Electroplating
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Electroplating is the process of coating a base metal with gold, silver, or nickel by means of a cyanide solution and electricity. The English firm of Elkington & Co. patented the process in 1840.
Coin Silver
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Coin silver contains 900 parts per 1,000 pure silver; the remaining metal is mostly copper.
Realistic
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The adjective realistic describes things that are represented according to their actual appearance without being idealized or abstracted.
NOTES
Ken Kelsey, The Art of the Classical World at the Dallas Museum of Art, Teaching Packet, 1995.
Pyxis
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A pyxis is a type of ancient Greek pottery shaped into a cylindrical, lidded container used for holding trinkets or cosmetics. (Plural Pyxides).
Patina
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Patina is the term for the brown or green encrustation on the surface of metalwork caused by oxidation, age, use, or exposure.
Kylix
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A kylix is a stemmed drinking vessel featuring two handles and a wide mouth.
Idealized
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Art historians use the term idealized to describe things that are represented according to cultural or personal notions of perfection.
Contrapposto
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Italian for "placed opposite," contrapposto is a way of representing the body in a fluid, more relaxed manner by balancing a standing figure around an invisible vertical axis. The person's weight is placed on one foot so the body naturally twists.
Himation
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In ancient Greece, the himation was a cloak of varying sizes that was worn wrapped around one's body.
NOTES
From Ken Kelsey, The Art of the Classical World at the Dallas Museum of Art, Teaching Packet, 1995.
Chiton
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Chiton is the name of an oblong garment or tunic that was usually made of wool or linen.