AN ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY OF ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

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An Illustrated

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DICTIO= NARY of

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Art and Archaeology

INCLUDING TERMS USED IN ARCHITECTURE, JEWELRY, HERAL= DRY, COSTUME, MUSIC, ORNAMENT, WEAVING, FURNITURE, POTTERY, ECCLESIASTICAL RITUA= L

with o= ver 700 illustrations

PREPAR= ED BY J.W. M= OLLETT<= /o:p>

Americ= an Archives of World Art, Inc.

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NAHUM TSCHACBASOV, GENERAL EDITOR

A DIVI= SION OF

AMERIC= AN LIBRARY COLOR SLIDE Co., Inc.

305 Ea= st 45th Street, New York, N.Y. 10017

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All ri= ghts reserved

Librar= y of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65‑29110

Manufa= ctured in the United States of America

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Work suggested for publication by Theodore H. Feder

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Introduction

Mollett's Illustrated Dictionary of Words Used in Art and Archaeology, as= the work was originally titled, was first published in London in 1883. Its republication at this time makes available to scholars and the general publ= ic a one‑volume reference source containing thousands of entries drawn fro= m a wide variety of subjects falling under the general designations of art and archaeology.

The twentieth century has witnes= sed an enormous growth in the field of art scholarship, and a degree of overspecialization on the part of scholars has been inevitable. Mollett's w= ork represents a more leisurely, not to say vanished era of endeavor, one in wh= ich the compiler of a dictionary felt free to pursue his subject down whatever curious bypaths it led him. Then too, archaeology, for us signifying the st= udy of past civilizations through the unearthing, preservation, and classificat= ion of their artifacts, has in our time become virtually a scientific disciplin= e. But the term itself means simply the "study of beginnings," and i= t is in this more general sense that it was understood and applied in the last century. Thus we have the archaeology of words ("Hob‑nob, O.E. '= Hit or miss;' hence a common invitation to reciprocal drinking"), of bed&#= 8209;

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clothes ("Hop‑harlot, O.E. A very coarse coverlet . . ."), and even, fiscally speaking, of r= oyal footwear:

QUEEN'S BOOTS. The interesting fact in English archaeology is not generally known, = that Her Majesty's boots are provide= d for by an annual tax of two shillings (on the whole) upon the village of Ketton= in Rutlandshire "pro ocreis reginae."

So much for what may seem the vagaries of Victorian scholarship. The true spell of Mollett's dictionary l= ies in the range and variety of its subject matter and its wealth of historical detail. Architecture, pottery, costume, furniture, armor, heraldry, weaving, ornament, jewelry, music, and ecclesiastical ritual are the general subjects covered, as well as needlework, ivories, goldsmithery, pigments, and Greek, Roman, and Christian antiquities of all kinds. Twenty‑eight medieval Italian literary societies, the most famous being the Accademia della Crusc= a in Florence, are listed under the heading "Academies of Italy," and = are described more fully with their devices and mottoes in individual entries. = Such ancient pagan festivals as the Oschophoria, Matronalia, Megalartia, Luperca= lia, Lemuria, Dioscuria, and Diipoleia, to cite only a few, are identified and explained. And the author took care to include those Indian, Chinese, and Japanese terms that in his day had come into ordinary usage in art.

Etymological derivations are stressed, and the development of words over the centuries. For instance, "baptisterium," a Latin word stemming from the Greek $VBJT (to d= ip), meant originally a kind of cold plunging‑bath, constructed in the frigidarium room, or cool apartment in a bathing establishment. Under Christianity the term came to be applied to a building adjoining a basilica, in which baptism was administered. Two fourth‑century baptisteries, in Poitiers and Rome respectively, are cited, with illustrations of exteriors and an interior.

The book is cross‑referenc= ed throughout. "Amphitheatre" is defined as a building at first constructed for gladiatorial shows, but later for any kind of spectacle, including a naumachia, or sea f= ight. A check on the latter term turns up the fact that Napoleon I, in emulation = of the Caesars, held such a spectacle at Milan. The accompanying illustration = is from a Roman coin.

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The symbolic accretions of numer= ous words are traced. "Anchor," for example, is described as the embl= em of Hope and the attribute of St. Clement, the first‑century pope who = was martyred by being bound to an anchor and thrown into the sea. (A cross̴= 9;reference to "Ancora" defines the object itself, and dwells further on its historical and symbolic significance.) The nut in Christian symbolism is an emblem of the divinity of Christ hidden in his manhood, and it is interesti= ng to find that St. Augustine wrote a long treatise on the symbolism of the hu= sk, shell, and kernel.

The bagpipe, "ancient and favourite instrument of the Celtic races," is shown to be related to instruments mentioned in the Bible and Talmud, with other variations to be found in Greece, Russia, Poland, and the Ukraine. It is represented in fourteenth‑century illuminated manuscripts of England and Ireland. "Backgammon," originally called table board, is mentioned in a manuscript of the thirteenth century; it is not until 1646 that it is first found in the form "bag‑gamon." All these are but a few examples, chosen at random, to suggest the book's diversity and richness of content. It is one of the sources cited by the Oxford Universal Dictionary on Historical Principles.

The Illustrated Dictionary of Art and Archaeology can be a useful reference tool for art historians, teachers, students, illustrators, and designers. It will be an important addition to the library shelves of universities, colleges, secondary schools, art schools, and museums. Lastly= , it should prove a source of pleasure for anyone who enjoys browsing through the history of civilization.

NAHUM TSCHACBASOV

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ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviations used in the body of the Illustrated Dictionary of Art a= nd Archaeology are as follows:

Arch. = ‑ Architectural=

Chr. &= #8209; Christian

Egyp. = ‑ Egyptian

Fr. &#= 8209; French

Gr. &#= 8209; Greek

Her. &= #8209; Heraldic

It. &#= 8209; Italian

Lat. &= #8209; Latin

Med. &= #8209; Medieval

O.E. &= #8209; Old English
Orient= . ‑ Oriental

R. = 209; Roman

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AN ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY OF ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

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