Classic Mode of Relief

Also known as "isocephaly," this phrase refers to the underlying design of figures in a frieze in which almost all the heads are on the same horizontal line. 

clerestory

The clerestory is an area containing a row of windows to provide interior lighting in architecture.  Clerestory windows in Egyptian true temples were created by stone slabs that had slits in them allowing tiny shafts of light into the hypostyle hall. Restricting light created a magical effect but also kept out the heat of the Egyptian climate.

cloisonné

Decorative enamelwork with delicate metal wire fused to a metal surface to act as a framework filled with colorful enamel.

coffering

A repeated decorative sunken panel in a ceiling or vault

coiffure

A hairdo or style of arranging or combing the hair for special circumstances and/or to denote rank or status.

coiled basketry

A basket weaving technique that uses a heavy fiber foundation that is wound around in spiral fashion and stitched to the course below. The foundation fiber may or may not be in itself wrapped with another strand of fiber.

colossal

 Giganticism or colossal size dominated sculpture and architecture during the New Kingdom. In sculpture, artists sacrificed detail for size.

column

An architectural support, rounded or polygonal, consisting of a vertical shaft set on a base and decorated with a capital at the top.

compartmentalization

The separation of a design into distinct parts

compound piers

A large square post to which are attached pilasters, shafts or engaged columns for decorative purposes.

conceptual vs. perceptual

Two methods of representing the world in art.  Conceptual art provides images which give the notion, idea or concept that is intended, usually by he simplification of figures and action to a few telling traits. Perceptual art describes the world visually based on our eye's perception. It is an approach that details the immediate, fleeting aspect of the outward world.

Constantine

The emperor of Rome (280 - 337 ce) who adopted the Christian faith, ended the period of persecution for Christians, and established a new capital at Constantinople (old Byzantium).

continuous narrative

The visual recital of a story by the particulars with events told one after the other and the main characters repeatedly depicted.

contour

A line that defines the edge of an object and creates the illusion of mass.  Contour is a simple yet elegant style of drawing.

contrapposto

The realistic pose of a human figure with its weight shifted onto one engaged leg.  Also known as the "s-curve" because of the resulting twist of the body and curve of the spine.  Contrapposto means "counter-position" and refers to the opposition of the relaxed side of the body and the active, "engaged leg" of the tense side.

conventionalization

A method of depicting images in accordance with established, generally accepted standards of taste, expression or usage. 

corbelled arch and vault

An arch or stone ceiling created by projecting each course of stone slightly beyond the previous layer until the uppermost stones meet.

corbelled table

A framing device with a projecting edge supported by repeated brackets of brick or stone which jut out below

cornice

The ornamental molding or trim that projects like a frame along the top of a wall, arch or building.  In Greek architecture, the raking cornice adorns the sloping sides of a pediment.

Corroboreeh

A sacred, festive or war-like assembly among the Australian Aborigines during which the initiation of boys takes place and the stories of the mythological Dreamtime were enacted.

courtly art

Articles intended for the ruling elite. Courtly art tends to be of the finest materials and craftsmanship, colorful, and elaborately decorated. It is usually commissioned and under the direction of the ruling authority.

crocketing

An ornament resembling stylized bent foliage that decorated Gothic gables and spires

cromlechs

A circle of upright monolithic stones.  Stonehenge is a cromlech.  (See also megalith, menhir and post and lintel)

crypt

A vaulted underground chamber, usually below the sanctuary of a church, used as a burial place containing tombs and relics

cuneiform

The wedge-shaped writing developed by the Sumerians and used through the Ancient Near East in varying forms.

curvilinear

A method of surface decoration that is dominated by curving, spiraling lines.

curvilinear lines

Curvilinear lines are sinuous and organic lines. These lines were emphasized during the Amarnan Revolution and were a departure from the vertical and horizontal emphasis of traditional Egyptian art.

cyclopean

A term referring to huge blocks of rough-hewn stone or any large-scale, monumental building project that impresses by its sheer size.  Named after the Cyclops, a one-eyed giant with legendary strength.

cylinder seals

Small cylindrical pebbles that were engraved with a variety designs and rolled across soft clay as a form of signature.

Darius and Xerxes

Powerful rulers of the Persian Empire. Members of the Achaemenid Dynasty.

Decumanus

The east-west streets of an Etruscan city plan.  See also cardo.

Deir el Bahari

Deir el Bahari was a site chosen for mortuary architecture during the Middle Kingdom.  Mentuhotep's tomb and Hatshepsut's mortuary temple are located here.

dematerialization

A Byzantine artistic device that attempts to visually express the divine in the material world by creating the illusion that physical forms are lightweight, evanescent, becoming immaterial.

Demi-monde

Literally "middle world," it referred to the "fringes of society," the world of artists, actors, poets, gamblers down on their luck, and high class prostitutes with connections to the upper class.  See Montremartre.

didactic

Objects or events intended for instruction, often to teach moral lessons or tribal history.

didactic

Artwork intended to instruct, teach or moralize.

Digger Indians

The disparaging term used by white people to describe the indigenous people of southern California who gathered roots and tubers from the ground for food. See also Mission Indians.

diorite

A hard, dense igneous rock that can be polished to a high sheen. 

dipylon vase

Funerary pottery found in the Dipylon cemetery west of ancient Athens. The cemetery was named after its distinctive double (dipylon) gates.

divination

The act of foretelling the future

dolmens

Neolithic tomb structures constructed of two upright megalithic stones capped with a covering slab.  (See post and lintel system.)

domed rotunda

A type of centrally planned building with an invisible axis passing vertically through the center to the top and circular walls resembling a drum.  It is topped with an overarching circular vault.

door jamb

Vertical side member of a door opening in the form of a surface of wall.

Dream Time

The Australian Aborigine creation myth that they believe they can re-enter through ritual and ceremony.

dry farming

A technique for farming in arid areas in which a seed is planted in a hole that contains fertilizer, then watered individually

Dynasties I and II

Dynasties I and II were formed during the Predynastic or Archaic Period in Egyptian history.  At the end of this period Narmer (Menes) unified Egypt.

Dynasties III-VI

During this time, the pharaohs of Egypt consolidated their powers over a unified Egypt and formed the Old Kingdom. The Egyptian capital was at Memphis, a city in the Delta where Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt met.  During this period many of the traditions of Egypt were firmly established.

Dynasties XI-XII

These were the Dynasties during the Middle Kingdom, a period of instability and generally troubled times.  The "golden age" of Egyptian literature occurred during the Middle Kingdom Egypt

 Dynasties XVIII-XXX

In1780 BCE, the Middle Kingdom fell and Egypt experienced the Second Interregnum when she was ruled by the Hyksos, a migrant Semitic group who captured Memphis in 1675 BCE. The Hyksos easily conquered Egypt with the invention of the horse and chariot. Later on, the Egyptians defeated the Hyksos with the same invention

Dynasty XIX

 This Dynasty was dominated by the 67 year reign of Ramses II during the New Kingdom

earth colors

Colors such as yellow ochre and burnt umber that are derived from pigments obtained by mining usually compounds of metal. 

echinus

A cushion-like element below the square abacus of a Minoan or Doric capital.

eclectic

 Selecting what is regarded as the best from different sources; an art style that is derived from a wide range of historic styles.

Edict of Milan

In 313 ce. declaration issued by Constantine the Great that the Roman Empire would be neutral toward all religions, thus ending the Period of Persecution when Christianity became legal.

egg and dart

A decorative molding consisting of repeating round egg shapes alternating with vertical darts.  Variations include the heart and dart and leaf and dart motives.

ekfora

In dipylon vases dealing with themes of death, the ekfora represented the funeral procession of mourners.

enamel

Colored, powdered glass bonded to a metal or ceramic surface by heating and used as ornamentation

enamel

A glass-like paste that solidifies when heated forming a jewel-like coloring on metal surfaces.

encaustic

The mixture of pigments and molten beeswax used as a painting medium and applied with brushes or palette knives.  The finished surface is heated to fuse the layers together and lightly polished to create a smooth, satin finish.

English Gothic

A unique style typified by long rather than high naves, solid, Romanesque-like walls, wide transepts, square apses, and eventually highly decorative details in traceried windows, masses of moldings and elaborate ribbed vaults that diverge like fans.

engobe

White or colored slip, or liquid clay, applied as a type of decoration over the body of a pottery piece.  The varying chemical makeup of clays create different decorative colors when the engobes are fired in an oven called a kiln.

engobe

A finely sifted clay is mixed with water into a liquid "slip" which is then painted onto a clay pot for decoration.

engraving

A process whereby lines are engraved into a metal plate, the plate is inked, then printed.  Engraving can also refer to the print made from an engraved plate.

entasis

The slight bulge in the center of the shaft of a column that, by optical illusion, makes the column appear perfectly straight.  Also used to reflect the gentle curves of nature into a man-made structure.

Erek

Name for an ancient Sumerian city.  Because the cuneiform writing system eliminated vowels, the city's name can alternately be read as Uruk or Warka.

 Eskimo

 The name, now considered pejorative, of the people living in Greenland, The Arctic, Hudson Bay and coast of North America and Labrador. Literally, "eater of raw flesh." Also written Esquimaux or Esquimantscic.

etching

A printmaking technique in which the design is scratched through a protective layer of varnish onto a metal plate.  Parts left exposed are then eaten away in an acid bath, the plate is inked then printed.  The root word etch means "to bite" and refers to how the acid eats away the exposed metal of the plate.

Etruria

The land of the Etruscans in west-central Italy now known as Tuscany.

exedrae

The round projecting part of a building sometimes large enough to create interior space.

ex-patriot

A person who has withdrawn him or herself from their native land.

Eye-Dazzler

Broad term describing a Navajo rug style created with aniline dyes in explosive colors and designs of great aggressiveness.

Faceting

Term that describes the short deliberate brushstrokes that Cezanne used to define the surfaces of objects.

faience

 Faience is a glass paste used to simulate precious stones. Faience could be manipulated like clay, but when fired, faience becomes hard and shiny.

feather work

The incorporation of bird plumes with woven fibers during the weaving process.

fertility

The ability to reproduce and bear offspring; a primary concern that dominated or at least was a significant part of the religions of hunting and agricultural peoples.

fertility figure

A sculpture associated with the concern for the continuation of the tribe. Most often it represents a female ancestor revered for her nurturing.

Fetal

Having the characteristic curled position of the unborn young in the womb.

fetish

A sculpture or object believed to contain a powerful spirit that can be made to act on one's behalf.

fibula

A clasp, sometimes ornamented, used to fasten clothing; an ancient safety pin.

fibula

A decorative pin used to fasten garments. The fibula was the fore-runner of our safety pin.

Fin de Siecle

Literally "end of the century," used to describe the last years of the 19th century; now generally used to describe decadence.

First Interregnum

During the latter part of the Old Kingdom, conflict with the nobles and the pharaoh caused the separation of Lower Egypt from Upper Egypt.  Similar to Feudalism in the European Middle Ages, during this time the nobles set up their own smaller kingdoms, which weakened central authority and caused general havoc.

flax

A plant cultivated for its fiber that is manufactured into linen yarn and thread for weaving.

fluting

 Evenly spaced parallel vertical grooves incised into the shafts of columns.

flying buttress

A masonry support which incorporates an arch or arches which are attached to the outside wall of a structure and carry thrusts from roof vaults away from the main structure to the ground

forehead mask

A disguise placed over the forehead that partially covers the face. See also true mask, helmet mask and headdress.

Franco-Cantabrian caves

An area in southern France and northern Spain that is rich in cave paintings from the Magdalenian period (16,000 BCE to 9,000 BCE).  See also Altamira and Lascaux.

Frankish

Describing the Franks, a Germanic tribe who conquered Gaul about 500 C.E. and established a European empire that reached its height in the 800s under Charlemagne

fresco

Painting on plaster.  Fresco means "fresh" and applies to the condition of the plaster.  In true fresco, paint was applied only on fresh, wet plaster.

frieze

The area between the architrave and cornice in a Classical building.  Also, any continuous band decorated with paint or relief sculpture.

frontlet

An ornamental band worn on the forehead.

functional drapery

 The representation of garments to reveal what the body is doing underneath.