ap art history fall final

great zimbabwe

basic information 1000-1400 bce, shona people, located in se zimbabwe, subsaharan africa, 1300 acres, made of monoliths and no mortar content great enclosure and tower, hill complex, valley of housing units, surrounded by rocks and tropical forests ritual and ceremonial places, 6000 housing units, ge was a circular, conical, tore, elliptical, walls were 11 meters high and there were thick walls the hill ruin was a sacred cave, 30 ft high walls, cylindrical tower and monoliths the great enclosure was a walled structure with turrets and monoliths, smaller wall parallels the outer wall creating passageways to towers the valley ruins are evidence of trade sites, many discoveries of trade goods from as far as southeast asia the wall surrounded 250 clay structures that were furnished with pots, designated areas for sleeping and sitting, and hearths, may have been for royalty, other clay and thatch homes support 20,000 people; it was built around a cafe that held religious importance to the shona people, large towers connected to the wall to provide a 360-degree view of approaching enemies, some parts of the wall have geometric patterns form coursed granite bloks, no mortar held the blocks together, the techniques were ashlar masonry which is carefully cut stone walls made without mortar, the walls slope inward toward the top,k made of exfoliated granite blocks the wall is a stone structure punctuated with turrets and monoliths, 820 ft long, over 32 feet high in some areas the tower is 30 ft tall and 18 ft in diameter, these walls endured for centuries lots of detail and impressive geometric shapes and patterns, the great walls encloses smaller stone structures and patterns, the conical towers is surrounded by the circular wall of great zimbabwe and was built with the same type of stone as the circular wall unique style because of location, not influenced by islamic architecture asymmetrical, rough textured wall and patterns, no grid like architectural layout, carved passages and narrow ways context zimbabwe derives from a shona term meaning "venerated houses" or "houses of stones," the internal and external passageways are tightly bounded, narrow, and long, occupants are forced to walk in single file, paralleling experiences in the african bush the conical tower is modeled on traditional shapes of grain silos, control over food symbolizes wealth, power, and royal largesse; the tower resembles a granary and represented a good harvest and prosperity abandoned in the fifteenth century probably because the surrounding area could no longer supply food and there was extensive deforestation great zimbabwe may have had 18,000 inhabitants, the vast majority lived in mud-brick structures, while elite rulers lived safety and luxuriously inside the walled enclosure, granite blocks were quarried from nearby hills and took decades to transport, took over 30 years to complete a soapstone sculpture of a seated bird resting on atop a register of zigzags was discovered within the circular wall built in a time of great wealth and success of great zimbabwe, part of a large network, produced about two fifth of the worlds' gold, kings taxed the gold to port cities along africa's east coast for trade european explorers came upon great zimbabwe in the 18th century and were amazinged by the sophisticated ruina and theories the biblical queen of sheba commissioned the structure a source of national pride, leaders celebrated their independence by naming their country zimbabwe in 1980 function the conical tower was made to worship the supreme all creator god mwari, showed the wealth of great zimbabwe, ruler is a custodian of bountiful harvest, a shona ruler should their power and wealth by the amount of grain they had, also allowed people to have panoramic views of the country to scope out enemies coming royal center where the king governed, wall separated the commoners from the royal families, the great circular wall was to demonstrate power and protect the houses and the commercial market that it encased site for long distance trade, housed a surplus of population and was used for religious and administrative activities, site for religious rituals sacred cave in the hill ruin that once housed the ruler and family meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: grain gathered, stored and dispensed as a symbol of royal power, the sculpture represent the power of the shona kings, representation of their pride themes: trade, religion ashlar masonry, status/class system, authority, ritual/ceremonies, societal pride and achievement related pieces: pantheon, sacayshuaman, ziggurat, stonehenge, nan madol, machu picchu

nan madol

basic information 13th - 17th century, nan madol, pohnpei, the federal states of micronesia; basalt, coral rock, total weight being 750,000 tons, moved 1,850 tons of basalt per year over four centuries, carried quarry columns of basalt from a site in sokehs, on the other side of pohnpei, and transport them more than 25 miles to the submerged coral reefs that are the foundation using ropes and levers to stack them, no mortar or concrete but just positioning and weight of each basalt column, with a ittel coral fill, to hold each structure place content 100 rectilinear islets over 200 acres raised platforms, ceremonial sites, dwellings, tomb, and crypts; comprised of 58 islets, inhabited priests, elaborate buildings include nandauwas, the royal mortuary with 25 feet high walls, log-cabin style walls over the city that protects the city from tides stone and shell tools, necklaces, arm rings, trolling lure ornaments, drilled porpoise and fruit bat teeth, quartz crystals, lancet and disc-shaped bead necklaces, pottery, remnants of turtle and dog status foods, and a large pounders used to process the root of the kava plant to be turned into a ceremonial drink (with sedative, anesthetic, and euphoriant qualities) form geometric context political and ceremonial center for the ruling chiefs of the sau deleur dynasty; less than 30,000 resided in it; shows the power of the rulers and the ecological and economic systems capable of supporting a busy labor force oral history contains great birds and giants moving rocks, magic used by twin sorcerer's olosohpa and olosihpa to worship their gods a series of canals cut to allow eels to enter the city from the see, well on the island of idehd to have housed a sacred eel who embodied a sea deity and to whom the innards of specially raised and cooke turtles were fed by priests, archaeological evidence of the canal system and large middle mound of turtle madoh pah was the administrative center of the complex and madol powe in the northwest was its religious and mortuary sector, comprised of 58 islets, inhabited priests, elaborate buildings include nandauwas, the royal mortuary with 25 feet high walls, log-cabin style walls over the city that protects the city from tides sau deleurs ruled as a series of chiefs descended from olosohpa, began as general leaders but came to exert extraordinary power over people which turned into tyrants, they made tributes and food offerings tot he sau deleur, period known as mwehin sau deleur; overthrown by cultural hero isokelekel who destroyed them in a large battle, then divided power into three chieftainships and established a decentralized power system called nahnmwarki, he resided there but his descendants slowly moved away but religious ceremonies continued to be held here rich in sources, with fertile soil, heavy rainfall, lush vegetation, rainforest, lagoons, food sources, timber, basalt; everything was taken from the island's interior basalt columns were shaped by chisels and thick lava flow to the slender columns listed as unesco because of the sophistication and concentration for complex social and religious practices, siltation of waterway do facilitate mangroves that threaten the structure, built on coral with network of tidal connection and waterways function administrative and religious center, elite living space, ceremonial center dapahu for food preparation and canoe building, peinering for coconut oil, sapenlan for sky, kohnderek for dancing and anointing the dead, tombs meaning, theme, and related works meaning: social status, haunted, no eels themes: sacred, power, status related pieces: versailles or forbidden city

golden stool

basic information 1700 ce, ashanti, south ghana, 18 x 24 x 12 inches, carved wood and topped with gold content entire surface inlaid with gold, bells hang form the side to warm the king of danger, carved wood block, intricate designs in the midsection connecting the seat to the base, seen with small figures attached to the seat, believed to contain sunum form symmetrical, mixture of materials and techniques, balanc3d with the bells, smooth texture, has a crescent shaped seat context replicas often used in ceremonies, but each replica was different a new king is raised over the stool, the stool is carried to the king on a pillow, he alone is allowed to touch it, taken out on special occasions, always given its own chair to sit war of the golden stool in march to september 1900, conflict over british sovereignty in ghana, the former gold coast, a british representative who tried to sit on the stool caused an uproar and a subsequent rebellion, the war ended with british annexation and ashanti de facto independence; in the war the british destroyed the asanti capital, took lots back to england and much of it remains in the british collection today, they first exiled prempeh i, the asantehene in the 1800s, and they hid it from the british so yaa asantewaa, a queen mother, assembled all the soldiers to fight against the british, they were allowed some autonomy and the asantehene was allowed to return the stool are gifted by their parents when they come of age and teh idea of stools is central to everyday people, normal ones are made for socializing; shows their soon spoon, the concept that your energy is like an aura that touches the things you use a lot, so to keep your soon attached, soyou would tip over so that no one else would sit on it in the early 1700s, a man named osei tutu, an important king, was able to unify all the surrounding lands, he created the nation of the asanti people, the golden stool falls from the sky and land to the lao of osei tutu, said to made from heavens they were in charge of the gold trade; the gold were weighed with brass weights fashioned into elaborate figures; the two images show a group of figures gathered around a central umbrella, the umbrella i important because underneath it is the asantehene, an important chief, the king would also be wearing sandals, seen as an intermediary between the everyday lives of his people and the supernatural realm, harness the good powers of the supernatural to help his people, surround him are his swordbearers, umbrella is carried bu palanquin, swords are important with gold handles, next to it is his queen, the brass weights depicted figures relating to particular proverbs or stories about virtues asanti modes of communication is that you don't speak directly, but speak in proverbs, so each has messages within the language; the proverbs of the two double-headed crocodiles sharing one stomach means that your essence, connection, belly is connected to your family and that who nurtures you and if you leave that you will not go very far in life; the goat or ram with curved horns states that the you have thoughtful contemplation and if you must consider every action that you make function symbol of the ashanti nation in ghana, constraints the soul of the nation, never actually used as a stool, never allowed to touch the ground, it is placed on a stool of its own according to ashanti tradition, it was brought down from heaven by a lap of the ashanti king, osei tutu it became a repository of the spirit of the nation, symbol of the mystical bond of all ashanti people meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: bells represent divine spirit or kings, sunum is the soul of the people, gold symbolizes royalty, bells are divine spirit and warning of danger, sunsum is the spirit and aura, king always has sandal (earth) and umbrella (sky) for divinity themes: power, status, royalty, ritualistic, status related pieces: lanzon stone, feathered cape, tamaki waka nene, staff god

calendar stone

basic information 1779 - 1820 ce, aztec, mexico city, 358 - 98 cm, paint, basalt stone, mid relief content angry face resembles sun with open mouth and ear spools to symbolize elite (possibly of tonatiuh the aztec sun god), at the top of the stone is a date glyph (13 reed) which represents both the beginning of the present sun, the 5th and final one according to mythology, and the actual date 1427 ce, thereby legitimizing the rule of itzcoatl (who took power in that year) and creating a bond between the divine and mankind. at the centre of the stone is a representation of either the sun god tonatiuh (the day sun) or yohualtonatiuh (the night sun) or the primordial earth monster tlaltecuhtli, in the latter case representing the final destruction of the world when the 5th sun fell to earth. the tongue is perhaps also a sacrificial knife and, sticking out, it suggests a thirst for blood and sacrifice. around the central face at four points are the other four suns which successively replaced each other after the gods quetzalcoatl and tezcatlipoca struggled for control of the cosmos until the era of the 5th sun was reached. the suns are known by the day name on which their final destruction occurred. beginning from the top right there is the first sun nahui ocelotl (4 - jaguar), top left is the second sun nahui ehécatl (4 - wind), bottom left the third sun nahui quiáhuitl (4 - rain) and bottom right is the fourth sun nahui atl (4 - water). on either side of the central face are two jaguar heads or paws, each clutching a heart, representing the terrestrial realm. the band running immediately around the suns is segmented into the 20 aztec day-names (hence the calendar stone name). then there is a decorative ring surrounded by another ring depicting symbols which represent turquoise and jade, symbols of the equinoxes and solstices, and the colours of the heavens. the two heads at the bottom centre represent fire serpents, and their bodies run around the perimeter of the stone with each ending in a tail. the four cardinal and the inter-cardinal directions are also indicated with larger and lesser points respectively. 20 symbols → the days of the calendar form arrows point in cardinal directions to symbolize quadrants of the universe, circular radial symmetry, patterns and details, rough textures, balance context tenochtitlan was also divided into four quadrants, capital represents center of universe related to aztec myths of the five suns which is the creation all previous eras of the world including the current, or fifth era/ sun called four movement prophesied the 5th era will end in death by earthquakes, relating to the volcanic landscape modern day emblem of mexican culture, records the origins order and structure of the universe, tells story of cosmos, history of creation and time written in the nahuatl language, discovered in 1790 of the sun god, relates to myth of creation, show the destruction it was found flat on the ground and possibly anointed with blood sacrifices. when it was discovered, the stone was lying flat and upside down, perhaps in an attempt to prevent the final cataclysm - the fall of the 5th and final sun - as the aztec world fell apart following the attack from the old world two calenders where one is sacred and one is solar, every 52 years the cycle repeats and requires a new ceremony where they would break pots and hide pregnant ladies, time is not linear but circular function record origin of the cosmos/suns/eras, shows creation of various era, shows now world could end, sacrifice (tongue blade in the center) meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: fire serpents represent time→ carry sun across the sky, includes a symbol of montezuma ii→ dates to his reign, angry face represent sun, ear means elite, fire serpent means time, sacrifice in the center, cosmos and 4 worlds themes: creation, time, prophecies, eras, cardinal points (axis mundi) related pieces: stele of hammurabi, stonehenge, pergamon altar

female deity

basic information 18th to 19th century, nukuoro, caroline islands, micronesia, 40.2 cm, wood (from breadfruit tree were carved with local adzes with tridacna shell blades or western metal blades) content smooth surface, ovoid head tapering slightly at the chine and a columnar neck, no eyes and nose, shoulder slope downwards, chest has a simple line/rudimentary breasts, sketchy hands and feet, flatt back and flexed legs form disproportion, angled, convex, smooth, geometric, simplistic context nukuoro has been inhabited since eighth century, people left the samoan islands in two canoes led by chief wawe, first stopped at tuvalu and later arrived, brough idea of hierarchy and rank and aesthetic principles , and also incorporated micronesia but were still polynesian culturally and linguistically spanish juan bautista monteverde was first on sight, engaged in barter and exchange, then it was american protestant missionaries, pretty acquainted as their culture slowly whittled away; figures were recorded by many missionaries local deities reside in animals or were represented in stones, wood, or wooden figures (tino aitu), each figurines has the name of a specific deity which was associated with a particular group, priest, or temple; placed in temple and decorated with loom-woven bands, fine mats, feathers, paint, or headdress tino aitu occupied a central space in religious ceremony that took place toward the month of mataariki, when the pleiades are visible in the west at dusk during festivities the harvested fruits and food offerings were brought to the wooden sculptures, dances were performed, tattoos were made, replaced old statues; during the period of these rituals, they were considered at the resting place of a god or a deified ancestor's spirit european artists were inspired and liked the highly stylized representation of the human in the purest form of the origin of mankind function mark the beginning of the harvesting of two kinds of taro, breadfruit, arrowroot, banana, sugar cane, pandanus, coconuts used in rituals celebrating festivities and center of community meaning, theme, and related works best decoration, attire, harvest harvest, death, ancestors, worship ambum stone

veranda post

basic information 1910-1914 ce, yoruba people, nigeria, 152 x 31 x 40 cm, made by olowe of isa, one piece of timber, hand carved, hand painted content depicted king seated, senior wife behind, crowning him, large scale and pose underscore her importance, participating in the coronation and political advisor to king, small figures at feet of king represent a junior wife, trickster god esu playing the flute, and at one point a fan bearer, now missing, emblematic of olowe's style equestrian warrior is depicted frontally sitting regally on a diminutive horse, holds a spear and revolver, the women depicted in dominance as they symbol spiritual, political, and economic power and source of human life form open space, focal point is the king, there is a frontal view, angular jaw and shoulder, face is at the same angle, hierarchical scale, doesn't bear weight exaggerated proportions, interrelationship between figures, and open space between them, technical composition conveys close relationship between king and queen, tall vertical emphasis, elaborate use of negative space, creates openness in composition line of queen's jaw continues by bird's tail, diagonal line of breasts continues in king's jaw and is repeated in his arms, patterns of beads in queen's bracelet repeated in king's crown textured surface of black, white, and royal blue, suited for intense sunlight, compressed upper portion, dynamic below, female figure turning left and two smaller attendants radiate outward context influential style in yoruba culture for centuries, olowe considered by many the best yoruba carver ever, died in 1938, most important of the four veranda posts commissioned originally a structural support, paid by king, yoruba believed in hierarchy, gender equality, 15 million people in capital born in the nineteenth century in efon-alaiye, olowe moved southwest to ise, established art reputation for the king arinjale, subsequent commissions by other regional leaders also made him famous, talent is recalled in oriki, or praise poems, composed in honor, honored in the west function olowe of ise carved veranda posts for the rulers of the ekiti-yoruba kingdom in nigeria, one of four carved for the palace at ikere, nigeria watch over them and protect them meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: wife eyes shows the other realms and spirit that help the community, community is power, gap in the teeth is beauty, birds means mother, solid shows support, king is calm which shows leadership, guardianship; equestrian means military and validation themes: ritual, architecture, matrilineal, gender balance, multi-figure sculptures related pieces: helios, horses, and dionysos, king menkaure and his wife, sarcophagus of the spouses

running horned woman

basic information dated 6,000 to 4,000 bce, neolithic, in tassili n'ajjer, sefar, ajjer plateau, djanet, tassili, algeria; 8 feet tall, pigment on rock content damp rock surface, silhouette, slightly flexed leg just touching the ground while the other is raised, belt and the arms fell fine fringes, two hours horizontally, the dotted area above the head, scarification, armlets, and garter dance clothes, contoured "clouds" above horns and dots as rains? form balanced, earthly tones, twisted perspective, no ground/horizontal line, no optical views/perspective, movement context algeria has many stones, rock art, the ajjer plateau is above the plain of djanet in illizi province, southeast algeria, inhabited when it was wetter with a wider flora and fauna, from the niger and libyan border discovered by french legionnaire, lt. brenans, with archaeologist henri lhote in the 1930s, brenan sketched it first, then came lhote, then brought others and documented this discovery; didn't discover it first, as many travelers have noted rock sculptures in ghat, tadrart acacus, and upper tassili, and the tuareg, indigenous peoples of the region, knew about them; kel ajjer is the group whose traditional territory is here; many animals and human activity, different styles but figurative images of humans and animals with weapons or clothing, painted or engraved mistaken for classical antiquity or egyptian art because of the twisted perspective, because they think africans weren't advanced enough to make these kinds of art, often destroyed by treasure hunters or tourists found in the area that was hollowed out into small shelters used as dwellings function symbolic as hunter-gatherers wouldn't have worn horns or danced in daily life, her body was adorned and decorated in the highest massifs (hold special status and topology) → ritual, rite, or ceremony goddess of religious/worship functions style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course abstract style; meanings of isolated ritual and ceremony; religion and agricultural function; related to lascaux caves

mblo mask

basic information early 20th century, baule, côte d'ivoire, 36.2 cm, by owie kimou, wood and pigment content oval face, small and open mouth, downcast eyes, top has animal horns, pattern at temple, triangle heads, elongated face, column shaped nose, arched eyebrows quiet face, calm, introspectie and peaceful and meditative look face is black in color with triangular brown markings, traces of orange and red paint remains near lips, eyes, and nose, ears are rounded nubs on either side, ribbing goes down from ears and across the jawline and chin, there are curved markings around the hairline, crown like shape, curved triangle with circles in it, six pieces coming off of the top of the triangle form symmetry, geometric, abstract context masks are commissioned by a group of admirers, not by individual, an idealized representation of a real person, this one is of moya yanso, from the ivory coast moya yanso was a women known in kami for her beauty and incredible dancing ability, mask displays her at her prime baule people had 400,000 people, known for wood sculptures and ceremonial masks, most widespread ethnicity, religion is divided into three worlds of divine, earth, and spirit, by the ocean, the people lived in family units, is matriarchal, there is a stool represents the family lineage and ancestral spirits, a headman and a council of elders who represents the lineage handles the village's affairs it was carve din kami; the people recognized two types of entertainment, goli and mblo, the carver and subjects of the mask are both known, moya yanso danced with his mask until she was no longer physically able to, the portrait mask rituals came to an end in the 1980s and no longer came to represent the specific people function presented at mblo performances in which an individual is honored with ritual dances, tributes are performed in his or her honor, dancer who wears it also wears the clothes of the person in the performance and is accompanied by the actual person, the honoree receives a mask, an artistic double of the person, as a gift part of a masquerade called a gbagba in the village of kami, concealed until a climatic moment and watched by an audience, mask kept out of sight when not in use, not meant to be hung on a wall and appreciated simply for physical appearance, function and meaning can shift throughout time, has power to act with simply its presence and communicate with ancestors and spirits, meant to honor a respected member of baule society meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: high forehead and small mouth means intelligence and posture, tubular pieces are decorative, folds coneys age, brass would shine and represent health, slight representation of animals with horns represent abstract hair and represent moya yanso's inner beauty themes: history and memory, performance, power and authority, human body, portraiture, beauty, spirituality, commemoration

great pyramids of giza

basic information giza, egypt, old kingdom; limestone, gypsum plaster, capstone permanent group of skilled craftsmen and builders who were supplemented by seasonal crews of 2,000 conscripted peasants, divided into 200 men gang, with 20 men team, hall 3.5 tons from quarry to pyramid with lubricated surface of wet silt content general: each pyramid were a mortuary complex with a temple at base and stone causeway leading from the plateau to ta valley temple, smaller pyramids belong to queens and are satellites, mastabas were constructed in a grid like pattern for prominent court members pyramid of khufu: largest, have 2,300,000 blocks, constructed of inner core stones and angled outlet casing blocks of gypsum plaster, the outer casing stone would be white limestone, and the top of the pyramid has a pyramidion with a point to deflect sunlight; there are chambers inside, grand gallery, king's chamber (made of red granite from aswan), five stress-relieving chambers of granite with cantilevered blocks to distribute weight, king's sarcophagus is carved from red granite and sits at the central axis which is sealed with granite blocks and filled with limestone; boat pits for boats to transport the king to stellar destinations, long tradition, there are pits and disassembled boats made of cedar wood, used in funerary processions and as a ritual objects connected to the last earthly voyage of the king pyramid of khafre: has sections of outer casting, slightly smaller than the khufu pyramid, inside is slightly simpler, with a single burial chamber, one small subsidiary chamber, adn two passageways, mortuary temple at the pyramid base was more complex and field with statues of the king; the valley temple, located at the east end of the causeway is constructed of megalithic blocks with granite and white calcite pyramid of menkaure: smallest, chambers are more complex with decorative panels and six large niches, lined with granite blocks, balck stone sarcophagus is carved with niched panels control over the social society; built by peasants required by law and the slaves ra started out as a regional god, then came central, god of sun and creation; if humans did their job than the gods were retain order, and so when paraohs die and become gods, it was important that they are pleased; embrace amulets, magic, and divination, and certain animals had divine power; literate, hieroglyphs for sacred writing and demonic script for boring stuff; ridiculous drought and power struggle led to the intermediate period, followed by the middle kingdom form gird, exacting orientation with cardinal points, bilateral symmetry context sun's rays as a ramp the pharaoh mounts to climb the sky, connected to the sacred ben-ben stone, icon of the primeval mound that was the first place of initial creation, a place of regeneration for the deceased ruler the suburbs of giza has expanded right next to the pyramids, with a golf course and pizza hut nearby, pollution, weaste, illegal activities, and auto traffic threaten to damage this unesco world heritage site; illegal quarrying and the arab spring has impacted the area, but most heavily is the highway function regeneration, and ramp to climb up the sky meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: being buried next to pharaoh is a great honor, lines up with the summer solstice themes: religion, afterlife, ceremony, funerary related pieces: nan madol, persepolis, ziggurat

palette of king narmer

basic information hierakonpolis, egypt, 3000-2920 bce, 2'1" high; smooth greyish-green siltstone content serpent side (from top to bottom): narmer's name written in symbols, head of goddess bat/hathor of heaven and horizon, then, narmer with a sandal bearer behind him wearing the red crown of lower egypt, bull tail,m and lower egyptian kilt. priest is the next biggested with leopard skin and 4 divine standards, does decapitated and castrated, then, serpopards (mysterious animal - leopards with long, snaky necks, collared and controlled by attendants) with entwined necks define a recess for mixing makeup, then, the king as a bull, knocking down the wall of a city pose side: smiling canon pose, falcon with human arm as horus as a personification of lower egypt, sandal bearer, an impotent foe, narmer is wearing the white crown of upper egypt, bull tail, beard, and bat kilt, then third register has dead foes represented in walled cities form organized scenes in regular horizontal zones as registers, and hierarchical scale to indicate relative importance low relief carving, linear lines contrasting with the scenes, balance of order and chaos, canon, twisted perspective context discovered amongst sacred ritual buried with an early temple of the falcon god horus at hierakonpolis in the predynastic period king narmer palette were normally flat, minimally decorated stone objects used for grinding and mixing minerals for cosmetics, dark eyeliner under the eyes allowed for reduced glare; typical in grave goods; more complex ones were carved with relief sculptures discovered in 1898 by james quibell and frederick green; great deal of focus on ritual and votive objects in temple, elites donated to show piety and increase their connection to the feity, old items would be buried under the temple floor as new ones are added; this was found amongst large relief-covered ceremonial mace-heads, ivory statuettes, carved knife handles, figurines of scorpions and other animals, stone vessels, and second palette discovered in a controlled excavation, and remain conventional in egyptian two-dimensional art; regalia of crowns, kilts, beard, and bull tail continue to be utilized to the roman era ancient civilization lasted from 3000 bce and 323 ce, it lasts a long time; nile shaped world view of egyptians, navigable, benign, regular → precise flooding led nutrient field for planting, toss seed, let livestock press them in; egyptian communities only existed along the nile, traded timber, gold, and other valuable resources; nile is easily tamed, super child, use simple basin irrigation → big food surplus, allow time and energy, great optimism (versus sumerian gloomy dark place of afterlife) of the continuation of this life old kingdom lasted from 2649 to 2152, middle 2040 - 1640, new kingdom 1550 - 1070 bce old kingdom is the glory age, divine kingship, great pyramids, sun god ra; kings were gods, to they had to act like them, like nile-like, calm, cool function ritual object dedicated to a god used in temple ceremonies to grind or mix makeup to be ritually applied to the image of the god, early incarnation of the ritual that included elaborate daily ceremonies involving the anointing and dressing of divine images meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: historical narrative record of the initial unification of egypt by narmer, ceremonial, concept of unification in general; or the sun and the king because of the balance of order and chaos (ma'at and isfet) to cosmos, and the journey of the sun god, with the lower egyptian red crown references the journey of the sun god in his boar and the red crown is connected to bloody battles just before dawn on daily journey, while the upper egypt white crown represents the brilliance of the midday sun and the nocturnal light of the stars and moon → ceremonially expressing his dominance over unified egypt, solar cycle, and king's role themes: funerary, ritualistic, ceremonial, authority, unification related pieces: lascaux caves, standard of ur, ambum stone

power figure

basic information late 19th century, kongo people, the demoncratic republic of the congo, 3-5 ft, wood, metal, pegs, nails, sticks, glass, resin, and ceramic content alert pose, rigid frontality, arms akimbo in an aggressive manner, wers a headdress worn by chiefs or priests, nails are pounded into the figure elongated face, open mouth, wide eyes, exaggerated expression, larger head, muscular legs, pegs, nails, blade, whole in the stomach with mirrors and medicine wood, elongated belly button with cowrie shell, imposing stance, contains medicinal combinations coerced by glass form imposing figure, patterned head, repetition of eyebrows, balanced and symmetrical, focal point is the hole context the type of insertion driven into the statue would indicate the type of dispute/problem, whether it was dispute or not, serves as a nkisi which acts as a container of sacred substances activated by supernatural forces that summon spirits into the natural world figures of spiritual importance and protection are very significant to the kongo people, confiscated and destroyed by missionaries of the late 19th century when found because they were evidence of sorcery and heathenism carved by a spiritual specialists called the nganga, who activates the figures by driving nails, blades, and other metal objects into its wooden surface to make it "angry" and "rouse it into action," would be activated by a shaman by the storage of medicinal combinations (bilongo) in the head in order to create a link between the spiritual and physical world, different items would be added to the combinations to call the spirits to do specific things spirits are embedded in the images, spirits can be called upon to bless or harm others, cause death or give life, medical properties are a person's soul, figure has a role as a witness and enforcer of community affairs, caution people of the consequence of actions contrary to community norms function serves as a power figure carved in the likeness of a human, transportable strong sculptural tradition among these people, used power figures as reminders of social obligations and enforcers of proper behavior, brought healing and protection to the community, symbolize an honoring of contracts and agreements, serves as a mediator between ancestral spirit world and the living world meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: figure shows strength and importance and its function in human affairs, belly button shows fertility and wealth (shells used as currency), glass shows otherworld and potential enemy, insert symbols of future, honoring contract and agreements, seed shows growth, claw shows grasp, stone is protection, peg is disputes and nail is large disputes, eyes and stance ensures that no other forces would interfere with the fulfillment of it spiritual function or else spirit would seek vengeance on the wrongdoer, reflective symbolizes contact with the supernatural themes: power/authority, ritual objects, private/public affairs, wood sculptures related pieces: transformation mask, stele of hammurabi, lamassu

transformation mask

basic information late 19th century, kwakwaka'wakw, northeast canada, 37 x 57 x 49 cm, hide, pigment, leather, metal plate content wood frame, netting hold the head, when pulled, the face and beak split open, bottom open downwards into a wing, reveals the face of an ancestor ancestral entities, supernatural forces guide the dancers temperature, red, blue, green, and black, hoodlike beak and flat nostrils when opened it reveals a thunderbird turning into a human face (ancestral) flanked by two lightning snakes called sisiutl, with another bird below it and a small figure in the black above it form formline design: red, blue, green, black, open and clos bilaterally with symmetry, undulating and calligraphic line, oval/s/u shaped based on the pupils of the eye on the exterior exaggeration and distribution led to undercut curvilinear led to shadows and abstract art context the people are indigneous, diverse, common myth of deceased ancestors roaming around the world, transforming in the process arrange themselves into 4 clans, killer whale, eagle, wolf, and raven), divided into four numayn, responsible for safe-guarding crest symbols and for conveying special rights to natural recourses, names, and dances related to individual clans and ancestors each rank entails specific rights, including ceremonial privileges like the right to wear a thunderbird transformation mask; ancestral entities and supernatural forces temporarily embody dancers wearing these masks and other ceremonial regalia live on the western coast of british columbia, canada, the mythology and cosmology of the different nations is diverse but many groups relate that deceased ancestors roamed the world transforming themselves in the process that entail removing their animal skins or masks to reveal their human selves within masks are specific to one family, show the position and dignity of a family through wealth and marriage, healing and amle winter rituals myths have trickster supernaturals (a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, anthropomorphic animal) who exhibits great intellect or secret knowledge and use it to play tricks to disobey normal rulers; the thunderbird was the mythical ancestor of the tribe, cause thunder when he beats his wings, and lightning comes from his eyes, lives in the celestial realm, can remove his bird skin to assume human form masks take months, sometime years, to create, because they are made of wood and other organic materials that quickly decay, most date back to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries tools were changed from the traditional natural pigments to new world metal tools and synthetic colors function the dance, potlatch, stand before large fire wearing heavy eagle mask and long cedar bark costume, that plus the fire and feather in front of people, the string is pulled and the transformation is done potlatch is a ceremony where the host gave away gifts to display importance and status social position and genealogy meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: thunderbird and red cedar themes: family, ceremonial, ancestor, transformation, animal and human hybrid related pieces: sphinx, running horned woman

head of a roman politician

basic information palazzo, torlonia, rome; marble, clay content face of aristocrat, powerful old face, no dynamism or emotion form texturized, smooth, 3d, rigid, tension context verism is hyperrealistic art, no feature is exaggerated, influenced by family, old means powerful function show power and success meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: seriousness of virtue career themes: age and wisdom related pieces: seated boxer

palace of darius

basic information persepolis, shiraz, iran; limestone and mud bricks; 125,000 square meters content a raised platform of residential quarters, treasury, ceremonial palaces, and fortifications apadana is 1000 square meters and 24 meters high, 72 columns originally, 14 today, they are either bulls, eagles or lions; monumental stairways of subject nations bearing gifts to the king, as apart of the annual tribute procession on persian new years, of central scene of the enthroned king; there are also noblemen wearing elite outfits and military apparels, representatives were dressed in their native costumes form hypostyle apadana hall (roof is supported by columns), stairways have registers of relief sculptures, king is the focal point context the achaemenid persian empire had expanded its empire for most of the middle east and northern africa, with strong, centralized bureaucracy and regional governors; the independent tribes were subjects; had lots of monumental art and architecture, employed them to craft messages on the power of their claims and rules; founded in the marvdasht plain and built by darius the great for a place of ceremony and citadel, like cyrus the great with the city of pasargadae, would follow through with xerxes and artaxerxes i, eventually burned under alexander the great persepolis is the ceremonial capital of the empire, an important city, excavated by german ernst herzfeld, friedrich krefter, and erich schmidt around the 1930s they traded all over the world because they have venicean glass, afghan camel and gold, and hindu kush ivory herodus wrote the persian wars, which gave accounts about the persian empire founded by king cyrus the great, took his nomadic warriors and conquered most of mesopotamia, included the babylons, led to the babylonian exile; tooke power to anatolia (greece), indus, and egypt; ruled with a light touch, conquered kingdom only had to pay tribute (weren't too high), had good roads (pony express), embrace freedom of religion, slavery was almost unheard of because they believed in zoroastrianism function darius wanted to build this for an important stronghold, sacred connection to the god mithra, link to nowruz, persian new year, the administrative and economic center of the persian empire apadana received guests and tribute, the relief sculptures reinforce the power of the king and the breadth of his dominion, cement political dominance, exert influence beyond persian sphere like the athenian parthenon strong statement of the persian authority and the unified idea of the achaemenid empire meaning, themes, and related pieces capital of a column from the audience hall of the palace of darius i, susa: top of column and capital in the form of two bulls heads, of the achaemenid empire over the middle east; there is a scale of the royal architecture and power at the persepolis, one of 36 in the audience hall (apadana) of the major palace, it is found in the hypostyle column halls where the king would receive visitors, built from precious materials all over the empire; it goes from bulls, capital, shaft, additional capital, then column; connected form, the notch supported the beam, supported a large ceiling, seem to be kneeling but still above you, great mass on a slender column, carved from stones, so it is very dense; comprised of two different colors because it is a composite restoration, the craftsmanship is still evident, there is a pattern with the curls, delicate ears, horns, and eyes; very expressive and frightening meaning: bulls, eagles, and lion represent royal authority and kingship themes: power, authority, intercultural related pieces: nan madol, palace of versailles, forbidden palace

seated scribe

basic information saqqara, egypt, 2450 - 2350, painted limestone, wood, crystal (iris), organic material as iris content relaxed, roll of fat, but also formality because frontal, symmetry, papyrus and stylus, momentary, carefully carved, pronounced high cheekbones, wearing kilt, rich red brown skin, black eyes and hair form awareness and intelligence, not idealized, symmetry (except hand), frontal view, complementary colors, neutral for paper, brittle texture context found in necropolis, saqqara of old kingdom, the base was cut, would've included his name and titles hieroglyph for scribe is pictographic; scribes were highly regarded, few literate person, don't know how much of a portrait this is ka = spirit, ba = body: when you die, your soul leaves for 3 days then it comes back & needs a statue, in a mastaba function funerary statue for a tomb meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: show importance, peace, tranquility, scribe has soft and feet, wear white, has a good life themes: funerary, hierarchy, literacy, natural/realistic versus idealism related pieces: anthropomorphic stele and great buddha

standard of ur

basic information ur, iraq, 2600-2400 bce, made of shell, red limestone, lapis lazuli, and bitumen with wood inlaid; 21.59 x 49.5 x 12 cm content the small box with shells, the lapis lazuli is from afghanistan, red limestone is from india, and the shell is from the persian coast peace side: bottom register has heavy bag carrier, animals; second has sheep, ram, sacrificial or tax-related; and the tope is the larger scale king that has a festivity and religious ceremony, with entertainers war side: the bottom has 4 donkey chariots, weapons, enemies that are being trampled over; the second has soldiers, warfare, captives, and animals; and the top has the king on a larger scale, prison of wars, spoils, and officials form naturalism, discipline and order, direction, perfect profile, eye looking out, movement and pattern, colorful context mesopotamian city of ur, originally the capital of ancient sumeria, the patron god was nanna, and the city was named after the moon goddess; standards are like flags; the city was a trading post as the materials came from all over the world it was found in elaborate tombs called the royal graces, they were a cemetery for the riches, were robbed but some survived, for priests or royals; it had shrines and religious artifacts, lyres, graves, and other riches the piece was found by the british museum and the university of pennsylvania, it was originally crushed and had to be pieced together function standard on a pole carried into battle soundbox musical box currency holder to show the collection of wealth and it was buried with the wealthy meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: fallen enemies, war, peace, hierarchy, trade, and tax themes: burial, narrative, prosperity, war, order related pieces: lascaux caves, barkcloth

ludovisi battle sarcophagus

emotional

colosseum

rome

parthenon

rome

basilica ulpia

trajan

column of trajan

trajan

forum of trajan

trajan

market of trajan

trajan

alexander mosaic

basic information (battle of issus) pompeii, rome; 1.5 million stones and glasses, on the floor, tessera content darius ordering turning around, fallen soldiers, alexander head toward darius, darius motion is surprised and pleading; turn of head and body for anatomy, detailed like soldier's reflection empty space, momentum dramatic and chaotic scenes as massive chariot is turning around form dynamism , tension, tore, empty space at the top, moment in time, mosaic, naturalism, light and dark, anatomy, foreshortening of the horses's legs, line of focus to alexander, balance of empty space with the important battle, shading, perspective context persian darius wants to order the retreat from greece, alexander is pushing, tension and torsion alexander would go on to unite greece, persia, egypt, and mesopotamia ancient greek painting by philoxenos but it did not survive so this is a roman copy, romans had a greek mania confrontation of two civilizations, preserved in pompeii, found in mansion, house of the faun alexander of macedon, died at 32, son of philipe ii of macedonia, expanded empire with unprecedented speed, never lost a battle; father conquered greece, he conquered the persian empire, which included egypt and indus valley; great general with good spears and the phalanx; alexander wasn't good at empire building, wasn't good at building up institutions, after his death they were broken into the hellenistic kingdoms, ruled by alexander's generals, antigonids in greece, seleucids in persia, and ptolemies in egypt; after he died, everyone regarded him as an important military people, introduced the persian idea of absolute monarchy, built many cities (alexandria of egypt was an important trading part), gave region important language of greek (conversation - the new testament was written in greek) → closely connected world of trade and communication; embellished tales, tutored by aristotle, tales of alexander's heroic stories and conquests napoleon invaded egypt because he wanted to do what alexander had done; pompey the great tried to copy alexander's hairstyle function demonstrate battle of issus, piece of art, people admired and cared for art god likeness from a strong historical figure who wanted to conquer the world, with strength and genius meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: turning point in history, greek culture themes: narrative, war, authority, power, decoration related pieces: standard of ur, niobide vase, the book of the dead

great serpent mound

basic information 1070, adena/ford culture, ohio, 1300 x 22.5 ft, earth, stones content crescent shaped, head in the east and tail in the west, head is enlarged with wide eyes, hollow egg look, and frog shaped leg, lizard like arms, head marks summer solstice sunset and tail marks winter sunrise constellation draco, pole star matches the first curves from the head form curvilinear, asymmetrical, art + nature, cardinal points, zoomorphic, and natural/abstract context made by different indigneous american cultures over the years, who cultivated maize, beans, squash with stratified society with labor force indigenous americans often create snake shapes out of copper sheets, high plateau overlooking ohio bush creek head aligns with summer solstice sunset and tail aligns with winter solstice sunrise thought to be made based on haley's comet in 1066 fort ancient culture (1000-1650 bce), capital in cahokia, before adena (1100-200 ce) and hopewell (100-550 ce), but no artifacts or burials function mark time, seasons, lunar phases, plant harvest, equinoxes mark true north and compass, worship to snake deity, platform for totems and architectural structures meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: snake and lizard represent supernatural powers in spiritual practices, egg and eyes show sun/swallowing sun/solar ellipse, serpent means all celestial knowledge, time, 7 curves themes: worship, astrology, animals related pieces: lascaux caves, parthenon (acropolis), stonehenge

temple mayor

basic information 1375 - 1520 bce, aztec culture, tenochichtitlan, valley of mexico, 90 ft high and 180 m across, stucco, volcanic stone, they reclaimed and rebuilt the layers content 2 staircases to access the twin temple, 7 successive temple, dirt filled in the huizilopochtli temple has a sacrificial stone, decorated with standard bearers, held paper banners/figures, 2 undulating serpents flank bottom stairs, monoliths, painted red, stairs had sculptures of snake heads with feathers the tlaloc temple have male chacmool sculptures receiving offering, stone frogs (altar of the frogs), ball court, skull rack, elite school form superimposition excavated the structure of seven shells, shows earlier walls were nested in newer walls, no bent axis symmetrical, geometric, balance, focal point context discovery of the coyolxauhqui stone led to the discovery of the temple, the city of tenochtitlan was established in 1325 in lake texcoco, the temple expanded from 1325 to 1519 with other rulers, it was the center of the city and empire, center of 4 city quadrants, reflects mexica cosmos of 4 axis mundi (navels of the universe) which leads to the underworld and heaven, it was a faraway place of cultural traditions it was destroyed in 1521 during the age of discovery and cortes used the neighboring tribes as the aztecs were disliked because of their violence despite being a trade center ritual of panquetzali (banner raising) which celebrates the victory of 400 siblings of coyoxauhqui, pows were killed and rolled down the temple to enact that myth, which shows authority offering influenced water related coral, shell, crocodiles, and for tlaloc the sacrifices of skulls, kives function dedicated to tlaloc and huizilopochi, symboliced of replanted coatepec (snake mountain) of huizilopochi symbolic representation of the mountain of substance (tonacatepetl) produced rian and allowed crops to grow for tlaloc commemorate victory over siblings who plotted to kill their mother coatlicue shows power and fate of the enemy meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: red symbolize dry season during the winter solstice and war and blood, tlaloc symbolized mountain of sustenance, both represent atl-tlachinolli, burnt water, war; ritual, frog, chacmool, mountain of sustenance means rain, pyramid means tula where the sister coyolxauhqui was killed themes: religion, power, authority, war, and sacrifice related pieces: parthenon, column of trajan, temple of athena-nike, ziggurat

coyolxauhqui stone

basic information 1469, aztec, mexica temple mayor, 10.1 ft in diameter, stone, high and low relief, painted content naked woman, dismembered joints, cuts around it, highly decorated, earrings, feathered headdress, sandals skull on belt, snake belt,; enthauptung, ripped flesh and bone form radial symmetry that is slightly off, composite view, movement, overlapping imagery and tension context coyolxauhqui and her many brothers plotted the death of her mother, coatlicue, who became pregnant after tucking a ball of feathers down her bosom, when coyolxauhqui chopped off coatlicue;s head, a child, huizilopochtli popped out of the severed body fully grown and dismembered coyolxauhqui, who fell dead at the base of the shrine stone represents the dismembered moon goddess, coyolxauhqui who is placed at the base of the twin pyramids of tenochtitlan used to transform temple into a symbolic coatepec (snake mountain) by placing it at bottom of structure to reenact their myths o honor huizilopochtli during the monthly festival of panquetzaliztli, war captives were killed and rolled down the structure so that they landed on the monolith to reenact and symbolize the defeat of coyolxauhqui who fell off the snake mountain, honor/mirror the death function a sacrificial temple, transform temple into mountain to reenact while earring tamales, political messages, rital was to assert power and authority over enemies of mexica and make them fear mexica meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: sacrificial stone, huitzilopochtli was the patron deity of aztec, shows violence, snake mountain and the temple themes: death, chaos, defeat, sacrifice, community, ritual, war related pieces: column of trajan, palette of king narmer, and pergamon altar

olmec style mask

basic information 1470 bce, olmec culture in temple mayor, 10.2 x 8.6 x 3.1 cm, jadeite, made from hornblend drill and repeated scratching, flint blade, polished content toothless, down-turned mouth, infant like face, perforated ears, long piercing, epithelial fold, low brow ridge, almond eyes, cleft eyebrows, holes on the forehead and mouths form stylized, symmetry/balanced, accentuated figures circular, curvilinear, and linear lines; anthropomorphic and exaggerated figures, naturalistic context come from teotihuacan, city northeast of modern-day mexico known for its huge monuments and dating roughly from 1st century until 7th century, famous for its pyramid and fifth era of the sun, meaning the city of gods, large trade networks made 1000 years prior to mexico, burial suggests its precious and historical significance, buried by aztecs as offering the olmecs are the earliest central american civilization and laid foundation and complex astrological calenders originated with olmecs, its decline might be due to overpopulation in tropical river valley, volcanic eruption, or shift in river, in the gulf coast of mexico function worn around neck, as a pendant provide new identity as an ancestor and deity, with rulers and performers and represented as belts, pectorals, headdress, or on textiles meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: depicts half human, cleft means maize god which was important, holes means placement and aesthetics, greenstone (chalchihuitl) was valued as ajde from the motagua valley thought to have water retentive and empitting vapors that facilitate plant growth which relates to fertility, abundance, and life giving themes: power, fertility, agriculture, religion, worship related pieces: female deity, running horned woman, mblo, jade cong

wall plaque

basic information 16th century, edo people, benin and nigeria, 19 x 16 x 4 inches; coral, lost wax casting, copper content regalia has a crown made of coral, tunic made of coral, skirt, ankle, arm beads mudfish and leopold motif; heavily decorated, different sizes, multiple layers of coral necklace 7 figures in total, shielding him from the sun, the king is riding on the throne form frontal, symmetrical, narrow, and wide working together, relief and carving, hierarchic scale, high and low relief, movement of light and dark, different textures, different horizon lines context found in 900, controlled ne with 2 million people, oba is the king, visitors note the polished and bright look, oiled them when they arrived in europe so its darker, show king controlling wealth palace has an audience hall, surrounded by pillars in them, near the open ceiling copper was used as currency, traded with portugal for pepper, cloth, stone, brass, armbands; the placement of these plaques tells a story starting from oranmiyan, dad of the first oba commissioned by esigie and ornogbua, esigie reigned in 1517, repaired relationship between people and places to repair the reign, king traveled with a large cohort, the rosette was influenced by cross function show king controlling wealth, dazzle, imagine the court meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: leopold, coral is from the god of wealth olokun, tunic, mudfin shows the survivorship in full/two world, river leaf is coral, copper means wealth themes: power, wealth, narrative related pieces: lamassu, palette of narmer

ndop

basic information 1760 - 1780, kuba peoples, the democratic republic of the congo, 19.5 x 7 x 8 inches; adze, knife, blade, burnisher, hardwood, and palm oil content defined head, shoulder, stomach, collarbone geometric motif and emblem (ibol) of the drum; belts, armbands, bracelets, shoulder ornament, shoddy headdress left hand holding a ceremonial knife, right hand on the knee form expression of face, body position, regal representation, 1 to 3 proportion of the face context kuba people were celebrated for generosity and loyal subjects, with praised song, first recorded by 1909 by colonial minster to the brooklyn museum, no written record and changes with the only spirit lives in the congo in the south between kusai and sankuru river, loose confederation of the kingdom under the leader, nyim kuba artists were woodcarvers, blacksmiths, and weavers, through apprenticeships and first they would copy the teacher style and then later develop their own ndop is a statue or figurative wood sculpture that portray important leaders, ibol is chosen by the king, signals his identity and reign function record reign with posterity and society his accomplishments freeze movement in time meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: the head is intelligence, details of objects shows prerogative and prestige of nyim themes: power, authority, reign related pieces: status and mortuary temple of hatshepsut, augustus of primaporta

hiapo

basic information 1850 to 1900, togan niueans, polynesia, tapa or bark cloth, freehand painting; harvest the inner bark of the paper mulberry, pound flat with a wooden beater or ike of wood content tan cloth fabric, circles with triangles, floral patterns, cerated edges spirals, concentric circles, squares, triangles, and minishing motifs, anthropomorphic, writing/names form fine lines, new motifs, geometric designs, spirals, concentric circles, squares, triangles, and minishing motifs, anthropomorphic, writing/names context polynesian culture started with lapita people, distinguished by long-distanced navigation skill and two-way voyages, social structure by aristocrats and primogeniture, top with the divinely sanctioned chiefs, nobility, and priest, then warriors and commoners, speak austronesian language; value lineage, important of genealogical, recollection of accomplishments; firm believe in mana, supernatural power associated with high rank, divinity, maintenance of social order and social reproduction, water, and fertility, rules and taboos were necessary to regulate it in ritual and society, concentrate certain parts of the body and could accumulare in objects like hair, bones, rock, teeth and textiles gender roles were very important, men's arts were hard materials like wood, stone, bone and associated with sacred realm of rites and ritual; women's arts were soft materials, fibers for mats and bark cloth, ephemeral materials such as flowers and leaves, especially tapa cloth with decorations, dyes, and designs hawaii uses felting technique and designs were pounded in with a carved beater like bamboo where stencils of banana leaves, samoan designs uses stained or rubbed on with wooden or fiber design tablets, fiji smoke its decorations niue is an island country south of samoa, first contact with captain cook, until london missionary society, introduced bark from samoa, ponchos were based on style previous to samoa and tahiti but they would've have traditional bark cloth art that evolved to the hiapo style function clothing, bedding, wall hangings, ceremonies where it is displayed in super occasions like birthday and weddings, used to wrap images of deities, integral part of funeral and burial rites pattern of cultural exchange, presented as offerings in exchange for work, food, or to mark special occasions, like publicly displayed and ceremoniously exchanged to mark special occasions meaning, theme, and related works meaning: gender roles theme: gender roles, power related pieces: staff god, presentation

tamati waka nene

basic information 1890, new zealand, 101.9 x 84.2 cm, oil on canvas content nene wears a kahu kiwi (find cloak covered in kiwi feathers), an earring of greenstone or pounamu (prestigenous taonga/treasures), holding hand weapon, tewhatewha, with feathers adorning the blade and a hand grip with an abalone/paua eye, with intricate facial tattoo form portrait, chiaroscuro, individual portrait, negative space, texture, balance of color context chief leader with tattoos, mana, power, status treated with great respect, after a person has died their portrait may be hung on walls of family homes and in the wharenui (central building of a community center), to be spoken to, swept over, and cherished by people with genealogical connections maori are indigenous to new zealand, tamaki waka nene was a rangatira chief of the ngati hao people in hokianga, of the ngapuhi iwi, and an important war leader, born in the 1780s and died in the 1871, adapted to the changes and was revered throughout his life as a man with great mana or personal efficacy gottfried lindauer was a czech artists who painted professionally in europe, used renaissance naturalism, arrived in new zealand and connected with patron partridge who commissioned the portrait of well known maori leaders in maori or european clothes, wanted to show the disappearing culture; many maori had their portraits taken photographically and produced as a carte de visite, roughly playing card or they could be bigger took a picture of tamati waka and painted him in maroi clothing function preserve culture, embodiment of him meaning, theme, and related works meaning: jewelry mark him as man of mana or personal efficacy and status themes: power and authority related pieces: running horned woman

lukasa memory board

basic information 19th - 20th century, luba people, of democratic republic of congo, 10 x 5.75 x 1.75 inches; wood, beads, metal, and incised content a wooden plank with beads scattered, curved long plank, patterns, and variety, zoomorphic, big beads surrounding little beads, small and narrow in the center form dynamic, repetition, textures context oral narratives that enforce kingship, interpret and judge situations; used in storytelling in recounting past through dance and songs, masters will have the knowledge to read this as a mnemonic device with the touch to solve history and current problems influence in sixteenth to twentieth century, art highlight role in granting the holder the authority of kingship and royal power; they are one of the bantu ethnic people, in the upemba depression in the south, access to a wealth of natural resources like gold, ivory, copper, trade, pottery, and wooden sculpture kingship is sacred, elite mbudye society use the lukasa to recount history in spiritual rituals and also diviners touched with right forefinger to feel the formation, people might deliver the story in different ways to deliver the story function used in storytelling in recounting past through dance and songs, masters will have the knowledge to read this as a mnemonic device with the touch to solve history and current problems serve as a memory aid that describes the myths surrounding the origins of the luba empire including the recitation of the names of the royal luba line meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: beads show royal line, myths, and origins, diviners predict future, counsel, unity themes: divine, ritual, spiritual, memory, oral tradition related pieces: navigational chart

aka elephant mask

basic information 19th to 20th century, bamileke, cameroon, 1467 x 52.1 x 29.2 cm; beads, wood, cloth, fiber, raffa content isosceles triangle, beads firn venice and the middle east, hooded face, red and white round eyes, cowrie shell, two long panels elephant ears and leopold print form energy, dynamism, variety of colors, shapes, materials, balance, and symmetry, anthropomorphic, stylized context worn by kousi elephant society, masquerade of performers, dancers, performers, and red featured dress and scroll with leopold print fond is the divine king that is represented in the fon worn by court officials, titleholders, warriors for political hierarchy lives in central africa, with the rituals still surviving to this day function honor king and bring social harmony, in masquerade dance meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: leopold and elephant shows the king and leopold is the human, black shows the relationship between living and dead, white creates ancestors and medicine, red is life and woman, stability themes: authority and power, ceremonial and ritual related pieces: buk mask and feathered cape

female (pwo) mask

basic information 19th to 20th century, chokwe, democratic republic of congo, 8 x 11 x 13 inches; wood, fiber, red earth, oil, kalyan, raffa content hairstyle, eye, mouth closed because she doesn't need to talk to get respect narrow chin, eyes, ears are broad, circles, earrings, scarification, repair, slender nose, hemispherical ears, elliptical mouth form symmetrical, circles bisected by linear lines, repetition of geometric shapes, different textures context danced by male dancers, made this to honor woman (young, fertile moms), matrilineal culture, the whole costume is tight fitted and covered in mafia cloth, wooden breast dancers walked in a graceful and dignified way, not to impersonate but honor the beauty and courage of the woman portuguese europeans traded with them; part of a larger kingdom and traded with other cultures function celebrate and honor a woman and matrilineal lineage ideal woman and virtue meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: white shows the spiritual realm, the second sight from birth, pwo is the founding mother and deity who represents fertility themes: femininity, spirituality, beauty, idealization related pieces: doryphoras, staff god, female deity

reliquary figure

basic information 19th to 20th century, fang, cameroon, 58.4 cm; wood and iron content elongated torso, large rounded head, down eyes, closed mouths, clasped hands, circular eyes, round limbs, diagonal cheeks, musculature, enlarged top head, tubular limns, herniated belly button, spiny black, oiled clarity, dark tail hair form balanced (calm with real power), energetic, stylized, abstraction, conceptual (the idea of guardian), tension with honor and respect while also warning others context reliquary is a container for relics that house talisman, objects with supernatural properties that protect them from evils or brings good luck for the high status of a noble person, achievers, warriors, heritage, fertile women, talented craftsman fang didnt bury them because they're nomadic, maintained by elders both men and women, nomadic and semi-nomadic, popular hairstyle, no central government function to ward off those that want to harm the box, warning to uninitiated, guard sacred objects, bones, beads, and medicine puppets in young man initiation experience the energy of ancestors meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: belly button shows fertility, duck tail shows african high class themes: spiritual worship, ritual, funerary, fertility related pieces: stele of hegeso, sphinx, female deity

ikenga shrine figure

basic information 19th to 20th century, igbo, nigeria, 48.6 x 10.8 x 11.7 cm, wood content carved wooden figure and animal figures, two straight horns, decorative patterns, scarification, tall over wide, intricate designs, 2 very short legs, holding swords sometimes or holding something symbolic in left hands form masculine, geometric shape, intricate design; anthropomorphic and zoomorphic; variety and repetition of signs and patterns the contrast of crowdedness and emptiness, symmetry and balance context not what it looks like but symbolism, made to signify achievement; the center of the shrine in the owner home, hold items to help the owner get things down on the right hand to suggest one rank lives remote inland, didnt have central government and classes or chiefs so they focus on individual achievement symbolic and male function symbolic representation of status and skill, celebrate owners achievement, source of strength, power, and sacred diploma meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: head represent aggression, power of the right-hand means success in action, scar shows power and rank, honor themes: power, authority, and individualism related pieces: lamassu, sphinx, wall frescos of pompeii, house of vetti, running horned woman

bundu mask

basic information 19th to 20th century, mende people of sierra leone and liberia, about 93 x 80 x 40 cm; wood, cloth, fiber, coated in palm oil and made by men content deep black sheen, chack white versus shiny black, closed eyes, petite ears, small features, serious face, glossy forehead, hairstyle, scarification, chrysalis neck, body fat, palm oil form geometric design, the mixture of patterns, stylized, idealized, different materials, smooth surface versus rough surface, symmetrical context pan west with several different ethnic groups, worn on top of the head, only masquerade tradition worn by women, help young girls go through the initiation girls are taken to a secluded spot, instruct by secret sande society to learn how to be good wives, anointed with red clay, not girls but not women, chrysalis, during initiation they get good food and relaxation, there is a dance that teaches spiritual beliefs, practical knowledge after they will go on and marry and have children the main harvest is rice and cocoa, there is no spiritual prescence when not in use the war in sierra leone makes it hard to determine if it's still in use function ritual to initiate young girls, teach young girls through dance how to act, like spirits meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: imagine of inner equality and morality, ideal for young girls, eyes mean observed, smallmouth means not gossip, small ears mean not to listen to gossip, fat means fertility and mud, the spirit of rivers and lakes, beauty, rings of the goddess of the water is shown on land, the nose shows a smile themes: ceremony, ritual, femininity, fertility, spirit, idealism related pieces: buk mask, female deity, staff god, presentation of the fiji mask

chavín nose ornament

basic information 500 - 200 bce, chavín de huántar, north highlands, peru, 2.3 x 5.3 cm, hammering and cutting the gold content pinches or passes through the septum, two serpents flank right and left, upward looking eyes, swirls as eyes, circles in the middle form contour rivalry (2 images share outlines), repetition of circles, symmetry, curvilinear lines, movement context worn by males and females under the nose worn by elites and eventually buried with him function jewelry, transform the wearer into supernatural beings shows wealth, power, and allegiance to chavín meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: serpent shows god, religious, and lanzon stone themes: religion, status, funerary related pieces: swimming reindeer, camelid sacrum, elephant mask, lanxon stone, serpent mound

lanzón slab

basic information 900 - 200 bce, chavín, gallery, temple, chavín de huántar, 15 ft tall carved stone, low relief, granite content standing figure, eye looking up, teeth, fang, left hand down and right hand up with long finger nails, carved relief the lanzon depicts an anthropomorphic figure with a snarl, claws, and teeth akin to a jaguar. the being's hair flows in all directions, ending with the heads of snakes. the eyes are stylized, commonly referred to as pendant eyes form zoomorphic and anthropomorphic, compact, rough, geometric and stylized; bilateral symmetry contour rivalry, two images sharing lines of the head context the lanzón is housed in the central cruciform chamber of a labyrinthine series of underground passages in the old temple of the ceremonial and religious center of chavín de huántar, devotees would be led into the maze of pitch-black tunnels, eventually coming face to face with the sculpture. the worshipers' disorientation, in addition to the hallucinogenic effects of the san pedro cactus they were given before entering, only heightened the visual and psychological impact of the sculpture the imagery of the lanzon is a complex series of line work which winds around each of the three sides of its floor to ceiling triangular form.[8] due to the imagery being divided, one would have to circumambulate the fixture in order to fully observe its design the carving is almost perfectly symmetrical except for one hand being raised with the other lowered. additionally, there is special attention paid to the eyes, nose, lips, and teeth- deeper set carvings for these features make them project, due to the higher relief, it adds a greater feeling of ferocity lanzón housed a celestial being, the people of chavín even brought it offerings of food and ceramics; furthermore, the central image of the lanzon functions as axis mundi, or pivot linking the heavens, earth and underworld. the raised and lowered arms, one linked to the celestial and the other linked to the terrestrial; the opposite arms are also reflective of the reverence to duality; opposites seen in daily life such as night/day, life/death, male/female were considered sacred to create balance; the importance of duality is also seen with the contour rivalry of the snakes and hair, the transformation between man and beast, and the geographical location between the arid mountain range and the lush amazon. a key cosmological belief within andean society as a whole, tinku, this is the concept of multiple parts converging to create something wholly new; the strategic geographical locations of the lanzon is placed at the convergence of the mosna and wacheqsa rivers function used to receive liquid offering form the priest above oracle: where god speaks, connection between heaven and earth meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: jaguar means the jaguar cult and a deity, camay is the belief of an object being a conduit for a deity, eyebrow and hair means serpent which means human an animal, lanzón deity, contour rivalry means that only the believe can see it themes: fertility, agriculture, worship, spiritual, religion, worship related pieces: chavín de huántar pieces

chavin de huantar temple and city

basic information 900 - 200 bce, chavín, temple, chavín de huántar, north highlands, peru, 40 ft, stone corridors, done in 2 phases, plaza dip down content temples, especially the first, have a lot of tunnels, no windows, use tunnels to bring in air consists of the old and new temple; old temple is "u" shaped and built around 900 bce, new temple built around 500 bce, which made it larger and added a sunken court includes quarried stone buildings, terraces around plazas, an internal gallery, and plentiful anthropomorphic artwork in an ode to the supernatural being form low relief carvings, echoes (auditory), and not symmetrical context chavín de huántar is in the peruvian highlands, culture at its highest, traveled and spread, it was a pilgrimage site, traded ceramics, textiles, and port; the culture is pre inca, main construction of the complex was in 900 bc, occupied by the inca until 1900 the culture produced potatoes and maize, migration was common in the southern highlands, connected to two rivers and it spread art and style to other cultures the religion is very important and the priest was valued in society, the elite and priests have a direct connection to god, and metallurgy the pilgrimage was used to answer questions, heal, and pray; the gods are a mic of people and animal, people hike there to tall spots for guidance it is located 3150 m above sea level, between east and west andes, access to the desert and jungle, joining rivers contour rivalry creates barrier between the true and not true forms, the site is stone, contains 2 temples, buildings, terraces, and galleries materials such as granite and gold alloy are relatively nice compared to other similar structures at the time, demonstrates both size of the population making the pilgrimage and the importance of spirituality in the culture. 10,330 feet above sea level, has the transportation of ceramics, textiles, and other moveable product,m and temple and religious center for a supernatural being that was their primary god an important pilgrimage site that drew people and offerings from all over; designed also to unify the people of a previously distant and unconnected pre-inca peruvian society held many spiritual ceremonies and rituals as well as near constant prayer and tribute to the gods, especially the supernatural anthropomorphic being depicted in several of the site's sculptures the culture that built it was known as the chavín cult, the city was the capital and religious center of the chavín cult's members and the pre-incan civilization, and it was constructed over many stages and years, but primary construction took place in 900 bc, and it had been continually occupied by various incan groups and descendants up until 1940. geographic location very important and purposeful, known as the ancash region, allowed for lots of migration and pilgrimage, especially from the southern highlands and coast, it set the connection of two of peru's largest rivers, allows for easy access, the site is in a valley of an otherwise very mountainous andes region and allows for agricultural production of potatoes and maize; includes artifacts and stylistic elements from all over function trading and agricultural center, gallery project sound of god, and gallery was reserved for priests meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: voice and will of god, sacred pieces, axis mundi (center of universe), and 3 levels themes: commerce, religious, culture, power/authority related pieces: cusco, forbidden city, nan madol, persepolis

chavín relief sculpture

basic information 900-200 bce, chavín de huántar, 7ft tall, low relief content jaguar head, conch shell, snarling mouth, serpent headdress, cactus, feline mouth, claws form contour rivalry, feline plus reptile plus human context tropical ideas and animal, shaman, coast and tropical shows coast if you could read it then you believe in the religion located on the ruins of a stairway at chavín function transformation rituals meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: shamanistic, dualism themes: supernatural related pieces: chavín pieces

parthenon

basic information acropolis, athenas, greece; 5th century bce; marble sculptures, perikles iktinos, kallikrates, and phidas all worked on it, entasis (a slight convex curve in the shaft of a column, introduced to correct the visual illusion of concavity produced by a straight shaft); doric, ionic, and classical style content massive columns of flutes, go from ground of stylobate, to capital, to abacus, and triglyph and metopes; sculptures everywhere ionic frieze that shows panathenaic procession; pediments, metopes have real and metaphoric battles, triglyphs are in the center and middle of the columns, valet, double colonnade, wall; relief sculptures; post and lintel structure, columns are in a diagonal inclination, different height of the floor, exterior is doric and interior is ionic; the steps are mathematically calculated peripteral architecture: columns on the outside and cella in the middle form perfection, subtle distortion to perfect human flawed vision, cut precisely, entasis and contrapposto; hardly a right angle, slight adjustment and deviation to compensate for human vision (columns, slope of the ground, not equal distance between columns) dynamism and organic > static; x = 2y + 1 is the mathematical equation for the spacing and diameter calculations; canon; frieze is high relief, on 4 sides, metopes is high, and pediments are in the round context to the goddess athena; athens was a city state in the 5th century was at its height, the acropolis was a sacred place, birth of democracy, high classical movement; reform allowed more limited political participation athena olive tree competition with poseidon, between seal of intelligence and naval superiority, and peace and prosperity older temple was destroyed in the war, so a new one was built on top of it, they didn't want to remove the ruins because it was sacred pericles was the leader of the athenian project as he is the leader of the delian league and he embezzled funds to build the acropolis from the league that formed from the city-states to protect against the persians cella sculpture was melted down for gold, it was an altar of sacrifice, house of goddess, and so not a temple high classical era (greece in general) produced architecture, philosophy, literature, mathematicians, poets, founded culture that we still identity with, from democracy to history, vocabulary, idealization of democracy cities had slavery and male only citizenship, had different governments, no national identity until the persian wars the greco-persian war (490 - 480 bce) had battle of thermopylae and marathon, started because athens supported rebellion in anatolia to persia, so persia led two major campaigns against persia, so greek city-states unified together and athens was the de facto capital; their victory set off the cultural flourish, with persia they might have strangled democracy; but persian life was pretty good, successive and stable empire, women and slaves weren't good, athenians derived power from imperialist believes, was corrupt; under persian rule they might have avoided peloponnesian war, which weakened and so alexander the great's father was able to conquer all of them, and then the bloody wars, and greece wouldn't' have democracy again until soon peloponnesian war was a conflict between athens and sparta (embraced king shape from brutality of slavery), about resources and power; the athenas aled to melos, a spartan colony, demanded them to subject to athenian rule, melos wanted to go switzerland and never fought with persia, but athenians forced it, made a theory of realism (interaction between nations and cultures were about who has the power), so they killed all the men and enslaved all the women and children function religious worship, pray festival where they walked around and then inside storehouse and treasury, mosque, church, and armory symbol of power gift to athena ability to understand the world and mathematical proportion and harmony meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: battles means civilization over chaos and barbary, closer to the gods, high classical, perfection, connection to the ionians and hubris (that they can have all) themes: festival, power, religion related pieces: temple of amon-re, palace at persepolis

victory adjusting her sandal

basic information acropolis, athens, greece (south parapet); 3'6" high, 410 bce; marble, chiseled to chip away stone, hammered blows at angles, running drill allowed more drapery effect; high classical content nike undoing her sandal, left 1 foot, other leg bent, lean forward, two wings, revealing; transparent, exposed body parts, graceful, wing, off balance, chainfolds form high relief, not balanced, body and drapery (phidas),. weight of clothes, chian folds (shadow and gravity), contrapposto (one leg in front of the other), contrast of color context no scandal because of sacred ground victory of the persians, and the peloponnesian war against sparta nike is the goddess of victory function military victory decorate the temple meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: wings = balance, no scandal themes: narrative, war, grace related pieces: persepolis palace and temple of hatshepsut

temple of athena nike

basic information acropolis, athens, greece; 427 - 474 bce; designed by kallikrates, pentelic marble (prized for whiteness) content constrained space, railings, parapet (a low protective wall along the edge of a roof, bridge, or balcony); figures of nike frieze had the marathon battle; eastern side had gods gathering, southern side is the war of greece and persia, others had gigantomachy, and amazonomachy made of monolithic columns, volutes (scrolls typical of the ionic order) form amphiprostyle (four columns on the east and west face but non on the other two sides), interior cella and chambers monolithic columns widen columns to contrast the propylaea context stands on old mycenaean bastion, destroyed in persian war, defense position for nike; greeks thought the temple needed to be viewed from all sides like a sculpture; nike, goddess of victory and athena was worshipped in this form to celebrate the victory of athens christian church in the 5th ce, ottoman sacked it in the 17th century, 1832 and 1930 reconstruction, took it apart recently to fix it function greet visitors, smallest in the acropolis, in the southwest side near the cliff celebrate persian defeat over the achaemenid empire religious rituals (place altar outside), only priests could enter for nike meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: victory and sacred place themes: war, worship, myths, narrative related pieces: temple of amon-re, standard of ur, alexander mosaic, ziggurat

royal family stele (akhenaton, nefertiti, and three daughters)

basic information armana, egypt; small stone plaque, 15. 25 x 12 in wide, 1 in in depth, lapis lazuli and limestone content akhenaten holding eldest daughter tenderly, who is pointing back to mother, nefertiti is holding another daughter pointing to akhenaton and another daughter on the shoulder form sunken relief carving, informal (love and domesticity), stylized head and body, curvilinear against the rectilinear form, softness with the drapery, still twisted perspective with hip facing and shoulder facing sun disk of cobra because that is the supreme deity, monotheism versus polytheism; the rays of light include hands and rays that terminate at the face with ankh, egyptian sign of life, so aten is only giving the ankh to them at the noses as breaths of life, nefertiti has thrones of both upper and lower egypt, and akhenaten has a simpler throne, together they rule together context change in egyptian art with radical break of 1350 because akhenaten change worship from amon to aten; he and his wife are only representative of god on earth, so only them have access to god; after he died, it will return function altar in private domestic environment meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: family, emotion, gender roles themes: power, family, status related pieces: stele of hammurabi, menkaure and his wife, anthropomorphic stele

anavysos kouros

basic information athen's, greece; 530 bce, archaic style; subtractive carving, marble with hot wax, 6'4 content original painted, stiffness, forms are symbols than articulation of the human body, four very distinct view, more rounded, lifeline, less blocky arms, abdomen, calf, cheeks are more natural, not inscribing but modeling in the round, softer lines left leg is out, weight is evenly distributed, traditional braiding, headband, curly hair, archaic smile (transcends the world - aristocratic nobility), locked knees form more integrated forms, natural, idealized, perfection, attachment of the limbs to the body in the round, soft lines, gradual lines to show torso to leg, smooth texture, separation of hair, balanced context inspired by egypt; grave marker of an aristocratic family for a son died in war, the inscription found close, "stay and mourn at the monument of dead kroisos who raging ares slew as he fought in the front ranks," died as a hero at the moment of great strength; not a portrait even with individual traits, the form is an ideal body found in 1936, left greece, then recovered by greek police in paris; shows problems of grave robbing because of the black market for stolen objects and a market for forgeries function grave markers, offering to a god, a god himself (usually apollo) representation of ideal male youth, offer sanctuary meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: gravemarker were commission by aristocrats themes: human form, funerary, ritual and worship related pieces: anthropomorphic stone, votive figures

peplos kore

basic information athens, greece, 530 bce, archaic style; marble, 4ft high, encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added, the liquid or paste is then applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are often used content holes crowing head from a metal crown with rays that suggest her divinity, jewelry, painted, rod that rises from head that show bronze earrings and crescent showed natural shapes of legs, little movement, embroidery and decorated patterns, sphinx, horses, goats form small scale, symmetrical, depict movement, bent arm, archaic smile context originally thought to be wearing peplos garment, and kore is a female clothed figure and counter to the male kouros found in the archaic period, small sculpture found in the acropolis this seems like a goddess because of the garment is different, similar to sculptures of goddess function figures offerings to goddess athena brought by men goddess herself, artemis (goddess of hunt with bow and arrow) or athena - because left arm is missing, could be holding a bow and arrow kore used to mark graves meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: archaic smile of well being, transcendent, ideal, not engaging in the world of emotion and difficulty, femininity, fecundity, fertility themes: femininity and fertility related pieces: votive figure, female deity, running horned woman, staff god

tlatico figures

basic information dated 1200 - 900 bce, neolithic period, in tlatilco, valley of mexico, 9.5 cm high; ceramic figurines content two-faced, naked, one body, no clothes , nipples are emphasized, matching elaborate hairstyles form curved, rounded, faces mend, tally mark indicated texture and shape of hair which is an indicator to race.ethnicity, discolored by time and wear, disproportional context prehistoric sculptures often had women in them, showing them nude, no facial features, for fertility as they are seen as the surviving factor of a species, disproportionate/unnatural, often sculpted in the round, but also relief on cave surfaces and used natural edges in the work for illusion, some were made cast from clay, or carved from tusks, function to depict the important of female figure, or an idol/physical manifestation of a deity style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course stylized style; meaning to worship or to admire; theme of human body and spiritual; related to running horned

the navigation chart

basic information dated 19th century, from marshall islands, micronesia, 67.5 x 99 x 3 cm, made of wood, fiber, leaves, shells, and buoyant content sticks were horizontal and diagonal, curved and shell form shows movement, texture and balance, variety and repetition of lines context polynesia wayfinders, ancients used clouds, sun, star, waves, and saw them as pathways, began 1500 bce form se asia, moved from place to place for food and war, slowed down, they had good canoe, skill, weather, wa'a kaulua, sail, or built by entire community, familiar with trade winds, swell, saw waves as patterns and stars as compass, had quadrants, know them at different times the chart has to be memorized for the people, not taken with them in boat, this is just a memory advice; map of relationship between map and sea represent the link of the people with the element of ocean because the ocean creates and relationship between the islands and islands and each other, shows the isolation of islands in the greater matrix each chart is different between it is made by different people who see the ocean through his own eyes which is important because the islands are so small so it would be hard to see from visual identification specific canoes for the treacherous journeys; climate change and nuclear testing are affecting the ecosystem marshall islands see themselves as the best navigators marshall islands are in micronesia, have 29 atolls, 1,200 islands, almost all water function rebbelib: covers either a large or all of the marshall islands navigate through voyagers through swells, locations, currents, and wave patterns, islands are small and its hard to see, souvenirs mattang: specifically to train people selected to be navigators meaning, theme, and related works meaning: curved lines represent wind and swell (currents that bounce off the island) while straight lines are constant swell (pathways that needs to be emphasized), pneumonic device, shells are islands themes: navigation, creativity, and memory related pieces: terra cotta fragment

buk mask

basic information dated 19th century, from melanesian culture, mabulag, torres straight, in melanesia, the scale is 54.6 x 63.5 x 57.8 cm, made of turtle shell, wood, feather, fiber, resin, and paint; heat the turtle shell to be able to be bent, then piece the plate on the edges and use fiber to weave them, connect, and accentuate it content human hair with raffia, three decorative piece, lattice is beard, face and body of the bird is a fridget, feather, different pieces on bottom and back, feather is from wings of a fridget, oval face, 3d, hollow, teeth form different textures, combination, flight/upward movement, tw points of focus, casting, symmetry, disproportion context traded turtle shell, late 1800s the spanish came and burned them, few survived; kept in special places of stones, found in uninhabited islands, people arrived 7,300 years ago, spoke kala lagowya, distinct in the torres, feather is important to oceania function part of dance, totem bird (mythical creature connected to culture, spirit animal), could be made for export, ceremonial (male initiation, funeral, hunt/war, harvest, connection between man and animal), performed by senior male around campfire, with costumes and drums believed wearer has access to supernatural spirits meaning, theme, and related works meanings include hero, ancestor, fire, with themes of rituals, identities, natural world, and sacred, related to malagan display

anthropomorphic stone

basic information dated 4000 - 3000 bce, from the neolithic/pre-neolithic age, from el-maakir-qaryat al-kaafa , ha'il, saudi arabia, stands at 92 x 21 cm tall; sandstone stele content freestanding, trapezoidal head rests on squared shoulders with the outline of the face framing closely spaced eyes and flat nose, torso there is a necklace with two cords diagonally with another awl attached, double bladed dagger at the waist in the back, it says "in memories of taym, son of zayd" form freestanding, in the round, anthropomorphic, low-relief sculpture, parallel lines, curved lines, and horizontal lines, balance and asymmetry, disproportional context prehistoric time it was lush and fertile, savannah like, hunter gatherers shifted their economy to production by domesticating livestock, settling in oases and mountainous regions, site were temporary, constant move lead to interaction, ideas and objects travelled too similar stele was found in tabuk, the jordanian-saudi border, and riqseh, southern jordan, as well as rawk, yemen → stylistic influence, presence of exogenous materials, objects were circulated and exchanged; caravan trails expanded into a network that spread to eastern arabia and mesopotamia, center of an active and interconnected ancient world, commercial and cultural crossroads bridging the east and west, linking trade and pilgrimage route that reach from india and china to the mediterrnean and egypt, yeme, and east africa to syria, iran, and mesopotamia; each stele were different, have different customs and local traditions function stele was associated with religious or burial practices, as a grave marker in an open-air sanctuary, honor the dead style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course abstract style; meaning of funeral and gravemarker and to have a certain characteristic; themes of honor, funeral, and tradition; related to ibex beaker and terra cotta fragments

beaker with ibex motifs

basic information dated 4200 to 3500 bce, pre-neolithic culture, found in susa, iran, temple necropolis and acropolis mound, 28.9 x 16.9 cm, handmade, clay, painted with a terra cotta color content mountain goat in the rectangle of geometric form with huge corns, tail, nose, eyes, ears, bands that wrap around with elongated greyhounds in movement and also movements of birds on the top, crisscrossed and angular arrows, clan symbol form cylindrical shape, elements are balanced, tales and horns are spun differently, animal forms, geometric pattern, thin, circular formed linear forms by geometric hard-edged forms, tension, push/pull of the horizontal lines context ancient susa is in modern-day iran, later politically part of mesopotamia lived in fertile river valleys, buried in a cemetery, in the acropolis mound of susa, in the book of daniel and esther found when archaeologists were looking for the tomb of daniel people worshipped around animals connected to nature, in the bible, they are specialized for higher status in a high plateau city with the cemetery at the bottom function burial/religious, afterlife, possession for rich to the afterlife style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course stylized style; fertility and water with animal representational meaning; themes of funerary and fertility; related to swimming reindeer and lascaux caves

carmelite sacrum in the shape of a canine

basic information dated around 14,000 to 7000 bce, paleolithic, in tequixquiac, valley of mexico, shaped by sharp instruments and human hands content 2 circular cavity, dog eyes, and two holes for the snout, part of the hip is the ears, engraved, cut, subtractive carving, sunken relief form the cut was made by a sharp instrument and polished edges, made by human hands, symmetrical, context an engineer found it during a draining project in 1870; a camelidae is like camels, llamas, and alpacas, sacrum is the triangular bone at the base of the spines function meaningful object style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course naturalistic and stylized style, the sacrum was seen as a divine part, related to fire and life, fertility, rebirth as meaning; themes of the sacred and fertility; and related to ambum stone

ambum stone

basic information dated around 1500 bce, neolithic of the enga people, in ambum valley, enga valley, papua new guinea, oceania, 20 x 7.5 x 14 cm, 5 lbs; made with greywacke stone, craved with stone tools content smoothly curved neck, and head, smooth surface, shiny patina, rounded and freestanding, long nose, upper limbs hugs torso, cupped space in the belly, nose, nostrils, shoulder blade, and umbilicus echidna or bird or a fruit bat, a mega-sized extinct marsupial, has a fat deposit, high altitude form symmetrical, subtractive carving, in the round, detailed composition of anatomy, smooth, geometric, weight was distributed context objects like so were bones of ancestors, "simting bilong tumbuna," as a cult object/ritual mechanism where ancestors reside, can move, behave enga society is based on the power structure and big man system, negotiation of power depend on natural resources and supernatural forces, fat deposits is a symbol of power, power is vested in the big man, can manipulate people to give resources and redistribute them two little boys found it and gave it to a soldier, was damaged in australia, christianity destroyed most of the culture function religious purpose, pestle as it can be held in hand and to pound food and other materials, mortar imbued with supernatural powers through rituals, bury into ancestor land and pigs were sacrificed to them to appease the stone, embodied ancestral spirits, and with good care, it will protect them from danger, promote fertility, and vigor of the tribe and land style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course naturalistic and stylized style; meanings of fertility in a fetal position, fat means life and wealth, purity/loss of innocence; themes of ancestor worship and nature; related to swimming reindeer

great hall of bulls

basic information dated around 16,000 to 14,000 bce, paleolithic, in lascaux, montignac, dordogne, southern france, 11 feet 6 inches long, made by blowing on the wall or carved lines into the soft calcite surface, could be infilled with color, stone tools, scaffolding, eggshells, and brushes content different colors, shapes, and animals (horses, deer, bison, elk, lions, rhinoceros, and bear), overlapping, different directions, disemboweled vision and a bird-headed human figure, staff, male form twisted perspective, entirely linear, variety of animals and repetition, not optical but descriptive, concave/convex background, dimension, no horizon/ground lines, two-dimensional cave painting, proportional, no perspective, contour lines context prehistoric cave paintings usually had no setting, background, or indication of place, they were more like separate images painted close together, with no ground/horizon line, there are often dots, checks, or squares made, could be writing; also handprints in the negative (brushed/spat paint around it) or positive (dip in paint and pasted it, would have a purpose), subjects can be inspired by surrounding, and used concave/convex surfaces for different things, used charcoal and ochre with liquid; the master who planned it, had an assistant used animal fat oil lamp hunting magic, a way to overpower their prey during rituals to ensure a successful hunt function ritual significance in the repetition of form played role in hunting magic, communicate narratives; representation/decoration, teaching tools to the young, keep the spirit of the animal alive, confine it to control, assure survival, or animal ancestors style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course naturalistic/abstract style; magic, religion, dance, and good acoustics meaning; nature and fertility themes; related to apollo 11 stones/swimming reindeer

staff god

basic information dated back to turnover between 1800 and 1900, in rarotonga, cook islands, polynesia, south pacific, 396 cm longs, made of wood, paper mulberry bark, feather, fibre, and curved content carved wooden at top and bottom, wrapped in barkcloth, figure with a smaller alternating figure, contained red feathers and pieces of pearl shell known as the manava or spirit of god, form casting, subtractive carving, in the round, repetition, sunken relief, stylized eyes, disproportionate body, not realistic, curved context women throughout made barkcloth use inner bark of mulberry tree and was given different names, could be used for clothing, bedding, exchange, spiritual (wrapped means means power, mana), so bodies of leaders were; could be normal or decorated depending on island group, could be a guild, abandoned now unless in rituals, funerals, marriage, and tourist markets rarontoga was isolated, deity images with multiple figure sattacked rose, represented clans and distant ancestors, for protective and pocreate powers destroyed by christians, lost of meaning and religious imagery cook island, settled around 800-100 c.e., by cook, london missionary society set up a station, british protectorate and annexed, now new zealand, resulted of men and women, wrapped in barkcloth meant mana function represent familial descent, genealogy, generative deity creating minor deities (tangoroa) sexual or familial descent. clain, ancestors, protection from ancestors or deposit women in childbirth meaning, theme, and related works meaning: protection, reproduction, honor, deity for meaning themes: ceremony, fertility, ancestry, and religion related pieces: hiago and ahu'ula

rapa nui

basic information dated from 1000 to 16000 ce, from the easter island in polynesia, very tall, red scoria, basalt, and trachyte for small numbers and very labor intensive move content on platforms of ahu, huge blocky figures with planar facial features, nostrils, elongated earlobes, pukao hat large nose, protruding brow bone, strong jaw, big head, small body, back to the sea, long ears bird man design in the back form rough, disproportionate, accentuate face, symmetry context after quarrying, they were dragged to the particular ahu site, and positioned vertically people were isolated, deforestation, colonization, settlement, imperialism, overpopulation, used up all natural resources, rats and epidemics along with island biogeography function marked burial sites or were used for religion, ancestral beliefs were commissioned by heads or sons, sacred object that can accomodate spirits or gods, mediate between that and the worlds ancestor worship, protection, gravemarker, and tourism meaning, theme, and related works meanings of back to the ocean is to protect the people, large eyes wer fore protection, and to commemorate the first king

malagan display

basic information dated in 1882 for the display, and 1884 for the mask, from melanesia, new ireland, papua new guinea, display is 132 cm and mask is 1 ft 5, made of wood fiber, pigment, and shell content crested hair is made of fiber, sea snail is embedded as eyes, painted black, white, yellow, and red, associated with warfare, magic spells and violence, sharp teeth band emotion, mixture of fish and animals form in the round, not realistic, exaggerated, consistent use of materials, contrast of mediums, not symmetrical, presentation, strong lines context dominated by new guinea, 800 different languages, fairly democratic, unstratified, elders handles affairs, big men means individuals with socioeconomic and politic status, with warrior skills, power and position are vital, cultural practices revolve around that, had elaborate meeting houses and ceremonies to enforce order and stability funeral rites are central, malaggan is both the ritual and pieces associated with it, has ownership ones brought, stimulate production collected by h.h. romily, deputy commissioner of western pacific on tour, presented to duke of bedford function facilitate transition of soul from different worlds, social solidarity and economy, initiation of young men, rights of land, clans, big men mana, rot in sea for circle of life, food, wealth, lush garden, mana, worn by dancers meaning, theme, and related works meanings include cod as myth of teh first group, representation of ancestors, spirit double (ges), bush spirit, king and social order; themes include honoring the death, funerary, ancestor worship, and community; related to buk mask

stonehendge

basic information dated in 2550 - 1600 bce, neolithic, in salisbury plain, wiltshire, england, 97 feet in diameters, 24 feet high; lintel stone, carved, bluestone content concentric stone circles, lintel stones are carved to create lines of a circle, trilithons (stones laying horizontally across two vertical stones increase in height, stay upright, in the round form geometric, mathematic, trilithons context first phase started in 3100 bce, continued intermittently for 5oo years, require precise planning and labor, high level of sophistication had to move the stones from a quarry 25o miles away, and get the lintel stones on top, communal effort of a hierarchical society, astronomy and basic architecture as they would need to be carved to fit ina geometrically correct circle function in the second stage it was used as a burial site as an indicator of elite status, horseshoe of the trilithons, frame mark both the midsummer solstice and midwinter's sunset, divine connection to solar and lunar calendars, the important of the movement of the sun/seasons to the people of the society that built stonehenge style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course calendar, supernatural, religion, spiritual, ceremony, anthropomorphic stone

jade cong

basic information dated in 3300 - 2200 bce, neolithic/liangzhu culture, liangzhu, china, carved jade, produced by rubbing sand because you can't incise it, jade/nephrite content represent faces, monsters, animals, human, regularity and specify, parallel lines, symbols, uniformity, intentionality, clarity, square hollow tube, represent dead ancestors or deities, or the earth form engraving, sunken/low relief, sanded context neolithic revolution, developed writing as the ice age subsided, beginning of civilization, farming, writing, cities, especially in the river valleys; liangzhu developed in the delta of the yangtze river, expert rice growers with surplus of food, allowed more sophisticated development in society, beautiful jade work cong: circles that represent faces, short and tall; found in graves, along with bi (round disks with holes in the center) function power, nature, spiritual world, verticality, repetition of parallel lines, rectilinear is for earth, round is sky and side is earth style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course stylized style; meaning is heaven/earth; themes of burial and funeral; related to ambum stone

terra cotta fragments

basic information dated to 1000 bce, from neolithic lapita culture, in the santa cruz islands, temotu provine, southeast of the solomon islands, melanesia, 3 inches; shaped by hand, using paddle and stamp technique, to thin wall and to apply sharp/linear/curved lines, dry clay, solidify near fire, blended with sand, red slip earthenware, of imported raw materials content larged clear features, repeated patterns of dots, crisscross, circles, and lines, anthropomorphic face in the middle, geometric shapes and patterns, nose and face is very straight, contrasted to the curved lines net to it form followed rule of design, nose had symmetry, contrast and balance of the lines, repetition, variety, linear versus curved lines, subtractive carving and sunken relief context lapita people spread out from taiwan and southeast asia to micronesia, melanesia, and polynesia, to the bismarck archipelago, they had different languages than the natives, was a sophisticated seafaring and navigational people, primarily fishing and farming, had tattoos; then they headed to hwaii, easter islands, and australia/new zealand, and their pottery got simpler as time went on, but consistency reflected stability and development, deign code influenced polynesian and oceanic art interpreted though mead's system of design, has elements and motifs that match a linguistic profile, function serving food and storage, culinary, has cultural significance; wagelie was name for the food storing vessel, form of reverence for ancestors, ritualistic or religious, different groups had different characteristics in their pottery style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course abstract style; meanings of beauty, grammar, and the human face; themes of creativity, change over time, and aesthetics; related to ambum stone and running horned woman

presentation of fijian art to queen elizabeth ii

basic information dated to 1953, in fiji, melanesian, of the fijian culture, the photograph is 16.5 by 22 cm, and is taken with a camera content concession of art and culture to make their way out of a group, skirts are barkcloth and only worn by woman, present to the queen, mats are carried by women, on an island with ocean in the background form geometric pattern on the skirts context queen visit the empire in a tour with her husband; took sip out of kava first, gifted an enormous barkcloth barkcloth or masi in fiji is made the same way, often gifts, only worn by women; mats as made by stripping, boiling, dyring, blackening, and then softening leaves, into tight diagonal patterns with edges, simplify suggest importance function gifts of masi, ritual or religious ceremony meaning, theme, and related works meaning: authority and power (individual meanings too) theme: power related pieces: ahu'ula

ahu'ula

basic information dated to before 1850 c.e., hawaiian/polynesian culture, hawaii, 68.5 x 45 cm, made of olona fiber, feather, net; made from olona fibre netting in a straight row, pieces joined and cut to from the desired shape, tiny buddles were attached to netting in overlapping rows, started at lower edge, and extended content semi circle, in crescent/hoaka shape, triangular, yellow, red, black, shaped neckline form geometric and primary colors, balance of color, circular lines to focal point, repetition, and symmetry context polynesia is the last area in the world to be colonizes, not settlement until first millennium, complefic sociopolitical and cultural institutions, hierarchical, hereditary through chiefs and rituals, usually made fo thigh ranking people to reinforce their power and prestige, invested with mana, spiritual power hawaiian society was very hierarchy, chief kamehameha united major islands, into a kingdom, but western contact rendered it a colony; social structure was crucial to stability, chief regalia was prominent, ahu'ula were created for high rank, every aspect signaled status, the red and yellow feathers from i'iwi, 'apapane, 'o'o, and mano birds were rare, required many, and the resources nad labor were also grand, linked to gods, the sennit base wer attached with deities , dense fiber created physical protection and protection from gods gods were pervasive presence in society and everyday life, chiefs invoked them and publicized hereditary links to enforce right to rule, kuka'ilimoku was the war god, was kamehameha's special deity given as gifts to the sea captain the crews of early europeans and was preserved through patrons and museums function worn by nobility for ceremonies and battle, protection, physical protection, power, rank, tribute meaning, theme, and related works meaning: the red is associated with gods and theifs, spiritual, tied with prayer until needed for akua (divine being), blood, battle, success; crescent meant shadow and spirit, bright, strength, and harmony; yellow meant rare and gold; noble and social status/stability themes: ceremonial and power, spirit and religion related pieces: staff god and tamaki waka nene

apollo 11 stones

basic information dated to circa 25,000 bce, of the paleolithic time period, in the apollo 11 caves, huns mountains, ai-ais richtersveld transfrontier park, namibia, approximately 5" x 4.25," charcoal/ocher/white on brown-grey quartzite content an animal that resembles feline with human hind legs, two slightly curved oryx asymmetrical, gagged/rough texture o the stone, the animal is the focal point, twisted perspective context paleolithic, mesolithic, and neolithic art were all animals, rarely human, and usually, in a profile,e, the only view of the animal wherein the head, body, tail, and all four legs can be seen, there was rarely variety in subject matter, the aim is to create a convincing image of the subject, the pictorial definition of the animal; patterns are the early form of symbolization and abstract expression, indicative of intelligence and linguistics discovered by german archaeologist w.e. wendt, when exploring the area known as the goachanas, in a dry river gorge in southern namibia, and named after the apollo 11 mission in 1969-1972, used radioactive dating, found other forms of human occupation, and evidence that eggshells were used to hold paint → the people were hunter-gatherers, nomadic function the combination of part human and part animal figure suggest shamanistic function, site of religious significance art mobilier, small-scale prehistoric art that is movable style, meaning, themes, and related art in the course religious style, part human/part animal, themes of creativity, religion, natural, and aesthetic, and related to swimming reindeer

hatshepsut's temple

basic information deir el-bahri, canyon, upper egypt; hewn right from the living rock content built against a cliff as they are towering, sculptures found in procession path form organic qualities and structure context same as the statue; once a year, amon-re's statue would taken from thebes and carried across the river in a shrine boat across the nile from the east (land of the living) to west (land of the dead), sculpture would stay for a night hateshepsut conquered using trade new kingdom was an empire, ended the period of conquering and getting conquered, headed south and took over land to find gold and slaves; most pharaohs expanded through military, with assyrians, persians, alexander the great, and the romans function permanence and stability of the empire meaning, themes, and related pieces

stele of hegeso

basic information dipylon cemetery, athens, greece; 400 bce; marble, 5'2", kallikrates; late classical with high classical elements content hegeso is the woman, examining jewelry brough from slave, domestic setting, originally painted script "daughter of proxenos" on pediment, high drapery, tight, elaborate folds, food rest, and elaborate stone form quietness (like in the parthenon pediment), tight drapery, foot is foreshortened, shallow space but full length, anatomy, naturalistic, relief, perception of depth, imagery but somber for stele, moment in time context return after classical, same time as parthenon, private sculpture not like the kore and kouros of archaic greece as gravemarker women were domestic, not considered citizens and defined by relations to man, shows patriarchy noble family with huge cemetery plot function funerary private collection patriarchy meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: stele is a gravemarker, dowry themes: funerary, remembering the dead, women's rights related pieces: the anthropomorphic stone, family stele, stele of hammurabi

lamassu

basic information dur-sarruken, now khorsabad, iran; 13 meters; carved out of monolithic stone; moving these lamassu were hard content winged bulls with heads of man, fearsome, powerful; stood between huge arches, they were the gateway figures crown is decorated with rosettes, then double horns that come around, and rings of feathers the face has incised wavy hairs below the crown, connected eyebrows, ears of the bull that wears earrings, complex representation of the beard, ringlets on the cheeks and face and then you get the spirals, rings have decorated patterns to the side, across the body are ringlets as furs, there is also an inscription in cuneiform to declare power and punishment abdomen swells, hindquarters move back, veins, muscles, bones form static versus movement, decorative forms with sensitive anatomy, naturalistic and imaginative high and low relief, in the round, texture, balance, structural support context ancient mesopotamia is a series of civilizations that conquered each other; assyrians ruled from 1000 - 500 bce; sculptures came from the palace of sargon and carved at the height in 8th century guardian figures that protected the citadel of the temple and the royal palace, at various gates; this one is in exterior lamassu, represent shedu, a protective deity often with the body of a bull or lion, wings of an eagle, and a human head meant to be seen on either side; from the side, it is moving forward, from the front it is stationary; as we approach it is watching you, but as you are friends then it moves with you assyrians replaced the previous babylons and hittites; reputation of being brutal bullies of mesopotamia, give example of political organization of empires; diverse and multiethnic so its hard to unify, they had the most brutal and horrifying efficient army, based on meritocracy, super mean like deport thousands of people to separate them from history and family and move skilled workers, take rebels and cut off their limbs, done in the name of ashur, great god of the neo-assyrians, divine regent is the king, if conquests continue then world would not end; assyrians spread propaganda to inspire awe in the kingdom they extended empire beyond rode (no administration), if you lose a battle your world view blows up, 612 bce niveah was conquered and the empire came to an end function protection expression of power and authority of the king fortification of the palace and city meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: protection and awe themes: protection, power and authority, harmony related pieces: rapa nui and the sphinx

statue of votive figures

basic information eshnunna (tell asmar), northern mesopotamia, in 3000 bce, alabaster, limestone (eye), gems, and bitumen content wide eyes, attentiveness, hands are clasped, shoulders are broad, stands erect, frontal view even if carved on both sides, wavy beard fine cylindrical, flat torso, details toward the bottom; inlaid eyes and eyebrows, closed mouths form geometric pattern, not natural, in the round, cleft of open space, static, symmetrical, the skirt is attached to the forearm context buried along 11 total figures, most of them males; found in the temple dedicated to god anu sumerian cities had administrative, temples, palaces, of the transitional period between bronze and neolithic function attentive to a statue of a god to be embodied in the statue and also a stand-in for the actuarial person, for stand in to continually offer prayers; meant to be seen by god; they're images of worshippers, not meant to be portraits by symbols meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: humbleness, sense of timelessness, if it is natural than the person is just visiting themes: related pieces: rapa nui and female deity

great sphinx

basic information giza, egypt, from the old kingdom; carved from bedrock, similar to stone used to build khafre's temple, single piece of limestone, originally painted in red, blue, and yellow, took three years for 300 workers, 65 inches high and 240 inches long content recumbent lion with a head of a king (khufu/khafre), nenes, false beard; head is smaller scale than the body so they elongated the body, emotionless face, missing nose next to the temple complex, beginning of the causeway form combination of human and animal, a scale and proportionate face and body, subtractive carving, in the round, huge, and symmetrical context in front of the great pyramids complex, which is linked to the rising and setting run; across the nile, and symbolized wealth and pretensions of the fourth dynasty; the egyptians have evolved multiple times from the prehistoric eras unison of the upper and lower niles, which united the grasslands to the agricultural and animal husbandry new idea: son of khufu, djedefre, built this in the image of khufu, identifying him with the sun god to restore respect muhammad sa'im al-dahr, a sufi muslim from the khanqah of sa'id al-su'ada in ad 1378, who found the local peasants making offerings to the sphinx in the hope of increasing their harvest and therefore defaced the sphinx in an act of iconoclasm or the old theory of napoleon function commemorate power, protection, authority, and connection to the god of sun meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: lion is a royal symbol, also the lining of the solstice symbolized sun, horizon, the sun god, and the image of the pharaoh themes: power, authority, protection related pieces: lamassu and rapa nui

menkaura and his wife

basic information greywacke , 142.2 x 57.1 x 55.2 cm (life size) with smooth grained texture, carved with shell pleated kilt, shendjet; doesn't erode content man and woman side by side to each other with square base and back pillar king's head had striped nemes mask of tutankhamun, beard, clench ritual cloth rolls; he is strong, youthful, individualistic with facial features, hands hanging down queen is wearing garment, more frontal, equal in height to the man they both stride forward, no emotion, not finished and no inscription, no cobra, the nenes and queen's wig were originally painted, backed into the wall with no space, nude upper body for the man and he protrudes more than the woman form high relief, queen is proportional, not ideal faces but living individuals, queen is more frontal still very perfectionalized and idealized because everything about the body is in proportion with no flaws context found near the giza pyramids, khufu's grandson is menkaure; the base temple it was found in had causeways, corridors, smaller pyramids, and at a distance; the valley temple was a cult and worship image george reisner uncovered the statues in the valley temple, and discovered triads of the king, goddess hathor (mother of horus, wife/mother of the queen, cow head), and the queen sculptures were supposed to be idealistic and depict the unrealistic god like characters of the kings; pharaohs were divine and absolute hierarchical, and people connected everything with the gods like the flooding of the nile 240 bce, new rulers were outsiders from down river, new gods like amun (which means hidden, do good because they are omnipresent), form amun-ra; interest in conquering, and got conquered by levant, conquered form bronze weapons, bows, and chariots; hyksos conquered all of egypt and relaxed and assimilated into the egyptians, and then egyptians got their military energy and expelled them function in memorial temple courtyard, which was left to exposure because it was immortal ensure the rebirth of the king in the afterlife meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: protective stance, equal height, frontal view, prominence, mother/wife figure of hathor, represent individual self (not like votive), timeless themes: protection, afterlife, individuality related pieces: ambum stone, malagan mask

frescos (ixion room of the house of vetti)

basic information ixion room, house of vetti, pompeii, italy; 70-79 ce; platser with marble dust, spatula to spread canvas, paint it and polish it; fresco style; 4th style content lowest zone has imitation of marble without relief, large white panels, floral frames, and motifs central and upper zones has fragmentary architectural vistas, figures that looked as if they're gonna fall forward form combination of 3 styles, monochromatic panels, chiaroscuro to create 3d, imitation of marble, natural artistic depictions, new central panels context late 4th style is crowded and confused composition, garish color combinations while early is more illusional and mural were decorated with lost greek panels, after marsellus brought treasure back to rome intricate style as it combined faux marble, natural scenes, large flat panels with central panel pictures developed by famulus of the golden house ixion myth is that he was supposed to seduce hera and was punished by binding to the spinning wheel first style is approximate shape and faux marble second style is house of livia, natural, garden like landscape, skenographia, atmospheric perspective creates depth, details in the front but fuzzy in the back, they don't have windows third is enforced walls and surfaces with decorated walls and linear lines on monochromatic backgrounds, colonettes are the ones supporting the picture/subject, landscape and mythological scenes appear in frames, and small vignette of the landscape another fourth style is the golden house of nero and the portrait of the husband and wife (actual people), the golden house has white background, painted sea creatures, birds and other motifs of the landscape with fragments of the building and other greek myths; subdivisions and irrational fantasies function display power and authority (nero), trivium was open to peristyle (vetti), art gallery; all to show off and impress meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: myth and cult to show prominence and impress, ixion themes: power, myth, authority, naturalism related pieces: parthenon, alexander mosaic

temple of amon-re

basic information karnak, luxor, egypt; 1550-1070 bce; made of sandstone columns, lintel needed precise cutting of joint and weight; stacked stone with dirt, and the polished it content the whole complex included temples, chapels, sacred lake, kitchen, and areas of worship; there is two axis, one north/south, and one east/west, which is luxor's avenue of the sphinxes pylons (gateways, two tower, surmounted by cornice, less elevated section in the middle) into the temple, the floor is raised, and the ceiling has lots of lotus, papyrus, and palm plant after that you get the hypostyle hall, columns supporting the roof, 134 sandstone columns, the center of it is 69 ft, painted, clerestory lighting and lintel roofs he had feared police form, and cult of personality form axis, hypostyle, clerestory (sections of the wall that allows air and light into dark spaces), bilateral symmetry with the axis hall, sunken relief, post and lintel components context largest religious site to amon-re, mut, and montu; built during the middle kingdom, next to the capital thebes, but expanded further on; karnack is the most selective of spaces next to the nile; was plundered for stone hypostyle hall was built in the time of ramses ii, further you go in, and more stricticted it became temple was a reflection of the creation of the world, 18th dynasty; water equals the primeval times function cult image of amun and place for god on earth; worship estate for the priestly; authority meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: creation, the pylon is the horizon, rising mound and rood is the sky, and the marsh is the environment; flooding themes: worship, religion, authority

tomb of triclinium

basic information monterozzi necropolis, tarquinia, italy; 470 bce; archaic etruscans content three couches, each hosting a pair of reclining diners, one male and one female. two attendants—one male, one female—attend to the needs of the diners; the diners are dressed in bright and sumptuous robes, befitting their presumed elite status; beneath the couches we can observe a large cat, as well as a large rooster and another bird left and right walls are dancers, playing barbiton; women are of lighter color games of youth dismounting from apovates or dioscuri ceiling has quilt like pattern form approach way (dromos), fresco, ceiling color, one horizontal line, registers same repetitive colors and patterns context elaborate funeral rituals, changed with geography and time; tarquinia was powerful and prominent; advanced iron age, had good natural resources, profit form trade in subterranean rock-cut chambers accessed by dromos discovered in 1840, triculimum means three coach dining room etruscans funerals are more festive, with ganes, aim to share final meal before afterlife, transition of spirit with meals, dish, and utensils in the tomb, and enforce socio-economic position to remind the community of position, wealth, achievement (wall painting is a privilege) function funerary status and wealth and power transition to afterlife celebration of life meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: dressed nice → elite, egg is regeneration, equality themes: afterlife, power, funerary related pieces: the book of the dead, the great pyramids, temple and statue of hatshepsut, alexander mosaic, tomb of nebum

sarcophagus of the spouses

basic information monterozzi necropolis, tarquinia; 520 bce, 3ft 9-½ x 6 ft 7 in large ceramic container, terra cotta, at leather hard stage burned and smoothed to create a glossy surface, fire in 4 pieces; etruscan archaic content two ceramic container, figure are lids, life like, same time as kouros and figures, moving out into space, extending arm, they embrace with intimacy complete object → holding object for a banquet, or holding a perfume, pomegranate got arm around, pupils are hollow, rests on cushion, women wear cap, shoes, and male has beard form archaic smile, stylized, stiff braids, elongated proportions, anthromorpoid, ionian influence of the round face and hair, but local style of pose, joint and toes, a natural wassit, but big gestures antithesis of the contrapposto and flow of greece, more like stiff egypt context occupy tuscany, while romans had rome, there is a lookalike and a similar piece there close to greek, right below them, close in trade founded in a necropolis in cerveteri, a major city, found in 400 pieces, would've had cremated remains belong to a banquet scene, social sphere in funeral to send deceased off to the afterlife; at banquet, it was mixed gender, different from rome and greece function funerary customs, enforcing identity and standing of aristocracy elite nature banquet meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: pomegranate means eternity, sociability, mix of styles (trade and knowledge), equal participation, gender equality themes: funerary, afterlife, power, status, elite related pieces: menkaure and his wife, family stele, kouros and kore, anything ne with influences from other cultures

niobides krater

basic information orvieto, italy; 400 - 450 bce; painted clay, red figure style; severe archaic style, copied off of a greek wall painting content back: mortal niobe being attacked by apollo and artemis, artemis is reaching back for a quiver and apollo has one ready to fire, children being slaughtered red figure painting, back clay background with red silhouette; details (apollo's abdomen, tension, and face) and artemis (drapery) front: laurels and wrinkles of herakles, holds a cub and lion skin, stands in the middle, feet don't touch the ground, reclining/standing warriors surround him, athena to the side, relaxation form stiff, apollo, stride forward but no natural movement red figure painting, perfect profile, children frontal and ¾ occupy different levels which makes an illusion of scale not in foreground, sense of depth wall painting style, contrast contrast of active/passive, complex, plain, and imagery; shows technique context calyx krater is a large bowl that mix wine and water niobe has 14 kids, equal genders, said they're better than the kids of leto, so leto's kids artemis and apollo wanted revenge and killed all 14 children; greek's concern with hubris and pride severe style is almost classical; wall painting influence sculpture of apollo was to honor soldiers and for their protection in the greek-persian wars, they defeated the perisans at marathon function protection tale narrative meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: herakles means victory, mysterious, active versus passive themes: protection and worship related pieces: standard of ur, lascaux caves, running horned woman, ibex beaker

plaque of ergastines (panathenaic friezes)

basic information parthenon, athens, greece; marble, high and low relief, painted, high classical, ionic content women interrupted by two males, reverence, dignity, solemnity; intricate folds following the body, graceful girls carry ceremonial objects or being received ceremonial objects form balance, idealism, curvilinear folds and linear folds (column like), contrapposto with left leg as weight bearing leg, movement and static details, balanced, high marble pop out, shows movement context panathenaic procession where people walk up the secret way, young women from leading families wove peplos to cloth statues (for ancient sculpture that stood in the temple next to the parthenon) show contemporary civic life, and not mythological; look beautiful, noble and heroic; high classical movement greek government has asked for the return of the sculptures to put in their new acropolis museum function narrative of the panathenaic procession set themselves in the painting meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: idealized imagine to project themselves, control nature and animals, nobles, movement versus static, proud depiction, high hubris themes: civilization and society related pieces: standard of ur, book of the dead, persepolis palace, niobide krater

helios, horses, and dionysus (pedimental sculpture)

basic information parthenon, athens, greece; marble, originally painted, high classical style content marble that lost color, originally brightly colored to increase visibility west pediment is competition between athena and poseidon over the patron east pediment is the story of the birth of athena, center would be zeus and athena; those who survive are only the supporting, begins with helios and his chariot presenting the rising sun, functions as a horizon line, imagine figure rising up, then the god and goddess, dionysus represent the anatomy and greek's obsession of the body while being relaxed and showing strength; some figures are reacting; right side are the three goddess, the bunched clothes show muscular underneath; nobility and riches; ends with the horse and the goddess of moon, exhausted horse to show the end west metopes is gods versus giants, north is gods versus titans, south metope is lapith versus centaurs and north metope is greeks versus trojans; shows that greek is civilization and order while persians are disorder and barbarism centaurs and lapiths: drunk centaur making out with a lapith woman, centaur is beautifully rendered and shows nobility of human body over fallen centaur; or victorious lapith pulling centaur's back, beauty of torso is highlighted by the beautiful drapery form horizon line, figures are rising up, moment in time; three goddess have clothing that obscure and show body; drapery as water, shadows metopes: break bound of the metope, creating diagonal form, contrast, enormous movement and energy, center of victorious lapith is empty with curve lines, free standing context 5th century bce is the classical period, height of greek culture, from the important greek victory over the large persian empire, decisively defeat in 479 bce; result of the overconfidence from the athenians parthenon sculptures were overseen by phidias; found in the pediment, doric metopes, and the ionic frieze when the athenians approached parthenon, they approached on the west side, then to the east; the sculptures have been degraded over centuries panathenaic friezes: everyday athenians represented; preparations on horseback for the processions, very natural, metal attachments where appropriate, overlapping horse legs, calm and noble faces in side profile (most noble, mouth are closed); chariot and animal sacrifices warp around to the side are calm women, humans, and gods of mount olympus (who are bigger); one younger and one older figure folding peplos, woven for the goddess athena; athena, back to the peplos, with easy stance, stylized drapery that clings to her body, hephaestus turns back over right shoulder to address her;; low relief; energy, naturalism of movement, athletic and ideal bodies, understood structures of human body, variety and rhythm of horses, overlapping legs;; panathenaic procession is yearly procession that went up the secret way to honor athena, make way to the ancient olive wood statue of the goddess athena, unique because there is representation of athenians, projected themselves into the realm of the gods, self confident, finest sculptures from classical antiquity; greece are demanding return from the removal of lord elgin back from permission from the ottoman authorities in 1800s; taken forcefully from imperialism function religious narrative, wealth and power, to athena convey beauty and part of the parthenon meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: depicted her birth, apex of athenian power themes: honor, religion, birth, narrative related pieces: standard of ur, palette of narmer

athena (pergamon frieze)

basic information pergamon alter, turkey, southwest asia minor; marble, high relief, painted; hellenistic art content athena looks in control, grab alcyoneus out of the earth, gaia is unable to help and is anger; from athena, to alcyoneous, to athena's snake is biting him, curve of the body, intersection of athena's drapery, to gaia, then victory; balance of the bracketed passionate defeated wild figures and also crowned by winged nike athena is moving to the left but arm is right, alcyoneous lifts his head up, twist shoulders, legs are behind him; painted form love of the body with expressiveness and drama, figures coming from different perspectives; emotion, drama; counterclockwise position around athena's shield; diagonals, high relief, contrast, complexity of position, virtuoso sculpting chain fold drapery, movement, twists and turns, texture context hellenistic art comes after alexander the great that conquered enormous territory and expansion of greek culture, hellenized (made it greek); from egypt to indus valley; after he died his empire was divided between the four generals, one of them founded pergamon from the defensive position battle of gods and titans sculpture of zeus: composed and in control, exposed chest and abdomen, living drapery, taking on three giants, got eagles and thunderbolts to help him out, giants is on his eyes, while on the other side there is giant on a rock with a thunderbolt in his thigh; sense of heroism and balance, with momentary and excitement; the story of gods and giants were important, spoke of greeks' fear and optimism to overcome chaos function victory of greek culture over barbaric, chaotic, and unknown forces of nature military victory meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: drama, victory themes: victory, war, power, preserving culture related pieces: standard of ur, palette of narmer

great altar of zeus and athena at pergamon

basic information pergamon, turkey, southwest asia minor; second century bc; marble, 400 ft long, ionic order content figures are on the frieze, seem to be spilled out over the wall since they are high relief, some rest their knees on the stairs; whole drama center is where the sacred part, where the fire to zeus was lit and sacrifices were made form move out of the frame because of high relief; symmetrical, painted, high relief, textures, ionic order, interaction of space and form context hellenistic art comes after alexander the great that conquered enormous territory and expansion of greek culture, hellenized (made it greek); from egypt to indus valley; after he died his empire was divided between the four generals, one of them founded pergamon from the defensive position center is where the sacred part, where the fire to zeus was lit and sacrifices were made the art piece is in berlin because prussia had political ambition that would rival france and britain, so have great museums that express past civilizations be inheritors of the revered classical tradition in the 19th century; so they reconstructed the altar and much of the frieze located on the hilltop of pergamon, walk up the hill surrounded by a great library, garrison for soldier, and a royal palace function sacrificial, worship, celebration of victory over barbaric gauls dedicated to zeus meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: expansion of greek art, drama, parallels battles of the gods, pergamon connects to rome themes: war, divinity, victory related pieces: lamassu, darius palace

doryphoros (spear thrower)

basic information pleistra, pompeii, italy, by polykeitios, 4450-440 bc, classical style; marble copy of ancient greek originals content stands on right foot weight bearing, left leg is relaxed, but left arm is weight bearing, and right arm is relaxed; left ankle is up so tilt axis, but knee is tilted differently, and the hip is tilted with the knee turned head slightly; right side is compressed (left hip is handing down and not being supported) form contrapposto (stands on right foot weight bearing, left leg is relaxed, but left arm is weight bearing, and right arm is relaxed), not symmetrical, general s curve, right side is compressed (left hip is handing down and not being supported) figures that seem fully alive and like us; complicated motion of walking the weight of the body on one foot, the other flexed and at rest, is a stance called the "chiastic" pose asymmetrical balance → harmony context canon is the idealized form that could be studied and replicated, perfect form based on math is similar to pythagoras discovering harmony in music is based on math as he discovered all beauty were based on math, so greeks celebrated the body nude not portrait of individual but the perfection of human form; classical form is about the human body and physiotomy, interested in understanding how the body moved, put human potential in the center, not transcendent figures, ideal mirrors of ourselves function show idealism, perfect proportion demonstrates piece to accompany a treatise meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: ideal beauty, sports in the nude, fully alive themes: idealism versus naturalism, symmetry, movement, moment, perfection related pieces: vitruvian man, book of the dead

house of vetti

basic information pompeii, italy; domus, 1100 meters squared content two strong boxes, arca in the large atrium , priapus painting (priapus hold own phallus against bag of money) in the vestibule; built on top of remains of old houses, with form of wings (alae) and doorway, 2 large central house, basin to collect rainwater (impluvium), peristyle open courtyard of doric columns, decorated atrium of the 4th style, dining room had red and black pictures galleries have panels with fine motifs of trotti/putti, set to the wall not visible from the outside form peristyle courtyard with doric columns, theme of forward thinking, doric columns with scrolls, 3 and 4th style wall painting in the galleries, lack of natural light, nature, symmetrical context destroyed in mr. vesuvius eruption in 79 ce; the house was the top ranking aristocratic residence in the roman republic, shows much status asymmetrical social relationships, clients to patron but trust and dutifulness of the client, by ancestral customs (mos maiorum), to the patron in return for support and favor discovered in 1894 and 1896, the owners were aulus vettius conviva, and restitus, former slaves and now freeman, demonstrate social mobility, wealth from wine function rituals of daily lives and social hierarchy receive clients, by the patronus, client would get an idea of the wealth smaller atrium for service, and peristyle and well appointed room were for entertainment and dining more power equals more clients meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: arca shows wealths, priapus shows socio-economic status/ambition, focus on interior decoration, patronage themes: power, authority, wealth, community related pieces: great pyramids, nan madol, winged victory, necropolis

seated boxer

basic information rome, italy; bronze (lost wax casting), chased, cut into the surfaced, 4'2' hellenistic content ivory eyes, think hollow; realistic, beauty comes from his story, pathos, emotional, copper as blood hand wrapped in leather, thin and athletic, reality of the moment head down, torso collapse, looking up, broken nose, swollen ear,m seated gives humility, informality, right leg is up on heel, and left is splayed out form lost wax casting, many pieces were carved separately and then attached together, in the round, naturalistic, mixture classical and hellenistic of the twisted torso and neck versus the pose and muscles context boxing focuses on hand and face hellensitic focus on wider variety, more emotions, pathos, beyond heroism and nobility, more sophisticated; after alexander the great and before the romans, break from the traditional heroic, male, and nude figure; a cultural shift found at the quirinal hill, rome function attributed with healing powers votive of a boxer, boxer of quirinal shift of artistic style show the sport of boxing, greek turbulence, and good luck charm meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: ideal hero of classical and human experience of the hellenistic, harshness of human experience, paradox of the seated warrior themes: defeat, narrative, naturalistic, human form, expression related pieces: dying gaul, standard of ur, palette of narmer

sculpture of apollo

basic information rome; terra cotta content spirit, stride forward, archaic smile, seen from below, tight garment, hair in knots, painted form liveliness, contrapposto, drapery is flat, stylized, in the round context vulca from veii, stood on top of the temple, scheme with the third labor of hercules, golden deer story function greeke celebration, votive, decoration, narration meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: etruscan, story of hercules and artemis themes: decoration, stylized, worship related pieces: kouros/kore, nike of samothrace, running horned woman

nike of samothrace

basic information samothrace, aegean sea (sanctuary of the great gods), 2nd century bce; 9 ft high, thasian and parian marble, hellenistic content horns, windswept motion, grounded, torso lifts up, abdomen twist, wing is back, wind pulls back the drapery, responds to the environment creases and folds rests on her as if they are wet and fall back on her legs missing hand and head, may hold a trumpet (naval victory), meant to be view from ¾ view, so the other side is less carved revealing but not nude, and can tell which part is thicker and thinner because of the good carving looking from perspective, form right triangle, spiraling effect form movement, strides forward, similar on frieze but more energetic, study on the body, the folds create texture and light, relief, art and nature combined, emotive and expressive, dramatic, passionate context found in samothrace's sanctuary harbor, stood on the prow of a stone warship in a temple, in a fountain so the water would create a sound effect, reflect light under the sun so there is lightness, movement, and aerial visual dimensions with sound, sits on a pestle but on the wind facing side rejected polykeitos's ideal proportions, self-contained, impacted western art hellenistic emerged after the split of alexander's empire, the warring state led nike to be important function ex-voto (votive offering to a deity, given by people of rhodes to celebrate victory, gain favor, and protection for the sailors and armies against storms and enemies) commemorate sea battle dedicates to god to represented protection and victory meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: environment and art, victory, emotion/expressive themes: war, human form, worship, protection related pieces: niobide krater, rapa nui, and female deity

stele of hammurabi

basic information susa, iran, in 1780 bce; made of basalt content tall black basalt stele, hammurabi raising his hand to the sun god, shamash, with a headdress and four pairs of horns in true profile and thunderbolts coming down inscribed with a prologue that is the relief sculpture and the code itself, as well as an epilogue to the king and his importance the hat is similar to the ziggurat and the beard is similar to the votive figures form shamash has both front and side profile, composite view; the horns are in profile and there is a foreshortening of the beard, relief of the top, and in the round context the babylonians centralized city stated after the third dynasty of ur, conquered the elamites, eshnunna, and the assyrians, controlled all of mesopotamia prescribes penalties for adultery, murder, cutting neighbor's trees, and so on, he was a micro-manager, the stele is written in akkadian, and expresses agricultural concerns and tensions, family lives, and respectfulness of the king it was an advanced culture with laws, crops, predate the commandments, taxation, patriarchy; babylon was destroyed by the hittites and fractured shamash is the god of light, justice, equity, a solar deity around 2000 bce, ended the city states, led to pastoral nomads to settle in to the cities; new ones were similar because they had writing, self-glorifying stories and temples, but they had private enterprises as long as they gave a cut → taxes, created stable social orders, tribal chiefs because kings that wanted to expand out of the city and have their sons inherit power hammurabi ruled kingdom of babylon from 1792-1750 bce, the law code is pretty strict, an eye for an eye (makes the world go blind), introduce presumption of innocence; shepherd and father shepherd that brings peace, my shade spread through city held sumer and akkad; shift of power from god to people territorial kingdom relied on the poor people to pay taxes, labor, work; so they liked the nomads that would replace their oppressor, hence, nomadic hittites function code art meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: god bestows hammurabi the authority to rule and enforce the law, as a pious theocrat, directly from god scepter & ring are symbols of power

last judgement of hunefer (the book of the dead)

basic information thebes, egypt; 1275 bce, 19th dynasty, 45.7 x 83.4 cm; papyrus content the book of the dead is in good preservation and illustration; famous one being the last judgement of hunefer anubis brings hunefer into the judgement area. anubis is also shown supervising the judgement scales. hunefer's heart, represented as a pot, is being weighed against a feather, the symbol of maat, the established order of things, in this context meaning 'what is right'. the ancient egyptians believed that the heart was the seat of the emotions, the intellect and the character, and thus represented the good or bad aspects of a person's life. if the heart did not balance with the feather, then the dead person was condemned to non-existence, and consumption by the ferocious "devourer," the strange beast shown here which is part-crocodile, part-lion, and part-hippopotamus. however, as a papyrus devoted to ensuring hunefer's continued existence in the afterlife is not likely to depict this outcome, he is shown to the right, brought into the presence of osiris by his son horus, having become "true of voice" or "justified." this was a standard epithet applied to dead individuals in their texts. osiris is shown seated under a canopy, with his sisters isis and nephthys. at the top, hunefer is shown adoring a row of deities who supervise the judgement. form formality, stance, attitude abstract figures and hieroglyphs is rigid, no movement and conservative figures, in canon narrative with no perspective context book as ritual of cult, spells, and prayer, found in hunefer's tomb in theban necropolis; hunefer and his wife lived in 19th dynasty, he was a royal scribe, cattle-seer, steward of sety i, basically a high administrator, might've been in memphis the book were a series of magic spells intended to assist a dead's journey through the duat (underworld), originally on the wall, but it is put between the mummies' legs, there were bad and good mummifications function document hunefer's existence in afterlife; document the rituals of osiris narrative ensure dead's journey through the underworld meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: rituals, white: ascension, purity, life, salt that you wrap the mummy in so it doesn't rot; lotus: symbol of life; green: rebirth themes: rituals, afterlife, authority, polytheism related pieces: malagan and buk mask, lascaux caves, wall of persepolis

hatshepsut's mortuary statue

basic information upper egypt, deir el-bahri, over 9 ft tall, 1479 - 58 bce; granite content female pharaoh hatshepsut, broad shoulders, flattened chest, male headdress (cobra), nenes, kneeling position, depicted in offering, slightly feminine form symmetry, embedded into the stone, masculine versus feminine, subtractive carving, stiff and idealized, no negative space, stagnant/static context females are usually regent/queen mothers, not pharaohs; she built this to enforce her divine tale and oracle mythology; she ruled for 2 decades; used art to convey authority like the mortuary temple and the sphinx; she built the temple near the cliffs it was during a period of transition, and she ensured stability over a time of instability of the intermediate phrase were egypt was divided, before moving into the amarna period and new kingdom her coruler was her husband's son, her own stepson, and when he took the throne he wanted to destroy everything that she had done, so this was originally in fragments it was shown in a procession ritual, the skull of amon-re was taken to these in shrine boat so that the living can transform into the dead; the statue is located up the causeway, with one knight on knees making offerings function procession, pageant, worship, power of the authority eternal and permanent influence image of a king who is also a god offering amon-re in a procession of maat, the god of truth, order, and justice meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: head cloth and cobra symbolize pharaoh, king only kneel to a god, maternal themes: afterlife, power, authority, female versus male related pieces: palace of darius and staff god

white temple and its ziggurat

basic information uruk, iraq, made of mud bricks, 40 ft above ground level, late 4th bce, it would take 1500 laborers working ten hours a day for 5 years to build it, from corvee labor - unpaid labor coerced by the state/slavery; coated in bitumen (asphalt) and overlaid with brick for a waterproof and firm foundation for the temple; the temple itself is 17.5 x 22.3 m content the side of the ziggurat is broad and sloping but broken up by stripes or bands, a steep stairway that led to the ramp that wraps around the building the white temple itself is a typical uruk high temple (hochtempel) with a tripartite plan, three entrances, not facing ziggurat directly the temple chambers contain staircases, the chambers have wooden shelves and displayed cavities for stones, there is also a podium with a small staircase and an altar 19 tablets of gypsum on the flour had cylinder seal impressions and reflected the temple's accounting, there is also bones of leopard and lions there is also a northern terrace with a huge pit of fire as well as shallow bitumen conduits for the liquid that would be collected in the center hall form bent axis for the ziggurat, the temple is oriented to the cardinal points, and the person has to walk around to get in, and when you get in, you aren't facing the temple context dedicated to sky god anu, puts the structure in the center of the theocratic political system, where a god is recognized as the ruler and the state officials operate on the god's behalf agricultural revolution: before the agricultural revolution, people settled near the waters because they provide abundant resources, they lived pretty well; agriculture lives developed sedentary life separately and independently, advantage would be control of food supply, food surplus (specialization of labor and urbanization, large population, support people not directly involved in the production of food, more jobs and diverse jobs), practice all over the world (with manipulation of environment) but disadvantage is changing environment, farming is hard (social order like slavery); alternative is herder, domesticed animals and taking them on the road, provide meat and road, wool, and leather, but there is a lot of moving, which is makes it hard at building cities, only on certain parts of the world because only some of them could be herd/domesticated, like no herding in native america because they only had lamas; population pressure, abundance gave leisure, plating originated as fertility right, grains for alcohol, accidental movement, evolutionary desire to eat more, like they realized seeds germinate when planted, so find more accessible plants to have more food, for example snail domestication (nutrious, easy ro carry, nutritious); without agriculture you would not have patriarchy, inequality, war, famine, dams, deforestation, drilling for oil, that comes with complex civilizations mesopotamia: meso (middle of) the tigris and euphrates rivers, socialism (farmers contributed crops to public storehouses, out of which workers would be paid uniform wages in grains, you can be something other than shepherd, proto-socialism; but some people didn't want to give up their flock; gilgamesh is the oldest work of literature, shows showdown between country and city-state uruk was a walled city with canals and ziggurats, priests had all the power because they could communicate directly with the gods and that's important because those gods were very moody, tirgris and euphrates had to be manipulated for irrigation, prone to floods, drought, and difficulty to navigate, so priests that could placate the god were very useful but after 1000 years, rival structures like the palace showed up and the responsibility was shifted from the gods to people kings started out as military leaders and quasi religious rules by marrying the high priestess written record of cuneiform to record transactions from commerce, writing were classified to the elites, weren't egalitarian, made slavery and widening social classes, history; writing happened because mesopotamia had to trade, developed first territorial kingdom function a visual connection to the god or goddess recognize deity's political authority meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: themes: worship, authority related pieces: ambum stone, and nan midol because of the combination of religion and politics

king tut death mask and innermost coffin

basic information valley of the kings, egypt content the inner coffin derives from the outer two that were crafted in wood and covered in gold along with many semi precious stones like lapis lazuli and turquoise, inner is made of solid gold, originally covered in black anointing liquid, holds the crook and flail which symbols right to rule goddesses nekhbet and wadjet are inalif with stone that is stretched on the torso that is inlaid with stone, and beneath them are isis and nephthys in gold lid death mask was 22.5 pounds, striped nemes with nekhbet and wedjet protecting brow, false beard, broad collar that ends in falcon heads, covered with spell 151 of the book of the dead as a road map for the afterlife, protects his limbs as he moves into the underworld form repetition of lines, symbol, concentration on the body, stiff, no movement, geometric pattern, detailed and stylized, symmetrical and perfect face context he became king at a young age of the new kingdom, found by howard carter in 1922; ruled after armana, possible father is akhenaten, king tut returned focus to thebes and polytheism; he married his half sister and ended the line of succession, died in suspicious circumstances, his older advisor married widowed wife howard carter was a british egyptologists and earned one last founding from earl of carnarvon king is shown in divine form with skin of gold, bone of silver, and hair of lapis lazuli died in 1322 bce, but because egypt was so similar for so long it blends together, lasted 800 years longer than china, lasted longer than the entire western civilization function protection of afterlife ka and ba wealth, power, and the right to rule meaning, themes, and related pieces meaning: crook and flail are right to rule, silver is bone, lapis lazuli for hair, gold for skin themes: death, afterlife, religion, and power related pieces: great pyramids, standard of ur, malagan and buk mask

temple of minerva

basic information veii, italy; mud brick (tufa) content raised podium, visible entrance, deep porch, 8 columns and three cellas, doric, no antithesis unfluted and wood, no sculpture on wood pediment, spaced further apart, terra cotta form colorful, pattern, repetition context build temples with the greeks, three gods, tuscan order capitals function dedicated to minerva meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: gods are meant to viewed as frontal themes: religious and ritual related pieces: parthenon, pergamon altar, hatshepsut temple

augustus of primaporta

basic information villa of livia, now in the vatican, rome; 1st century ce, 2.03 meters; marble; greek classical (polykleitos) content raise right hands, left leg is bent, weight is on right, cupid riding a dolphin on the side (venus, sea), youthful face, raise eyebrow, high cheekbones armor (cuirass) has roma for rome, parthians returning the eagle standard (barbaric foreigner), tellus holds the infant of earth, sky holds clouds, apollo holds lyre, and diana has the stag, captives, sun moon form natural, moving forward, contrapposto, more alive, fringed drapery, painted, idealized god form in canon, sharp brow ridge, tight cap of hair, frontal context first empire of rome after republic, private copy of bronze over the parthian defeat so this was to celebrate copy of doryphoros by polykeitos link aeneas lineage, descendant from the gods from adoptive father caesar augustus inherit the throne after an early age, vanquished anthony and cleopatra at actium in 32 ce, died when he was less than 32, ruler of all mediterreanean function celebration of victory, political ideology, bringing of greek golden age, expansion of empire, propaganda of empire and resume bringer of pax romana, divinity of the ordained meaning, themes, and related pieces meanings: hands show addressing troops, captives are victory's spoils, dolphin is a symbol of mark anthony and cleopatra's battle of actium and descendant from the gods themes: war, victory, propaganda, power, authority, youthfulness related pieces: doryphoros, parthenon, persepolis, menkaure and his wife, hatshepsut, the portrait of louis xiv