Deck 12: Romanesque Art

Question 1

What is a mandorla?

A) a circle of light encompassing the whole body of a divine figure
B) an artistic motif that depicts a baby as a little adult
C) an arch made from a series of small stones
D) a musical instrument played to accompany Gregorian chants

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In the context of a medieval church, what is a program?

A) the choice of vaulting for the church
B) the rules that governed the clergy who occupied the church
C) a figurative set of Gregorian chants sung before each service
D) a series of images creating a religious narrative

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The three main vaulting systems of Romanesque churches include all of the following EXCEPT

A) rib vaulting.
B) groin vaulting.
C) barrel vaulting.
D) radiating vaulting.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In Christian iconography such as in the Last Judgment on the portal of Sainte-Foy, those who will be saved are depicted

A) to the left of Christ.
B) to the right of Christ.
C) immediately below Christ.
D) immediately above Christ.

Question 5

In the Middle Ages, Christians often made pilgrimages to reliquaries, which are best defined as

A) mineral spring baths believed to have healing powers.
B) military outposts in the Holy Land during the Crusades.
C) houses for the physical remains of saints.
D) monasteries where devout monks could be asked to pray for divine intercession.

Question 6

The earliest surviving example of a pilgrimage church was dedicated to Sainte Foy and built at

A) Arles.
B) Conques.
C) Limoges.
D) Bordeaux.

Question 7

Which important new architectural development appeared in Romanesque churches?

A) the replacement of wooden roofs with stone vaults
B) the introduction of ionic columns to support higher walls
C) the addition of a central dome atop the church
D) the addition of a transept to create a cruciform plan

Question 8

Most medieval embroidery was done by

A) children.
B) monks.
C) serfs.
D) women.

Question 9

The Normans were descended from the

A) Celts.
B) Vikings.
C) Magyars.
D) French.

Question 10

In order to accommodate large crowds without interfering with the duties of the clergy, the builders of Sainte-Foy extended the side aisles around the transept and apse to create

A) an abutment.
B) a chevet.
C) a nave.
D) an ambulatory.

Question 11

What is the name of a stone used in the building of an arch?

A) trumeau
B) voussoir
C) lintel
D) tympanum

Question 12

Which region of Europe housed the most innovative works of the Romanesque period?

A) France
B) Germany
C) Italy
D) Spain

Question 13

Which group of ninth-century invaders ultimately settled in Hungary?

A) Magyars
B) Vikings
C) Muslims
D) Visigoths

Question 14

Located in northwestern Spain, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites was a shrine to Santiago at

A) León.
B) Burgos.
C) Roncesvalles.
D) Compostela.

Question 15

The Romanesque period can be characterized as a period of

A) wars and civil unrest.
B) economic decline.
C) urban renewal.
D) strong imperial rule.

Question 16

What is a homunculus?

A) a circle of light encompassing the whole body of a divine figure
B) an arch made from a series of small stones
C) an artistic that which depicts a baby as a little adult
D) a musical instrument played to accompany Gregorian chants

Question 17

In the ninth century, Western Europe was invaded by all the following peoples EXCEPT

A) Magyars.
B) Vikings.
C) Muslims.
D) Visigoths.

Question 18

What is the name of the half-circle atop a portal that depicts a religious scene in Romanesque architecture?

A) trumeau
B) mandorla
C) tympanum
D) lintel

Question 19

The term feudalism derives from a Latin word meaning

A) faith.
B) oath.
C) servant.
D) lord.

Question 20

The work of Gislebertus for the Autun Cathedral in Burgundy demonstrates a new development in what aspect of Romanesque architecture?

A) interior spacing
B) vaulting
C) stained-glass windows
D) capital decoration

Question 21

What technique did mural painters usually use for preliminary drawings of outlines and details?

A) cluster piers
B) capital decoration
C) buon fresco
D) fresco secco

Question 22

An unusual feature of the Bayeux Tapestry compared to other Romanesque art is its

A) secular character.
B) use of decorative borders.
C) static and stylized figures.
D) combination of human and animal imagery.

Question 23

The Bayeux Tapestry is over 230 feet long.

Question 24

What historical event does the Bayeux Tapestry commemorate?

A) the Norman invasion of England in 1066
B) the legendary conversion of Constantine in the fourth century
C) the coronation of Charlemagne in 800
D) the fall of Rome in 476

Question 25

Romanesque artwork abandoned the use of depictions of devils and damned souls, which had been such a central part of earlier Christian art.

Question 26

Romanesque churches were austere places with little ornamentation to distract worshipers from the service.

Question 27

The holiest cities for medieval Catholics were Rome and Constantinople.

Question 28

The Bayeux Tapestry was most likely the work of a single artist.

Question 29

Mural artists often used compasses for repeated curvilinear designs.

Question 30

Romanesque illuminated manuscripts demonstrate all of the following characteristics EXCEPT

A) the animated quality of letters.
B) lively, naturalistic depictions of saints.
C) intertwining human, animal, and floral forms.
D) the use of flattened space.

Question 31

Because music played an important role in Christian liturgy, Romanesque churches were designed partly with acoustics in mind.

Question 32

What is a triptych?

A) an altarpiece with three sections
B) a three-sided, decorated column
C) the long hall into which a Romanesque portal opens
D) a Romanesque motif showing all three incarnations of the Christian God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Question 33

Romanesque manuscript illuminators had more freedom to play with imagery in the marginal areas of illuminations than in the central image.

Question 34

Although the general layout of medieval church portals varied greatly, their programs remained fixed and consistent.

Question 35

Romanesque art overall exhibits all of the following features EXCEPT

A) flat space.
B) naturalism.
C) inorganic figures.
D) lively, decorative stylization.

Question 36

The Stavelot reliquary triptych depicts scenes from the life of which emperor?

A) Charlemagne
B) Constantine
C) Otto
D) Justinian

Question 37

Which of the following terms best characterizes the sculptures of Gislebertus?

A) naturalism and dimensionality
B) floral patterns and abstractions
C) flat patterns and weightlessness
D) realism and proportionality

Question 38

The Bayeux Tapestry is actually not a tapestry; rather, it is

A) a frieze.
B) a capital decoration.
C) an illuminated manuscript.
D) an embroidery.

Question 39

Romanesque mural paintings exhibit all of the following characteristics EXCEPT

A) the use of elegant, curvilinear surface patterns unrelated to organic form.
B) the creation of formal unity through repeated shapes.
C) the use of rich colors and lively forms.
D) an emphasis on the depiction of the natural relation of figures to three-dimensional space.

Question 40

Christian art before 1300 often depicted the baby Jesus as a small man with no baby-like features other than size.

Question 41

How did Romanesque art demonstrate significant conformity from one region to another in the absence of centralized political administration?

Question 42

What were the characteristics of Romanesque illuminated manuscripts? Which of these characteristics were borrowed from earlier traditions, and which were new innovations?

Question 43

What features of Romanesque art made it "Romanesque"? That is, what features did Romanesque art borrow from Classical antiquity?

Question 44

How did Romanesque churches use ornamentation to convey religious messages?

Question 45

What functions did Romanesque churches serve? How were they designed to balance the demands of competing functions?

Question 46

How important were individual creators to works of Romanesque art?

Question 47

How did Romanesque churches differ from earlier ones?