Deck 13: Gothic Art

Question 1

To whom were most French Gothic cathedrals dedicated?

A) the Virgin Mary
B) Jesus
C) Saint Peter
D) a local saint important to the community in which the cathedral was built

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What is the term for the iron frame that holds together individual units in a stained-glass window?

A) web
B) tracery
C) armature
D) colonette

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following statements about cathedrals is FALSE?

A) By definition, they served as the seats of bishops.
B) They were owned by towns or cities.
C) They were built primarily in rural areas.
D) They developed their own schools and universities.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Until 1890, the tallest building in the world was a Gothic cathedral located where?

A) Chartres
B) Cologne
C) Reims
D) Salisbury

Question 5

High Gothic cathedrals were measured according to which two criteria?

A) luminosity and length
B) height and spaciousness
C) luminosity and height
D) spaciousness and length

Question 6

What were the most common colors used in Gothic stained-glass windows?

A) red and gold
B) blue and red
C) gold and green
D) blue and gold

Question 7

On which side of Chartres are the three doors that constitute the Royal Portal located?

A) south
B) north
C) west
D) east

Question 8

As reflected in the differences between the door jamb statues on the west side of Chartres and those on its south, High Gothic differed from Early Gothic in that

A) High Gothic statues were more stylized.
B) High Gothic statues were more naturalistic.
C) High Gothic statues were fully frontal.
D) High Gothic statues were less individualistic.

Question 9

Which of the following architectural features was NOT a standard part of Gothic architecture?

A) rib vaults
B) compound piers
C) rounded arches
D) flying buttresses

Question 10

Which of the following groups is NOT represented in the arches of the Royal Portal of Chartres?

A) the Seven Liberal Arts
B) the lineage of the French kings
C) Old Testament kings and queens
D) the signs of the zodiac

Question 11

The tympanums of the Royal Portal at Chartres depict scenes from

A) the New Testament.
B) the Old Testament.
C) French history.
D) Classical mythology.

Question 12

All of the following features distinguish Salisbury from a typical French Gothic cathedral EXCEPT

A) its double transept.
B) its square apse.
C) its greater use of stained-glass windows.
D) its octagonal chapter house.

Question 13

Which reliquary chapel commissioned by King Louis IX epitomizes the rayonnant style?

A) Notre Dame
B) Chartres
C) Saint-Denis
D) Sainte-Chapelle

Question 14

The tripartite organization common to most Gothic cathedrals' west façades contained all of the following elements EXCEPT

A) a central rectangle.
B) towers.
C) a gable.
D) a chevet.

Question 15

The Durham Cathedral, the first European cathedral to incorporate rib vaults and pointed arches, was built in which country?

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

Question 16

Each series of images circling the rose window on the north transept of Chartres consists of how many images?

A) twelve
B) ten
C) three
D) nine

Question 17

Which is NOT true of English cathedrals?

A) They are set in a cathedral close.
B) They sometimes have cloisters.
C) They have greater need for external buttressing than French ones.
D) They are usually situated in the midst of a city.

Question 18

Which of the following elements is NOT a part of a Gothic structure's skeleton?

A) buttress
B) wall
C) pier
D) rib

Question 19

The fleur-de-lys found in the Saint Louis Psalter and at Sainte-Chapelle was primarily a symbol of

A) the Virgin Mary.
B) the Trinity.
C) French royalty.
D) the Catholic Church.

Question 20

The cathedral at Reims differs from that at Chartres in all of the following ways EXCEPT that

A) the statues at Reims are more naturalistic.
B) the plan of Reims is longer.
C) the towers at Reims are taller.
D) the transept at Reims is wider.

Question 21

Gothic cathedrals are often referred to by their location because so many of them are named Notre Dame.

Question 22

The rib vault required more buttressing than the barrel vault.

Question 23

Where did the Gothic style originate?

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

Question 24

Who is credited with inventing the Gothic style?

A) Gabriel
B) William
C) Denis
D) Suger

Question 25

At Saint-Denis, the choir, ambulatory, and apse are located in the

A) chevet.
B) nave.
C) narthex.
D) façade.

Question 26

Accounts of the construction of which ancient structure had the most influence on the development of the Gothic style?

A) Solomon's Temple
B) the ziggurat at Ur
C) the Parthenon
D) the Coliseum

Question 27

Which of the following statements about Gothic architecture is FALSE?

A) It was based partly on musical and mathematical ratios.
B) It was so named because of its German origins and distinctly Germanic traits.
C) It was designed to reflect both spirituality and the divine right of kings.
D) It exploited a belief in the miraculous and mystical effect of light.

Question 28

Which of the following organizing principles is typical of Gothic manuscript illuminations?

A) clergy and laypeople positioned to the left of saints
B) clergy and laypeople positioned below saints
C) laypeople positioned below saints and clergy
D) clergy and laypeople positioned to the right of saints

Question 29

Which renovated monastery was the first Gothic building?

A) Saint-Denis
B) Reims
C) Chartres
D) Sainte-Chapelle

Question 30

The Gothic style was likely influenced by a sixth-century mystic theologian, Dionysius.

Question 31

Gothic architects were always careful to ensure that the twin towers of a structure were as identical in size and shape as possible.

Question 32

Which of the following elements was a Gothic addition to Saint-Denis?

A) the nave
B) the apse
C) the west façade
D) the aisles

Question 33

Which region of Europe adopted the Gothic style last and abandoned it the soonest?

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

Question 34

What term is used to identify the infilling, or surface, of a vault?

A) web
B) rib
C) façade
D) jamb

Question 35

Unlike many Gothic elements that were borrowed from Romanesque structures, the compound pier was invented by Gothic architects.

Question 36

Gothic architecture differed from Romanesque mostly through the addition and subtraction of elements rather than in how it arranged existing elements.

Question 37

The term "masterpiece" originally referred to a piece of work that the member of a guild had to present in order to attain the rank of master.

Question 38

Contemporaries referred to the Gothic style as opus francigenum, or "French work."

Question 39

One of the most striking differences between Gothic and Romanesque architecture is how well-lighted the former was in comparison with the latter.

Question 40

The cathedral at Chartres took almost a full twenty years to build.

Question 41

Compare the interior and exterior of Sainte-Chapelle with those of Chartres. What are the differences and similarities? What was the original function of each building?

Question 42

Compare and contrast Gothic and Romanesque cathedrals. What characteristics did they share and how did they differ?

Question 43

How did the Gothic style change from its Early to High periods? What might explain those changes?

Question 44

Describe the hierarchical organization of the manuscript page from the Life of Saint Denis. What does it say about the medieval worldview in early fourteenth-century France?

Question 45

Compare and contrast the structure and style of Salisbury Cathedral and Reims Cathedral. What do they suggest about variations in Gothic architecture from region to region and over time?

Question 46

What were the theological goals behind the development of Gothic architecture? How were those goals achieved?

Question 47

Discuss the economics of cathedral construction in the thirteenth century. How were cathedrals funded? What impact did they have on local economies?