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The glossary terms listed below define unfamiliar structural elements of monuments or commemorations that you may encounter during your research.

George Washington by Horatio Greenough (1840), National Museum of American History
George Washington by Horatio Greenough (1840), National Museum of American History
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Bas Relief

A type of art where figures are cut in a way that they are only slightly higher than the flat background of the material they are cut from (marble, stone, metal).

Image Credit: Library of Congress

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Bust

A sculpted or cast figure of the upper part of the human body, typically from the chest up, including the head and shoulders.

Image Credit: Library of Congress

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Engraving

A carved or cut work on a hard surface, in the case of monuments, typically something written on metal plate.

Image Credit: Library of Congress

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Equestrian

A work of art where the subject is shown on horseback.

Image Credit: Library of Congress

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Free Standing Structure

Some monuments are large enough that they are actually free standing buildings that people can enter. Some of these might have smaller memorials as part of their edifice and those can be treated separately.

Image Credit: Library of Congress

Mixed Medium

Using multiple materials to create a work of art, for example, using brass and marble in a statue.

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Mural

A typically large painting put directly onto a wall. Can be found both indoors and outdoors.

Image Credit: Library of Congress

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Obelisk

A stand-alone column in the ancient Egyptian style typified by having four flat sides and being topped off by a small pyramid. The Washington memorial is perhaps the nation’s most famous obelisk.

Image Credit: Library of Congress

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Pediment

Typically a triangular space found in classic architecture placed above columns or a doorway. These were important parts of classical architecture and were frequently used as a space to fill with other sorts of statuary and adornments. The Elgin Marbles in the British Museum originally sat in the pediment of the main temple on Athens’s acropolis.

Image Credit: Library of Congress

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Plinth

A large or heavy base that supports a statue or monument. They are often in square or column form and lift the statue off the ground. Plinths can be very helpful because they often are space for inscriptions.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

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Promenade

A paved walkway of some sort often along a waterfront like a boardwalk. These were very popular social gathering spots in the nineteenth century.

Image Credit: Library of Congress

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Relief

Similar to a bas relief but the objects projected higher from their background. Typically elements here will be more three dimensional than in bas-relief.

Image Credit: Library of Congress