In-Depth Midterm Study Guide - Romanesque Art History - Prof Charles Peterson

Hiberno-Saxon

Irish and English

cloister vault

a construction that results in a cupola of eight segments precisely echoing the octagonal shape of the chapel's core

squinch

a corbeled arch or niche across the corner of a square bay serving to convert the space to an octagon on which a dome or vault can be raised

triumphal arch

a large monument in the shape of an arch that celebrates a leader or a military victory

Bascilica

a large oblong hall or building with double colonnades and a semicircular apse, used in ancient Rome as a court of law or for public assemblies.

reliquary

a place or container for holy relics

Greek cross plan

a plan in the form of a cross having arms of equal length

icon

an image of an idol, particularly of religious origin

Iona (Hy)

an island off the western coast of Scotland, where St Columba moved and found a monastery in 563

crypt

an underground room or vault beneath a church, used as a chapel or burial place

high cross

big, stone cross carved in or out of stone; not grave stones

central-plan

building in which parts radiate from a central point; can be circular, octagonal, or referred to as a Greek cross

cruciform

cross shaped

Celts

earliest known inhabitants of the British Isles

St. Columba

founded Iona and Lindisfarne's monasteries

Scythians

"Scythian" is a term used to denote a diverse but culturally related group of nomads who occupied a large swathe of grassland, or steppes, that stretched from north of the Black Sea all the way to China.

westwork

In a Carolingian or Romanesque church, the tower-like west end presenting a façade at the entrance and often containing an entrance vestibule

gripping beasts motif

A characteristic motif of the Oseberg Style is the so-called gripping beast. This motif is what clearly distinguishes the early Viking art from the styles that preceded it. The chief features of the gripping beast are the paws that grip the borders around it, neighboring beasts or parts of its own body. Very abstract animals in design

polychrome style

"many colored style" - The Polychrome style of migration art began with the Goths. The Polychrome style used gold inset with precious stones and glass. Fun Fact: Eastern European Germanic tribes particularly used animal motifs such as carvings of different animals and small metal sculptures depicting animals in different poses.

"renovatio Romani imperii"

"renovating the roman empire"; Charlemagne's motto

Lindisfarne Gospels, Lindisfarne, Northumbria, early 18th century

- Monasteries were created in and around Rome - - ministries of holy men who dedicate themselves to prayer. - - The way they prayed successfully was By isolating themselves - - - These Monasteries would be far out and self sufficient - - The monks would farm and make everything they needed - - they would pray and foster pious lives - They would acquire or borrow books then copy them - - A lot of ancient literature was maintained in monasteries - a lot of pagan knowledge in these books - The books were mostly Christian in nature - There was no bible back them, the books were separate and in their own books - Beautiful Books were to honor the texts and god - Minuscule letters - Began a chapter or sections with a large flourished letter. all capital letters no punctuation

What are characteristics of Christian Art?

- roots in the classical Roman style, but it developed into a more abstract, simplified artistic expression. - Its ideal was not physical beauty but spiritual feeling. - The human figures thus became types rather than individuals and often had large, staring eyes, "the windows of the soul." - Symbols were frequently used, and compositions were flat and hieratic, in order to concentrate on and clearly visualize the main idea. - the art of the period intentionally departed from earlier naturalism, it sometimes has great power and immediacy.

Hiberno-Saxon style

7th century - c. 650 - 800 (mostly) The pagan Anglo-Saxons' art was similarly characterized by - abstract patterning - interlacing patterns, - - elaborate zoomorphic interlace, were common. - excelled in metalwork. - flat but brilliant and bright colour - geometric design

Theotokos

A Greek title for Mary meaning "God bearer"

What was the battle at Milvian Bridge?

A Major battle in a Roman civil war between Constantine I and Maxentius. - After the collapse of the Roman Empire's Second Tetrarchy, Constantine and Maxentius asserted competing claims to the imperial throne. - They were to fight, before the battle it is said the Christian God "Spoke" to Constantine in a dream and said he would win. - - At the time, Christians were the oppressed minority - - - Chi-rho: First 2 initials of Christ - - - Also means auspicious/lucky - - - He wore this to battle - A lightning campaign saw Maxentius killed in battle at the Milvian Bridge on the outskirts of Rome. - Constantine's victory confirmed his role as ruler of the Western Empire.

scriptorium

A room in a monastery for writing or copying manuscripts, sometimes for storage as well

diaphragm arch

A transverse, wall-bearing arch that divides a vault or a ceiling into compartments, providing a kind of firebreak

Abbot Gozbert of St. Gall

Abbot Hatio's collaborator for the "Plan for St. Gall"

quincunx

An arrangement of five objects with one at each corner of a rectangle or square and one at the center

Goths

An array of Germanic peoples, pushed further westward by nomads from central Asia. They in turn migrated west into Rome, upsetting the rough balance of power that existed between Rome and these people.

Sutton Hoo

Anglo Saxons - Warrior group, some when to England - Closely related to the vikings - Buried their elite in their ships - Coastal town surrounded by these strange mounds. - - Where the old kings were buried - The mounds began to reveal artifacts - The mounds of Sutton Hoo were excavated - - They did not find a boat, but they found dense soil and remove the dried style and saw the imprint of a boat - - They found a variety of artifacts

Aachen

Capital of Charlemagne's empire, c. 800; a city in present-day Germany

Byzantine Art

Characterized in architecture by round arches, large domes, and extensive use of mosaic; characterized in painting by formal design, frontal and stylized figures, and rich use of color, especially gold, in generally religious subject matter

Odo of Metz

Charlemagne's royal architect and designer of the Carolingian palace complex at Aachen

Abbot Haito of Reichenau

Designed the "Plan for an Ideal Monastery (Plan of St. Gall)"

Carolingian art

European art from the mid-8th to the early 10th century, given impetus and encouragement by Charlemagne's desire to restore the civilization of Rome. - return to Roman classicism in the copying of Early Christian models and the influence of contemporary Byzantine and Greco-Roman styles, although the classicism was modified by local traditions favoring linearity and patterning

Charlemagne r. 768-814

Frankish king who brought some centralization in state building in Europe; made Holy Roman Empire;

Ostrogoths

Germanic nomads that settled near Italy

Pantokrator

Greek, "ruler of all." Christ as ruler and judge of heaven and earth.

Early Roman History

Late Roman Imperial - Started as prominent members being elected to the republic - Became Dictorial under Caeser Augustus, republic disbanded ~300 - Assassinations + Emperor changes lead to the empire being split into 4 sections, & a tetrarchy is form between 2 caesers + their respective Augustin - Tetrarchy only lasted 1 generation - Constantine taken over Western Roman Empire

typology/prefiguration

Old Testament stories are related symbolically to New Testament ones; they foreshadow events that will come to be.

iconoclasm

Opposing or even destroying images, especially those set up for religious veneration in the belief that such images represent idol worship

Constantine

Reign: 324 - 337 Emperor of Rome who adopted the Christian faith and moved Rome to Byzatiam, renamed Constantinople/Nova Roma.

foederatii

Were peoples and cities bound by a treaty, known as foedus, with Rome. During the Roman Republic, the term identified the socii, but during the Roman Empire, it was used to describe foreign states, client kingdoms or barbarian tribes to which the empire provided benefits in exchange for military assistance.

Abbey of St Denis

Where Pepin was anointed king of the Franks by Pope Stephen II

Edict of Milan (313)

issued by Constantine in 313, ended the "great persecution" and legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire

colophon

last pages of a bound book; think of it like a publishers page plus a title page

Carolingian Miniscule

lowercase letters

tempura

painting using pigment mixed with egg yolk

cabochon crystal

polished stones, gems, and glass

silver Denarius

silver standardized, protected currency

cloisonné

soldering of gold to gold-plate to set gems into

Spolia

the re-use of earlier building material or decorative sculpture on new monuments

"wheel of glory"

the wheel that joins the four arms of a high cross to create a motif variously interpreted as a stylization of the braces on wooden processional crosses, a three dimensional version of engraved, compass-traced crosses, or a reference to an ancient sun symbol

idolatry

worship of idols