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4.6: Art of Political Leaders and Rulers
1. The term iconic refers to something that has become famous and has widely recognizable
characteristics.
2. In The Armada Portrait, it is suggested that Queen Elizabeth is:
a. elegant and feminine d. all of the other answers
b. chaste e. none of the other answers
c. powerful
3. Jean-Antoine Houdon’s sculpture of George Washington was made from:
a. white marble d. black granite
b. green basalt e. wood
c. brown bronze
4. Napoleon Crossing the Alps depicts the moment before Emperor Napoleon was to meet the
military general Hannibal in Rome.
5. Research the portraits of Napoleon painted by Jacques-Louis David. How did these works—in
particular, Napoleon Crossing the Alps—help to create Napoleon’s image and reputation?
6. Compare the portrait of George Washington by Houdon (4.6.2) and Napoleon Crossing the Alps
(4.6.3). Write a formal analysis describing the similarities and differences in the way that the
elements and principles of art are used to represent the power of these two leaders.
7. How many Olmec colossal heads have been discovered?
a. 3 d. 562
b. 17 e. 1,000
c. 103
8. What material was used to make the Olmec colossal heads?
a. basalt d. limestone
b. bronze e. marble
c. jade
9. What does the Justinian mosaic in the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna demonstrate?
a. the power of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian
b. the power of Maximianus, the Bishop of Ravenna
c. God’s support for Justinian
d. all of the previous answers
e. none of the previous answers
10. Study the architectural structures, and artworks held within, made during the reign of the
Byzantine Emperor Justinian. For example, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (2.5.19), the Church of
San Vitale in Ravenna and the Justinian and Theodora mosaics (3.2.9, 4.6.5), and the monastery of
St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai (3.2.6, 3.2.7). What was Justinian’s involvement in the building of each
of these structures? How does each exemplify the power of the Emperor? How does each reflect
Justinian’s support of the arts?
11. What event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel showing the Maya ruler Shield Jaguar and
his wife Lady Xoc (4.6.6)?
a. a bloodletting ritual d. a play
b. a sexual act e. an animal hunt
c. a sacrifice of a child
12. Such Maya rituals as bloodletting were only enacted on slaves.
13. What technique was used to create the portrait of King Akhenaten, his wife Nefertiti, and their
three daughters (4.6.7)?
a. sunken-relief carving d. lithography
b. low-relief carving e. none of the other answers
c. lost-wax casting
14. Compare and contrast the portraits of Shield Jaguar and Lady Xoc (4.6.6) and Akhenaten and
Nefertiti (4.6.7) discussed in this chapter. Write an essay in which you consider the way each
artwork was made, how each shows the power of the ruler, and how each work represents the
ruler’s wife.
15. The sculpture Chibinda Ilunga, made by the Chokwe people of Central Africa, depicts a king as a
powerful hunter.
16. The Stela of Hammurabi:
a. shows a servant standing before a ruler
b. has an entire law code written on it
c. contains a picture of the sun at the very bottom
d. also functioned as a sundial
e. none of the other answers
17. Which emperor created a colossal statue of himself to be placed in a basilica in the center of
Rome?
a. Augustus d. Louis XIV
b. Constantine e. Hammurabi
c. Justinian
18. The colossal statue of Constantine the Great departs completely from statues of earlier Roman
emperors.
19. The giant portrait that hangs over Tiananmen depicts one of the founders of ancient China.
20. The portrait of Mao Zedong that hangs over Tiananmen has never been taken down since the day it
was first hung.
21. Which of these artworks was not made as propaganda to supplement the power of the ruler it
represents?
a. The Armada Portrait
b. Mao Zedong’s portrait at Tiananmen
c. Napoleon Crossing the Alps
d. Stela of Hammurabi
e. all of these were propagandistic artworks
22. Analyse Jean-Antoine Houdon’s George Washington (4.6.2). Which aspects of this sculpture
borrow from earlier traditions and which are uniquely American? Consider the colossal statue of
Constantine the Great (4.6.10) as the inspiration for the initial idea for a sculpture of Washington,
which he rejected. Why do you think Houdon’s sculpture was more pleasing to the president?
