Glossary Of Artistic and Architectural Terms
AGORA Square or market place in an ancient Greek city. AMBO A kind of simple pulpit, popular in Italian medieval churches. APSE Semicircular recess at the altar (usually eastern) end of a church. ARCHITRAVE The lowest part of the entablature. ATRIUM Inner courtyard. BALDACHINO A canopy on columns, usually placed over the altar in a church. BASILICA Originally a Roman administrative building, adapted for early churches; distinguished by lack of transepts. BELVEDERE A terrace or lookout point. CALDARIUM The steam room of a Roman bath. CAMPANILE Belltower, sometimes detached, usually of a church. CAPITAL Top of a column. CATALAN-GOTHIC Hybrid form of architecture, mixing elements of fifteenth-century Spanish and northern European styles. CELLA Sanctuary of a temple. CHIAROSCURO The balance of light and shade in a painting, and the skill of the artist in depicting the contrast between the two. CHANCEL Part of a church containing the altar. CIBORIUM Another word for Baldachino . CORNICE The top section of a classical facade. CORTILE Galleried courtyard or cloisters. COSMATI WORK Decorative mosaic work on marble, usually highly coloured, found in early Christian Italian churches, especially in Rome. Derives from the name Cosma, a common name among families of marble workers at the time. CRYPT Burial place in a church, usually under the choir. CRYPTOPORTICUS Underground passageway. CYCLOPEAN WALLS Fortifications built of huge, rough stone blocks, common in the pre-Roman settlements of Lazio. DECUMANUS MAXIMUS The main street of a Roman town. The second cross-street was known as the Decumanus Inferiore. ENTABLATURE The section above the capital on a classical building, below the cornice. EX-VOTO Artefact designed in thanksgiving to a saint. The adjective is ex-votive. FRESCO Wall-painting technique in which the artist applies paint to wet plaster for a more permanent finish. LOGGIA Roofed gallery or balcony. METOPE A panel on the frieze of a Greek temple. MITHRAISM Pre-Christian cult associated with the Persian god of Light, who slew a bull and fertilized the world with its blood. NAVE Central space in a church, usually flanked by aisles. PANTOCRATOR Usually refers to an image of Christ, portrayed with outstretched arms. PIANO NOBILE Main floor of a palace, usually the first. POLYPTYCH Painting on several joined wooden panels. PORTICO Covered entrance to a building, or porch. PRESEPIO A Christmas crib. PUTTI Cherubs. RELIQUARY Receptacle for a saint's relics, usually bones. Often highly decorated. SGRAFFITO Decorative technique whereby one layer of plaster is scratched to form a pattern. Popular in sixteenth-century Italy. STEREOBATE Visible base of any building, usually a Greek temple. STUCCO Plaster made from water, lime, sand and powdered marble, used for decorative work. THERMAE Baths, usually elaborate buildings in Roman villas. TRIPTYCH Painting on three joined wooden panels. TROMPE L'OEIL Work of art that deceives the viewer by means of tricks with perspective.
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