Standing guardian figure (tepatung)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This statue was excavated from a river's bank in the upper reaches of the Mahakam River system in southeastern Borneo. It belongs to a small group of ancient pieces that have either been found in caves, or have been partially exposed as rivers rise and fall and change their course. This statue was partially exposed and then excavated from the riverbank of Sungai Belayan after the recession of a major flood.
The Wyeths' Vision of America
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Brilliantly patterned illustrations that capture the spirit of romance, stark and lonely images that bespeak the inner heart of America, and forceful paintings that depict the essence of people and the land—three generations of the Wyeth family, N.C. (Newell Convers) Wyeth, his son Andrew and his grandson Jamie, have produced a body of work which for many people characterizes America.
Looking at Art: Andrew Wyeth
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This essay originally appeared in the Dallas Museum of Art Bulletin as an announcement for An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art, an exhibition in the fall of 1988.
Thali (pendant)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Marriage ceremonies in India are very elaborate, lasting multiple days and including substantial symbolic rituals.
Hookah base
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Inlaying shiny metal pieces into black zinc vessels to form decorative patterns is an artistic technique that is unique to India. In fact, the knowledge and use of zinc as an independent metal flourished in India long before the process of its distillation was known in the West.
Hair braid ornament
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This exquisite piece of jewelry comes from the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Certainly this work is associated with jewelry worn by practitioners of Bharatanatyam, a classical south Indian dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It was originally performed in temples by highly trained and educated women who served the deity and thus did not marry.
Necklace with pendant of Ganesha
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Ganesha is the elephant-headed deity, son of Shiva and Parvati, who is evoked by Hindus upon waking every morning, for he is the overcomer of all obstacles and the god of success and good luck. Many houses have an image of Ganesha at their entrances to ensure the well-being of the dwellings and their inhabitants.
Standing Buddha
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Following the fall of the Mon-Dvaravati kingdom in the 11th century, Khmer rule extended into Thailand and remained dominant into the 13th century. The central Thai city of Lopburi, which gives its name to the period style of this large-scale Buddha, was both the political and artistic center of the region.
Buddha
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In 1281, King Mengrai captured the northern Mon city of Lamphun and established the kingdom of Lan Na, which lasted until the 16th century when the Burmese invaded.
Twentieth-century European Sculpture
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
During the first part of the 20th century, European sculpture was radically transformed. No longer anchored within a singular, classical tradition, sculptors experimented with diverse combinations of volumes, materials, colors, and spaces. Relinqui