Amanahet III:

see Chapter I Introduction, Amenemhet III,  page 13

 

“Hyksos sphinx”:  * see Endnote 13

(aka Sphinx statue of Amenemhat III)  Originally placed by Amenernhat III inside the temple of the cat goddess Bastet at Bubastis (Tell Basta in el-Sharkia) then transported by Nehesy during the Hyksos period, from their original place at Bubastis to his capital Auaris (Tell el- Dabaa in el-Sharkia), he also inscribed his name on the right shoulder of 3 of the sculptures.

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domes of Hagia Sophia: * see Endnote 14

Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal basilica (church), later an imperial mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey.  Built in 537 AD.

 

paintings of Titian: * see Endnote 15

(1488-1576) Italian painter, most prominent of the Venetian school; born in Veneto (Republic of Venice); versatile painter equally adept with portraits, landscape backgrounds, mythological or religious subjects.  His painting methods, particularly in the application of colour, exerted a profound influence on Italian Renaissance & Western art.  Very successful from the start, sought after by patrons initially from Venice, then north Italian princes & finally the Habsburgs & papacy.  His style evolved though he was always interested in colour.  His early works show vivid, luminous tints; mature works less so, their loose brushwork & subtle tone were without precedent in Western painting.

 

Cnidian aphrodite: * see Endnote 16

sculpture of Aphrodite by Praxiteles (Athens, 4th century BC); first life-sized representations of female nude in Greek history, an alternative to male heroic nude; original is lost, but many Roman copies survive, of this massivley influential work.  She is reaching for a bath towel while covering her pubis, which leaves her breasts exposed. Until this point, Greek sculpture was dominated by male nude figures. 

 

Hall of the Maidens Erechtheum:* see Endnote 17

temple, N. side of the Acropolis, Athens, dedicated to Athena & Poseidon, built 421-406 BC, architect Mnesicles, sculptor & mason of the structure Phidias, employed by Pericles; named after legendary hero Erichthon (King Erichthonius, legendary early ruler of Athens) who is buried nearby. It replaced the Peisistratid temple of Athena Polias (destroyed 480 BC by the Persians).

 

Arabesques of Arabian horseshoe arches: * see Endnote 18

developed its characteristic form in Spain & North Africa;  well illustrated in the Alhambra.  This shows the last great period of Andalusian art in Granada, with  minimal influence from contemporary Abassid architecture; artists endlessly reproduced the same forms & trends, creating a new style that developed over the course of the Nasrid Dynasty.  This dynasty freely used the stylistic elements created & developed over 8 centuries of Muslim rule in Spain, including the Caliphate horseshoe arch.

Zwinger of Dresden:

see see Chapter II: The Meaning of Numbers,  p87, Endnote 79

 

Watteau:

(1684-1721) French painter, revived interest in colour & movement; revitalized the waning Baroque style, shifting it to the less severe, less formal, more naturalistic Rococo.   Credited with inventing the genre of fêtes galantes, scenes of bucolic and idyllic charm, suffused with a theatrical air; some of his best known subjects were drawn from the world of Italian comedy and ballet.

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Mozart: 

see Chapter II: The Meaning of Numbers, page 78

 

Classicism:

art period reflecting a high regard for an earlier classical period (in the West classical antiquity), as setting standards for taste emulated by the classicists.  It is typically formal & restrained, balanced & implies a canon of widely accepted forms, whether in the Western or the literary Chinese classics or art, where the revival of classic styles is also a recurring feature.  Often present in post-medieval European; some periods felt more connected to the classical ideals than others (e.g. the Enlightenment, where Neoclassicism was an important movement in the visual arts).

 

Romanticism: * see Endnote 19

intellectual movement in Europe late 18th century, peaking 1800-1850; characterized by emphasis on emotion & individualism, the glorification of the past & nature, preferring medieval to classical.  A reaction to the Industrial Revolution, the Enlightenment & the scientific rationalization of nature.  Strong in visual arts, music & literature but also historiography, education, the social & natural sciences; impacting politics, with romantic thinkers influencing liberalism, radicalism, conservatism & nationalism.

 

protomysticism:

Spengler’s own coined word: early religious experience before the religious energy is institutionalized in a cult or church.  The word  "proto" means  “earliest form of ” (e.g.  protomartyr; protolithic; protoplasm); "mysticism" is a doctrine of an immediate spiritual intuition of truths believed to transcend ordinary understanding, direct, intimate union of the soul with God through contemplation or ecstasy. 

 

Mithras:

a god  worshipped in the mystery religion, practised in the Roman Empire from 1st to 4th century AD; inspired by Persian Mithraism; popular in the Roman military.  Employed complex system, 7 grades of initiation & communal ritual meals.  Initiates were syndexioi, those "united by the handshake"; met in underground temples (mithraea). Cult centre in Rome.

 

Isis: * see Endnote 20

goddess, first mentioned in the Old Kingdom, Egypt; considered the divine mother of the pharaoh (likened to Horus), &her maternal aid was invoked in healing spells. Originally played limited role in royal rituals &temple rites, although she was more prominent in funerary practices & magical texts.

 

The sun cult:

festival during the Roman Empire, celebrating the re-birth of the Unconquered Sun (or Dies Natalis Solis Invicti), at the winter solstice, in the Julian  calendar December 25.  In late antiquity, the theological centrality of the sun in Imperial religious systems suggests a form of a "solar monotheism". This celebration was replaced under Christian domination of the Empire with the birthday of Christ.

 

Habitatus (botany):

scientific meaning: characteristic manner of growth of a plant. For example, grape plants and ivy display a vining habit.

 

the round:

reference to a type of sculpture in which the figures are presented in complete 3D form, not attached to a flat background (unlike relief).  Principal types of sculpture in the round are statues, busts & sculptural groups.  A basic distinction is between free-standing sculpture, such as statues, not attached (except possibly at the base) to any other surface, and the various types of relief at least partly attached to a background surface.

frescoe:

technique of mural painting executed upon freshly-laid or wet lime plaster; water allows the pigment to merge with the plaster; with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.  The word fresco (Italian: affresco) comes from the Italian adjective fresco meaning "fresh"; it contrasts mural painting techniques which are applied to dried plaster.  Used since antiquity & closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting.

 

Counter point:

see Chapter I Introduction, contrapuntal music, page 7

 

plastic:

concerned with or pertaining to moulding or modelling; sculptural.

 

esoteric:

understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; belonging to the select few, private; secret; confidential.