Ashlar masonry
Carefully cut and grooved stones that support stones that support a building without the use of concrete or other kinds of masonry (See Barron's Figure 23.7a)
Bas-relief
a very shallow relief sculpture (See ALSO Barron's Figure 23.5b)
Bodhisattva
A deity who refrains from entering nirvana to help others.
Buddha
A fully enlightened being. There are many types of this diety, the most famous of whom is Sakyamuni, also known as Gautama or Siddhartha (See Barron's Figure 23.1)
Darshan
In Hinduism, the ability of a worshipper to see deity and the deity to see the worshipper.
Horror vacui
(Latin, meaning "fear of empty spaces"), a type of artwork in which the entire surface is filled with objects, people, designs, and ornaments in a crowded and sometimes congested way
Iconoclasm
The destruction of religious images that are seen as heresy (See Barron's Figure 23.3)
Mithuna
In India, the mating of males and females in a ritualistic, symbolic, or physical sense (See Barron's Figure 23.2)
Mudra
A symbolic hand gesture in Hindu and Buddhist art (See Barron's Figure 23.1)
Nirvana
an afterlife in which reincarnation ends and the soul becomes one with the supreme spirit.
Puja
a Hindu prayer ritual.
Sakyamuni
the historical Buddha, named after the town of Sakya, Buddha's birthplace (See Barron's Figure 23.3)
Shiva
the Hindu god of creation and destruction (See Barron's Figure 23.6)
Stupa
A dome-shaped Buddhist shrine (See Barron's Figure 23.4a)
Torana
A gateway near a stupa that has two upright posts and three horizontal lintels. They are usually elaborately carved (See Barron's Figure 23.4a)
Urna
A circle of hair on the brows of deity, sometimes represented as a focal point (See Barron's Figure 23.1)
Ushnisha
A protrusion as the top of the head, or the top knot of a Buddha (See Barron's Figure 23.1)
Vairocana
The universal Buddha, a source of enlightenment; also known as the Supreme Buddha who represents "emptiness," that is, freedom from earthly matters to help achieve salvation (See Barron's Figure 23.2a)
Vishnu
The Hindu god worshipped as the protector and preserver of the world (See Barron's Figure 23.8c)
Wat
A Buddhist monastery or temple in Cambodia (See Barron's Figure 23.8a)
Yakshi (masculine: yakhsa)
Female and male figures of fertility in Buddhist and Hindu art.
Bi
A round ceremonial disk found in ancient Chinese tombs; characterized by having a circular hole in the center, which may have symbolized heaven (See Barron's Figure 24.4)
Bodhisattva
A deity who refrains from entering nirvana to help others (See Barron's Figure 24.9c)
Coiling
A method of creating pottery in which a rope-like strand of clay is wrapped and layered into a shape before being fired in a kiln.
Colophon
A commentary on the end panel of a Chinese handscroll; an inscription at the end of a manuscript containing relevant information on its publication (See Barron's Figure 24.4)
Confucianism
a philosophical belief begun by Confucius that stresses education, devotion to family, mutual respect, and traditional culture.
Daoism
a philosophical belief begun by Laozi that stresses individual expression and a striving to find balance in one's life.
Hanja
Chinese characters used in Korean script with a Korean pronunciation.
Literati
A sophisticated and scholarly group of Chinese artists who painted for themselves rather than for fame and mass acceptance. Their work is highly individualized.
Pagoda
A tower built of many stories. Each succeeding story is identical in style to the one beneath it, only smaller. These buildings typically have dramatically projecting eaves that curl up at the ends.
Porcelain
A ceramic made from clay that when fired in a kiln produces a product that is hard, white, brittle, and shiny.
Potter's wheel
a device that usually has a pedal used to make the flat circular table spin, so that a potter can create pottery.
Throwing
to mold forms on a potter's wheel.
Vairocana
the universal Buddha, a source of enlightenment; also known as the Supreme Buddha who represents "emptiness," that is, freedom from earthly matters to help achieve salvation (See Barron's Figure 24.9c)
Yin and Yang
Considered complementary polarities. One is a feminine symbol that has dark, soft, moist, and weak characteristics. The other represents the male symbol that has bright, hard, dry, and strong characteristics (See Barron's Figure 24.3)
Genre painting
Painting in which scenes of everyday life are depicted.
Haboku (splashed ink)
A monochrome Japanese ink painting done in a free style in which ink seems to be splashed on a surface.
Kondo
A hall used for Buddhist teachings (See Barron's Figure 25.1a)
Mandorla
A term that describes a large almond-shaped orb around holy figures like Christ and Buddha (See Barron's Figure 25.1b)
Tarashikomi
A Japanese painting technique in which paint is applied to a surface that has not already dried form a previous application.
Ukiyo-e
Translated as "pictures of the floating world", a Japanese genre painting popular from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century (See Barron's Figure 25.5)
Yamato-e
A style of Japanese painting that is characterized by native subject matter, stylized features, and thick bright pigments.
Zen
A metaphysical branch of Buddhism that teaches fulfillment through self-discipline and intuition