Arts & History
HardMuseum Objects Crossword
Category: Arts & HistoryDifficulty: Medium14 × 14
Wednesday, September 23
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Enter one letter per square. Answers run Across or Down. Omit spaces and accents; any special spelling convention is stated in the clue. This is a freeform themed grid, so some letters are not crossed.
MPU / Sidebar Ad Unit
About This Theme
Museum labels contain a compact vocabulary for describing what an object is and how it was made. This crossword gives that vocabulary room to breathe. Some clues name materials, while others describe a shape, technique or purpose. Imagine the object before searching for the word: is it worn, held, displayed, or built into a wall? The answers range across different collections, so you do not need to know the holdings of any one museum.
Clues
Across
- 3Ancient vessel with two handles and a narrow neck (7)
- 7Document written by hand (10)
- 8Sculpture that projects from a background surface (6)
- 9Open vessel often used to display flowers (4)
- 10Picture assembled from small pieces of material (6)
- 12Copper-based alloy often used for cast sculpture (6)
Down
- 1Stone coffin, especially an elaborate ancient one (11)
- 2Woven textile in which colored threads form a picture (8)
- 4Sculpture showing a person's head and upper torso (4)
- 5Metamorphic stone used for many classical sculptures (6)
- 6Object worn or carried for supposed protection (6)
- 11Stamped piece of metal used as money (4)
Answers and Explanations
After Your Solve
A useful way to read a museum label is to separate material from technique. BRONZE tells you what an object is made of; RELIEF describes how forms project from a surface. MOSAIC is another technique, while AMPHORA describes a type of vessel. These categories can overlap in a single object without meaning the same thing. After solving, choose two answers that could plausibly appear on the same label. Explaining how they relate is a good check that you remember the objects rather than only the letters.
- 3 acrossAMPHORA
The vessel’s form distinguishes an amphora.
- 7 acrossMANUSCRIPT
The term distinguishes handwriting from printing.
- 8 acrossRELIEF
Relief remains connected to its background.
- 9 acrossVASE
Form and use help distinguish a vase from other containers.
- 10 acrossMOSAIC
The pieces form a larger design.
- 12 acrossBRONZE
Bronze is a material, not a carving technique.
- 1 downSARCOPHAGUS
A sarcophagus is a burial container.
- 2 downTAPESTRY
The design is made through weaving.
- 4 downBUST
A bust represents less than a full standing figure.
- 5 downMARBLE
Marble can be carved and polished.
- 6 downAMULET
The clue describes its intended symbolic function.
- 11 downCOIN
Coins can also preserve images and inscriptions.
Further Reading
- Theme referencemetmuseum.org
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