Glossary
- abacus
- abbey
- acanthus
- altarpiece
- ambulatory
- amphora
- andachtsbild
- apse
- arch
- architecture
- architrave
- archivolt
- articulated
- asymmetrical
- atmospheric perspective
- atrium
- attic
- axis
- balance
- balustrade
- basilica
- bay
- black-figured
- blind arcade
- block book
- book of hours
- burin
- buttress
- calligraphy
- campanile
- cantilever
- capital
- cartoon
- caryatid
- casting
- cathedral
- cella
- chapel
- chartreuse
- château
- chiaroscuro
- choir
- choir screen
- church architecture
- clerestory
- cloister
- codex
- coffer
- collage
- color
- Colossal order
- column
- complementary color
- composition
- compound pier
- connoisseur
- continuous narration
- contour
- contrapposto
- cool colors
- cornice
- crenellated
- cromlech
- crossing
- crypt
- diptych
- dolmen
- dome
- domus
- donjon
- drapery
- drôleries
- drum
- drypoint
- echinus
- elevation
- enamel
- encaustic
- engaged leg
- engraving
- entablature
- entasis
- etching
- façade
- ferroconcrete
- fête galante
- figure-ground relationship
- finial
- flat color
- fluting
- focal point
- foreshortening
- free leg
- fresco
- frieze
- frontal
- gable
- genre
- gisant
- glaze
- gold ground
- Gospel book
- Greek and Roman temple architecture
- Greek vases
- ground-line
- ground plane
- guttae
- hallenkirche
- hand
- handling
- hatching
- highlights
- hôtel
- hue
- icon
- illuminated manuscript
- illusionism
- impasto
- insula
- jamb
- keep
- kinetic sculpture
- kouros
- kylix
- lantern
- lapis lazuli
- lekythos
- line
- lintel
- lithograph
- loggia
- lunette
- madrasah
- mastaba
- medium
- megalithic
- megaron
- metope
- mezzanine
- mihrab
- minaret
- miniature
- mobile
- modeling
- module
- molding
- monastery
- monumental
- mosaic
- mosque architecture
- motif
- mural
- mutule
- naos
- narthex
- nave
- odalisque
- oil painting
- Orders
- painting media and techniques
- palazzo
- papyrus
- parchment
- pastel
- pavilion
- pediment
- pendentive
- peripteral
- peristyle
- perspective
- piazza
- picture plane
- picture space
- picturesque
- pier
- pigment
- pilaster
- pillar
- pinnacle
- plan
- plane
- plasticity
- podium
- portico
- post-and-lintel system
- predella
- primary colors
- printmaking
- profile
- program
- pronaos
- proportion
- psalter
- pylon
- qibla
- quatrefoil
- ready-made
- red-figured
- refectory
- register
- regula
- relief sculpture
- respond
- rhythm
- rhyton
- rib
- rose window
- rosette
- rustication
- sacristy
- salon
- sanguine
- sarcophagus
- saturation
- scale
- scriptorium
- sculpture
- secondary colors
- section
- sfumato
- shade
- shading
- shadow
- shape
- side aisle
- sinopia
- skeletal construction
- span
- stalactites
- stele
- stereobate
- stereometric
- stupa
- style
- stylobate
- subject
- sun-break
- superimposed orders
- symmetry
- tablinum
- tactile
- taenia
- tempera
- terracotta
- tesserae
- thermae
- tholos
- thrust
- tint
- tone
- tracery
- transept
- trefoil
- triforium
- triglyph
- triptych
- trophy
- trumeau
- truss
- tympanum
- underpainting
- value
- vanishing point
- vault
- vellum
- vestibule
- viewpoint
- volume
- volute
- voussoir
- wall
- warm colors
- wash
- watercolor
- westwork
- woodcut
- workshop
- ziggurat
- Abu
- Achilles
- Acis
- Aeneas
- Ahriman
- Ahuramazda
- Alcoyoneus
- Amazons
- Amun
- Antaeus
- Anu
- Aphrodite
- Apollo
- Ariadne
- Artemis
- Aten
- Athena
- Aurora
- Bacchante
- Bacchus
- Bodhisattva
- Centaurs
- Cephalus
- Cerberus
- Coatlicue
- Cupid
- Amor
- Cybele
- Cyclopes
- Demeter
- Diana
- Dionysus
- Eos
- Erechtheus
- Europa
- Fame
- Faun
- Fortuna
- Gaea
- Galatea
- Ganymede
- Genius
- Giants
- Gorgons
- Hades
- Hera
- Herakles
- Hercules
- Hermes
- Horus
- Io
- Iphigenia
- Ishtar
- Juno
- Jupiter
- Khonsu
- Laestrigonians
- Laocoön
- Lapiths
- Maenad
- Mars
- Medusa
- Memnon
- Mercury
- Minerva
- Minotaur
- Muses
- Mut
- Neptune
- Nike
- Niobe
- Niobids
- Nymph
- Odysseus
- Orpheus
- Pan
- Paris
- Peleus
- Perseus
- Polyphemus
- Portunus
- Poseidon
- Putto
- Ra
- Remus
- Romulus
- Sabines
- Satyr
- Shamash
- Sibyl
- Sileni
- Silenus
- Siva
- Shiva
- Sphinx
- Tammuz
- Telephus
- Tellus
- Thetis
- Venus
- Yakshis
- Zephyr
- Zephyrus
- Zeus
Christian Subjects
- Devotional Subjects
- The Trinity
- The Pantocrator
- Deësis
- The Virgin and Child
- The Four Evangelists
- The Twelve Apostles
- The Four Latin Fathers
- Narrative Subjects
- The Fall of Main
- The Incarnation
- The Annunciation
- The Visitation
- The Nativity
- The Annunciation to the Shepherds
- The Adoration of the Shepherds
- The Adoration of the Magi
- The Presentation in the Temple
- The Flight Into Egypt
- The Public Ministry of Christ
- The Baptism
- The Calling of St. Matthew
- The Supper in the House of Levi
- Christ Walking on the Water
- The Delivery of the Keys to St. Peter
- The Transfiguration
- The Tribute Money
- The Parable of the Prodigal Son
- The Passion
- The Entry Into Jerusalem
- The Last Supper
- Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples
- The Agony in the Garden
- The Betrayal
- The Denial of Peter
- Christ Before Pilate
- The Flagellation
- Christ Crowned with Thorns
- The Bearing of the Cross
- The Crucifixion
- The Descent from the Cross
- The Pietà
- The Entombment
- The Descent into Limbo
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension
- The Mission of the Apostles and the Second Coming
- Pentecost
- The Last Judgment
- Old Testament Prefigurations of New Testament Events
- Abel’s Sacrifice
- Cain Killing Abel
- Melchizedek Offering Abraham Bread and Wine
- Abraham’s Sacrifice of Isaac
- Jacob Wrestling with the Angel
- Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph
- The Crossing of the Red Sea
- David and Goliath
- The Misery of Job
- Jonah and the Whale
- Saints and their Attributes
- St. Agnes
- St. Anthony Abbot
- St. Augustine
- St. Barbara
- St. Bartholomew
- St. Catherine of Alexandria
- St. Christopher
- St. Dorothy
- St. Francis of Assisi
- St. George
- St. Gregory the Great
- St. Helena
- St. James the Great
- St. Jerome
- St. John the Baptist
- St. John the Evangelist
- St. Lawrence
- St. Lucy
- St. Luke the Evangelist
- St. Margaret
- St. Mark the Evangelist
- St. Mary Magdalen
- St. Matthew the Evangelist
- St. Michael
- St. Paul
- St. Peter
- St. Sebastian
- St. Stephen
- St. Theodore
- St. Theresa of Avila
- St. Thomas
Christian Signs and Symbols
- apple
- bird
- chalice
- city
- columbine
- column
- crosier
- cross
- crown
- dead tree
- dog
- dove
- dragon
- eagle
- fountain
- garden
- glass
- globe
- grapes
- halo
- hand
- hourglass
- instruments of the passion
- iris
- keys
- lamb
- lance
- light
- lily
- lion
- mandorla
- monograms of Christ
- nails
- ox
- palm branch
- palm tree
- pelican
- roses
- ruins
- scroll serpent
- shoes
- skeleton
- skull
- sponge
- tower
- trefoil
- triangle
- vine
- violets
- wash basin
- wheat
- wheel of fortune
- zodiac
Sources Cited
Pierce, James Smith. From Abacus to Zeus: A Handbook of Art History. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc. 1968.
Key Facts
At time of upload on July 5, 2024: