Art History Final Exam Practice

Which of the following is built over the place from which Muhammad began his miraculous journey to heaven?

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

Who is the painter of the back of the Maestà altarpiece? (Fig. 18)

Duccio

Which of the following is an explanation for the ritual of human sacrifice as evidenced at Teotihuacán?

Essential to agricultural renewal

How did the division of labor affect Mesoamerican societies?

It created a set social hierarchy.

Which country provided the cultural link between China and Japan?

Korea

Which sculptural style was prevalent in the Kamakura period?

Realism

In which detail of Madonna Enthroned is Cimabue's movement away from the maniera greca most evident? (Fig. 21)

Receding throne

What were the pilgrims who made journeys to faraway churches hoping to see?

Relics

Which of the following has been proposed as the identity of the giant Olmec heads?

Rulers

The Ife figures from the Yoruba kingdom were used mainly in which rituals?

Sacred kingship

What is the name of the lengthy poem that mentions that heroes were buried with items of prestige, such as rings and brooches, as a testament to their greatness?

Saga of Beowulf

Which church possesses the essential characteristics of English Gothic architecture?

Salisbury Cathedral

Which artist was instrumental in creating the International Gothic style?

Simone Martini

What important finds have been uncovered by recent archaeological work in West Mexico?

Tiered platforms and ball courts

This Eskimo burial mask exemplifies what theme common to many of the early cultures of the Americas? (Fig. 29)

Transformation

The human-animal representations used by Olmec religious practitioners are thought to symbolize which of the following?

Transformations to wrest power from supernatural forces

Which of the following possessions would suggest the user holds a position of leadership?

Umbrella

The persistence of the artistic tradition of which people is evident in the intertwining animal and plant motifs of this object? (Fig. 14)

Vikings

Which of the following is an example of Late Gothic court style?

Virgin of Paris

The two groupings of a man standing between two lions on the Sutton Hoo purse cover represent a composition type familiar from where? (Fig. 12)

the Ancient world

The intertwining forms on the initial L and Saint Matthew of the Codex Colbertinus reflect which earlier artistic trend?

Animal interlace style

The gigantic faces on the Bayon, a temple in Cambodia, reflect the adoption of which belief system?

Buddhism

What do art historians call Olmec carved and polished ax-shaped forms?

Celts

What was the first artistic development of the Jomon culture?

Ceramic technology

How does Fan Kuan reflect Daoist sensitivity in Travelers among Mountains and Streams?

By focusing on the mountains and minimizing the human element

The frontality, stiff poses, and lack of modeling in Berlinghieri's Saint Francis Altarpiece reveal his training in which tradition?

Byzantine

What statement best describes the use of colored glass in churches during the Byzantine and the Gothic periods?

Byzantine glass reflected light while Gothic glass filtered the light that passed through it.

Which of the following would most likely be used by the leader in order to magnify his gestures?

Fly whisk

What innovative feature of Gothic cathedrals is an external support that counters the outward thrust of the nave vaults?

Flying buttresses

What technical term do art historians apply to Giotto's treatment of the angels in this fresco? (Fig. 22)

Foreshortening

Which monastic orders are known as the mendicant orders, those committed to vows of poverty and austerity?

Franciscans and Dominicans

What is the location of this colossal sculpture of the Buddha? (Fig. 23)

Gal Vihara, Sri Lanka

Who of the following coined the term Gothic?

Giorgio Vasari

Which artist sought to reconcile the illusion of a weighty, three-dimensional body with the illusion of the space that contained it?

Giotto

Which of the following was one of the purposes of Maya ritual?

Guaranteed the order of the state and the cosmos

What did pilgrims believe that relics could accomplish?

Heal pilgrims in body and soul

What is the subject of this scene on a hanging scroll? (Fig. 26)

Amida Descending over the Mountains

Which of the following led to the growth of towns and cities in the Romanesque period?

An increase in trade

Tassili n'Ajjer is in which of the following countries?

Algeria

What architectural feature has been found in nearly all Mesoamerican cultures?

A ball court

What feature, visible on Laon Cathedral, became standard on French Gothic facades?

A rose window

Which of the following was among the innovative concepts of the Upanishads?

Belief in an almost endless sequence of rebirths

What is the subject of this panel from the Maestà? (Fig. 20)

Betrayal of Jesus

Who is the female figure in the upper left quarter of this image? (Fig. 16)

Blanche of Castile

What manuscript is commonly considered the greatest of the extant early medieval Irish books?

Book of Kells

Portable statues of Hindu gods, meant to appear in processions, are most often made of what material?

Bronze

What term do art historians use to describe these Toltec male statue-columns? (Fig. 27)

Atlantids

What devastating natural disaster occurred in Europe during the 1340s?

Bubonic plague

The practice of which craft was considered a holy task and required arduous training?

Calligraphy

The "horned headdress" of the running female from Tassili n'Ajjer is explained as which of the following?

Ceremonial regalia

Who is depicted in this ninth-century equestrian portrait? (Fig. 13)

Charlemagne

Who was a major force in the revival of the classical style in early medieval times?

Charlemagne

The portals of which cathedral appear in this image? (Fig. 17)

Chartres

In the Gothic period, what were the primary centers of intellectual and religious life?

Cities

What system do the Benin use to record their history?

Complex oral recitations

Which city did the Ottomans conquer in 1453?

Constantinople

In which order do the narrative scenes appear on this brass vessel? (Fig. 10)

Counterclockwise

Which artwork did a catastrophic fire destroy in 1949?

Decorated interior walls of the Golden Hall, Horyuji

Which of the following forms would support the belief that West Mexican tombs were filled with elaborate offerings?

Deep shafts with chambers at the base

Where do Yoruba legends place the group's origins?

Ife

What was the primary vehicle used in the Christianization of the British Isles?

Illuminated manuscripts

The lands of which modern-day country gave birth to both Hinduism and Buddhism?

India

Which of the following is true of the Bayeux Tapestry?

It depicts an actual event shortly after it occurred.

What was the message of Gislebertus's image of the Last Judgment on the portal of Saint-Lazare?

It encouraged viewers to seek salvation.

What term do art historians use to describe the varnishlike substance made from the sap of the Asiatic sumac used to decorate wood furniture and other objects?

Lacquer

Which of the following is a characteristic of the Nok style in ceramic sculpture?

Large eyes and heads

The Korean Hwangnam-dong crown, with its gold band and uprights, and jade comma-shaped pieces, is thought to symbolize which of the following?

Life and supernatural power

The positioning of all mosques, no matter period or country, must be oriented toward which of the following cities?

Mecca

During which period did close relations and exchanges with China shorten the time lag between developments in China and their transferal to Japan?

Nara

What is the name of the philosophy—a blend of traditional Chinese thought and selected Buddhist concepts—that flourished during the Southern Song period?

Neo-Confucianism

Which sculptor is credited with the creation of the first decorated stone pulpit? (Fig. 19)

Nicola Pisano

What is the subject of this ink-and-color handscroll illustration? (Fig. 25)

Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace

In which group are women the principal creators of ceramics and clay sculpture?

Nok

The earliest African sculpture in the round was created by which of the following groups?

Nok

Which of the following groups is often referred to as the "mother culture" of Mesoamerican Mexico?

Olmecs

This page from the Gospels of Henry the Lion carries on the imperial tradition exemplified in which manuscript? (Fig. 15)

Ottonian Coronation Gospels

Which group consolidated its rule over the eastern part of the Carolingian empire in the mid-10th century?

Ottonians

The Indus Civilization arose in what is now what country?

Pakistan

Which culture produced this embroidered funerary mantle? (Fig. 28)

Paracas

During the Yayoi period, when villages grew in size and developed fortifications, people continued to live in which structures?

Pit dwellings

The Neolithic Majiayao Culture is notable for which art form?

Pottery

What activity is it the primary function of Islamic religious architecture to support?

Prayer

What is the primary contribution of the Aryans, a mobile herding people, to the culture of India?

Religion

The round center image of a rose window is referred to by which term?

Roundel

Which Bronze Age dynasty did the 1928 excavations at Anyang reveal as a warlike and stratified society?

Shang dynasty

The intense color and elegance of the Psalter of Saint Louis is thought to imitate what medium?

Stained glass

Which of the following elements of the Palace of the Lions is unusual in Islamic art?

Stone figures of lions supporting the fountain

During which dynasty were the tomb of Princess Yongtai and its paintings created? (Fig. 24)

Tang

Which of the following brought Buddhism to China?

The Silk Road

Many Gothic cathedrals were dedicated to which of the following figures?

The Virgin Mary

The Qin ruler Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China, is remembered in art history for which of the following?

The army of life-size warriors and horses he commissioned for his tomb

What was the function of the madrasa in the large complex built in Cairo by Sultan Hasan?

Theological college

What aspect of illuminated manuscripts allowed Christian monks to impress and influence the illiterate Christian population?

The artwork in the manuscripts made words beautiful.

What is the vault in the Hall of the Abencerrajes meant to symbolize?

The dome of heaven

What is the explanation for one figure being represented as larger than the others in one of the scenes from the Wu family shrine?

The larger size of the figure highlights his importance.

Who are considered the regional ancestors of the Shona-speaking people?

The people of Great Zimbabwe

Facial striping is an indicator in African societies for which type of individual?

Titled person

The Aryans composed hymns for priests that were compilations of religious learning and were called what?

Vedas

During the Kamakura period, there was more frequent and positive contact with China, bringing which of the following belief systems to Japan?

Zen (Chan) Buddhism

In the image of Saint Matthew from the Ebbo Gospels, classical illusionism has been merged with which style? (Fig. 11)

the Northern linear tradition