Religious Art Study Guide
I. Early Jewish, Early Christian and Byzantine Art
Vocab
Lunette
Baptistry
Transept
Barre vault
Pendentive
Moses
Iconostasis
Illuminated
Syncretism
Latin Cross
Ambulatory
Pendentive
Icons
Vellum
Tesserae
Exedrae
Mandorla
Good Shep.
Cruciform
Squinches
Ravenna
Justinian
Theodora
Mosaic
Key Christian Points:
 Christ was born during the reign of Augustus
 The Emp. Constantine legitimized Christianity in 312CE issuing the Edict of Milan
 Early Christian Art and Architecture looks and feels very Classical because they were
created during the late period of the Roman Empire.
 After the fall of Rome, the Early Christian Church adopted the Roman system of
governmental organization
 A system that is more or less in place today in the Roman Catholic Church
Key Dates
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Constantine Edict of Milan: 312CE
Early Christian Period: 300-500CE
Byzantine Empire: 500-1500 CE
Birth of Mohammed:
Understand the structure of Early Christian Church organization:
•Organized by geographical areas like the Roman Empire.
•Senior officials, called Bishops, governed an area called a diocese, made up of smaller areas called parishes.
•A Bishop’s seat or “see” was often located in a Roman provincial capital.
•A Bishop’s church was called a cathedral, which housed his chair, a cathedra.
•Archbishops controlled several bishops.
•The most important archbishops were from, Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria and Antioch.
Eventually the bishop of Rome became the head of the Western Church and the bishop of Constantinople
became head of the Eastern Church.
Be able to sketch the following architectural elements.
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Basilica plan church
Central plan church
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Penditive
Squinch
Explain the Iconoclasm and the Iconoclastic controversy.
Explain how the Early Christian Period was a time of adaptation and amalgamation.
Be able to identify the following scenes in the life of Christ:
Annunciation
The Nativity
The Baptism
Transfiguration
Washing of the Feet
The Resurrection
The Ascension
Adoration of the Magi
The Last Supper
The Empty Tomb
Understand the Production of Early Books
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A scriptorium was a writing room for the production of manuscripts,(written by hand).
The earliest manuscripts bound into a book, or codex, dates from 512.
The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans wrote on papyrus scrolls, called rotulus and
were on an average 11 yards long when unrolled.
The codex, ancestor to the modern book, was more practical and easier to handle.
The sheets of the codex were either parchment (lambskin) or vellum (unborn calf skin).
Illustrations in books were called miniatures, from minium, the Latin word for a reddish
color pigment
Manuscripts decorated with gold were said to be illuminated.
Leather covered pieces of board served as covers and kept the sheets of the codex flat.
Very opulent manuscripts had covers decorated with precious metals, jewels, ivory and
enamels
Art and Architecture Identifications
Jewish
 House Synagogue, Dura Europa
 Fresco of Moses being rescued from the river
 Mosaic floor fragment, Israel Museum
 Menorahs and the Ark of the Covenant, Jewish Catacomb, Rome
Early Christian
 Roman catacombs
 Good Shepard Fresco
 Catacomb with Hercules Figure
 Jonah Statues
 Grape Harvest Mosaic, St. Sabina
 Baptism of Christ, Baptistry of the Orthodox
 Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus
Byzantine
 Hagia Sophia
 Justinian Ivory on Horseback
 Justinian and Theodora Mosaics
 St. Mark’s Venice
II Islamic Art
Vocab:
Islam
Muhammed
Koran
Calligraphy
Mosque
Qibla
Mihrab
Minbar
Minarets
Horseshoe arch
Vegetal Patterns
Arabesque
Aniconic
Figural representation
Sinan the Architect
Identify and briefly explain the 4 components of Islamic art.
Islamic Art and Architecture Identifications
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Dome of the Rock
Iranian Helmet
The Prophet Muhammad Traveling to the Fair
Seven Princesses Miniatures
Great Mosque at Cordoba
III Eastern Religions
Vocab:
Emperor Ashoka
Hellenistic Buddha
Mudras
Bodhisattva
Indus Valley
Yaksha and Yakshi
Buddhism
Four Noble Truths
Eightfold Path
Stupa
Hinduism
Shiva
Vishnu
Toranas
Four goals of Hinduism
Mithua
Art and Architecture Identifications:
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Questions:
Lion Pillar at Samath
Great Stupa at Sanchi
Yashi on the Gateway of Great Stupa at Sanchi
Mathura style Buddha seating on lion throne
Vishnu Asleep on the Serpent
Shiva Lord of the Dance
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Describe the iconography of the Buddha
Describe the differences in style between the Gandhara, Mathara and
Gupta Buddha.
Describe the pluralism of Hinduism
Describe a Hindu temple
Questions:
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Describe the iconography of the Buddha
Describe the differences in style between the Gandhara, Mathara and Gupta Buddha.
Describe the pluralism of Hinduism
Describe a Hindu temple