1038 Glossarymetamatics—The name Swiss artist Jean Tinguely
gave to the motor-driven devices he constructed
to produce instant abstract paintings.
metope—The square panel between the triglyphs in
a Doric frieze,often sculpted in relief.
mihrab—A semicircular niche set into the qiblawall
of a mosque.
minaret—A distinctive feature ofmosque architec-
ture, a tower from which the faithful are called to
worship.
minbar—In a mosque,the pulpiton which the imam
stands.
mingei—A type of modern Japanese folk pottery.
miniatures—Small individual Indian paintings in-
tended to be held in the hand and viewed by one
or two individuals at one time.
Minimalism—A predominantly sculptural Ameri-
can trend of the 1960s characterized by works fea-
turing a severe reduction ofform,often to single,
homogeneous units.
Minoan—The prehistoric art of Crete, named after
the legendary King Minos of Knossos.
Minotaur—The mythical beast, half man and half
bull, that inhabited the labyrinthof the Minoan
palace at Knossos.
mithuna—In South Asian art, a male-female couple
embracing or engaged in sexual intercourse.
moai—Large, blocky figural stone sculptures found
on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in Polynesia.
mobile—A kind of sculpture, invented by Alexander
Calder, combining nonobjective organic forms
and motion in balanced structures hanging from
rods,wires,and colored,organically shaped
plates.
modeling—The shaping or fashioning of three-di-
mensional forms in a soft material, such as clay;
also, the gradations of light and shade reflected
from the surfaces of matter in space, or the illu-
sion of such gradations produced by alterations of
value in a drawing, painting, or print.
modernism—A movement in Western art that de-
veloped in the second half of the 19th century and
sought to capture the images and sensibilities of
the age. Modernist art goes beyond simply deal-
ing with the present and involves the artist’s criti-
cal examination of the premises of art itself.
Modernismo—See Art Nouveau.
modernist formalism—See formalism.
module (adj.modular)—A basic unit of which the
dimensions of the major parts of a work are mul-
tiples. The principle is used in sculpture and other
art forms, but it is most often employed in archi-
tecture, where the module may be the dimensions
of an important part of a building, such as the di-
ameter of a column.
moko—The form of tattooing practiced by the Maori
of New Zealand.
moksha—See nirvana.
mold—A hollow form for casting.
molding—In architecture,a continuous,narrow sur-
face (projecting or recessed, plain or ornamented)
designed to break up a surface, to accent, or to
decorate.
monastery—A group of buildings in which monks
live together, set apart from the secular commu-
nity of a town.
monastic—Relating to life in a monastery.
monastic order—An organization of monks living
according to the same rules, for example, the
Benedictine, Franciscan, and Dominican orders.monochrome (adj.monochromatic)—One color.
monolith (adj.monolithic)—A stone column shaft
that is all in one piece (not composed ofdrums); a
large, single block or piece of stone used in mega-
lithic structures. Also, a colossal statue carved
from a single piece of stone.
monotheism—The worship of one all-powerful god.
moralized Bible—A heavily illustrated Bible,
each page pairing paintings of Old and New Tes-
tament episodes with explanations of their moral
significance.
mortise-and-tenon system—See tenon.
mortuary temple—In Egyptian architecture, a tem-
ple erected for the worship of a deceased pharaoh.
mosaic—Patterns or pictures made by embedding
small pieces (tesserae) of stone or glass in cement
on surfaces such as walls and floors; also, the tech-
niqueof making such works.
mosaic tilework—An Islamic decorative technique
in which large ceramic panels are fired, cut into
smaller pieces, and set in plaster.
moschophoros—Greek, “calf bearer.”
mosque—The Islamic building for collective wor-
ship. From the Arabic word masjid,meaning a
“place for bowing down.”
Mozarabic—Referring to the Christian culture of
northern Spain during the time Islamic caliphs
ruled southern Spain.
mudra—In Buddhist and Hindu iconography, a styl-
ized and symbolic hand gesture. The dhyana
(meditation) mudra consists of the right hand
over the left, palms upward, in the lap. In the bhu-
misparsha (earth-touching) mudra, the right
hand reaches down to the ground, calling the
earth to witness the Buddha’s enlightenment. The
dharmachakra (Wheel of the Law, or teaching)
mudra is a two-handed gesture with right thumb
and index finger forming a circle. The abhaya (do
not fear) mudra, with the right hand up, palm out-
ward, is a gesture of protection or blessing.
Mughal—“Descended from the Mongols.” The Mus-
lim rulers of India, 1526–1857.
Muhaqqaq—A cursive style of Islamic calligraphy.
mullion—A vertical member that divides a window
or that separates one window from another.
mummification—A techniqueused by ancient
Egyptians to preserve human bodies so that they
may serve as the eternal home of the immortal ka.
muqarnas—Stucco decorations of Islamic buildings
in which stalactite-like forms break a structure’s
solidity.
mural—A wall painting.
Muslim—A believer in Islam.
Mycenaean—The prehistoric art of the Late Helladic
period in Greece, named after the citadel of
Mycenae.
myster y play—A dramatic enactment of the holy
mysteries of the Christian faith performed at
church portals and in city squares.
mystic marriage—A spiritual marriage of a woman
with Christ.
Nabis—Hebrew, “prophet.” A group ofSymbolist
painters influenced by Paul Gauguin.
naos—See cella.
narthex—A porch or vestibule of a church, generally
colonnaded or arcadedand preceding the nave.
natatio—The swimming pool in a Roman bathing
establishment.
naturalism—The style of painted or sculptured rep-
resentation based on close observation of the nat-maqsura—In some mosques,a screened area in front
of the mihrabreserved for a ruler.
Mara—A spirit in Northern European mythology that
was thought to torment and suffocate sleepers.
martyr—A person who chooses to die rather than
deny his or her religious belief. See also saint.
martyrium—A shrine to a Christian martyr saint.
Masonry Style—See First Style mural.
mass—The bulk,density,and weight of matter in
space.
Mass—The Catholic and Orthodox ritual in which
believers understand that Christ’s redeeming sac-
rifice on the cross is repeated when the priest con-
secrates the bread and wine in the Eucharist.
mastaba—Arabic, “bench.” An ancient Egyptian rec-
tangular brick or stone structure with sloping
sides erected over a subterranean tomb chamber
connected with the outside by a shaft.
matins—The dawn prayer in a Book of Hours.
matte—In painting, pottery, and photography, a dull
finish.
maulstick—A stick used to steady the hand while
painting.
mausoleum—A monumental tomb. The name de-
rives from the mid-fourth-century BCEtomb of
Mausolos at Halikarnassos, one of the Seven Won-
ders of the ancient world.
mbari—A ceremonial Igbo (Nigeria) house built
about every 50 years in honor of the earth god-
dess Ala.
mbulu ngulu—The wood-and-metal reliquar y
guardian figures of the Kota of Gabon.
meander—An ornament, usually in bands but also
covering broad surfaces, consisting of interlock-
ing geometric motifs. An ornamental pattern of
contiguous straight lines joined usually at right
angles.
medium (pl.media)—The material (for example,
marble, bronze, clay,fresco) in which an artist
works; also, in painting, the vehicle (usually liq-
uid) that carries the pigment.
megalith (adj.megalithic)—Greek, “great stone.” A
large, roughly hewn stone used in the construc-
tion of monumental prehistoric structures.
megaron—The large reception hall and throne room
in a Mycenaeanpalace,fronted by an open,two-
columnedporch.
meiping—A Chinese vase of a high-shouldered
shape; the sgrafitto techniquewas used in decorat-
ing such vases.
memento mori—Latin, “reminder of death.” In
painting, a reminder of human mortality, usually
represented by a skull.
mendicants—In medieval Europe, friars belonging
to the Franciscan and Dominican orders, who re-
nounced all worldly goods, lived by contributions
of laypersons (the word mendicantmeans “beg-
gar”), and devoted themselves to preaching,
teaching, and doing good works.
menorah—In antiquity, the Jewish sacred seven-
branched candelabrum.
merlon—See crenellation.
Mesoamerica—The region that comprises Mexico,
Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and the Pacific coast
of El Salvador.
Mesolithic—The “middle” Stone Age, between the
Paleolithic and the Neolithic ages.
Messiah—The savior of the Jews prophesied in the
Old Testament. Christians believe that Jesus of
Nazareth was the Messiah.