In the East Iranian World a piece titled Bronze ewer inlaid with silver (Inv. No. LNS 118M), also called Khorassan Silver Inlaid Bronze Jug, was made in March – April 1205. As you look at the ewer, if you don’t know what an ewer is, you obliviously release it as just a jug like it says in the other title, Khorassan Silver Inlaid Bronze Jug. The ewer is about 9¼ in. (23.1cm.) high. Like the title says, the ewer is bronze and inlaid with silver. It looks very old because you can see that most of the bronze has turned green over the years, just like most bronze objects do if not well taken care of. The designs are very neat and well drawn. When looking at it more closely you start to realize it is covered in zodiac signs and the Arabic words Naskh and Kufic. The ewer has a pattern of raised bands on its cylinder shaped body on top of its round base with grooves in it. It has a flat cylinder neck that is connected to a plain band at the very top. It has a simple loop handle that starts at the top of the ewer down to the middle.
It has a curved band of naskh below and a band of kufic above, the shoulder of the ewer is an on going band of naskh on the leafy vine ground. Naskh and Kufic are scripts from the Arabic language. For insight I went and researched what all the writing on the ewer means. I felt that if I could understand the meaning of the words, we could get a better understanding of why the ewer was made. “The kufic around the mouth reads: li-sahibihi al-ajall al-akhass al-muqbil al-muhtaram sadid al-din rafa’ Al-islam w'al-muslimin 'aziz al-muluk w'al-salatin, which means for its owner, the most glorious, the most excellent, the fortunate, the revered, [he who is] straight [in the path of] religion,.... of Islam and the beli...
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...wer much better.
All said, I believe the Bronze ewer inlaid with silver is an extraordinary and generous ewer with so much meaning to it. Probably much more meaning then we think. The ewer has so much detail engraved in it and probably symbolizes good fortunes, blessings, glory, happiness, etc. The ewer was a gift of gratitude towards someone and I believe it probably brought them great luck as well.
Works Cited
"A KHORASSAN SILVER INLAID BRONZE JUG | NORTH EAST PERSIA, DATED SHA'BAN AH 601(?) MARCH-APRIL 1205 AD." Christie's Auctions & Private Sales | Fine Art, Antiques, Jewelry & More | Christie's. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.
Sardar, Marika. "Astronomy and Astrology in the Medieval Islamic World | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Home. N.p., Aug. 2011. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.
The Kunz Axe is a votive axe that is associated with the Olmec culture. It was found in the hills of Oaxaca, Mexico by George Kunz in 1890. The axe appears to be dating around 800-500 BC, which is part of the Middle Formative period. Although this artifact is considered an axe, it does not mean that this was its function. The votive axe appears more of a sculpture and it is “more likely that it was used in ritual settings” (Milner Library, n.d.). The material that was used to made this artifact is jade. Because the artifact was made out of jade, it is believed that it was “reserved for the adornment of gods and royalty” (The Met, n.d.). The Kunz Axe has a blue green color and it is about eleven inches high. It appears to depict a human with
It is from the Neo-Assyran period during 883-859b.c.e. The highest relief would be its head. The writing was all around the statue in a different writing. It is very big and tall. It is on a good portion of the corner of a hallway. It looks kind of cool with a bull’s body with wings and a human’s head on it. The face is kind of funny because of the beard I guess if long and real even. The human-headed wing bull had five legs.
The ‘Green Tara 14th century’ is a metal sculpture which is about 10 inches tall and 6 inches wide. It is very precisely detailed with the clothes, head piece, earings, necklaces and other types of jewellery all intricately carved. The
Surely, it was easily recognizable during the Early Zhou dynasty that it was a ritual wine vessel and for the wealthy to use for their offerings. But today, at first glance, it may look intimidating with its sharp points from top to bottom. The vessel has a unique shape and green patina color that catches the eye whether looking disgusting or elegant. It is also not very inviting with its rough looking texture, long spout, and awkward handle. Right where the rim of the cup starts and the spout ends are a pair of capped posts rising from the rim. Opposite from the spout is a sharp leaf-shaped rim, which could be easily mistaken as the spout, since wine could be poured out from that end too, technically. The design was modeled after a bird in flight. However, with a closer look, the detailed work on the vessel shows. This one has a somewhat thin braided or grid-like design imprinted around the whole cup, which makes it unique from other bronze vessels. Most Shang bronze vessels have a dominant motif of a frontal monster or animal-like mask known as a taotie. It typically had horns, eyes, nose, upper jaw, fangs, horns, eyebrows, and ears; therefore, sometimes could be known as opposed animal profiles or split representation as well (Cantor). Some versions include legs and a tail. With the closer look, the strong structure is more apparent as well. It is a unique one resembling a camera's tripod, though pointier and could actually be real sharp. Developed from the gu which was a goblet used for a single drinker, this jue was considered a small ewer on legs. It was a wine cup that only ancestor spirits could "hold and touch", not to mention its large size. This specific Ritual Wine Vessel measures a little over eight inches in height and a little over six inches in width due to
The following paper objective is to present the funerary stela of Ta-Khaa-En-Bastet, kept at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The stela’s accession number is 1947.392 and is possibly from Abydos because of its imagery. The stela dates back to the Late Period of ancient Egypt, which is 664-332 BC. This funerary stela helps to provide data about the funerary practices and the responsibilities women had in ancient Egyptian society.
The Second color on the wheel is Yellow it is known as the “East” it represents Air and Flight. The Animal that represents the East is animals of wings and flight which includes the hummingbird, The owl, and the Hawk. The hawk seems to represent a lot of different things same with the eagle when it comes to native history.
This Amphora was sculpted and painted between 540-530 B.C. by the same artist, Exekias. The shape of the piece
Marble statue of a kouros (youth), Greek, Attic, ca. 590-580 B.C. Fletcher Fund, 1932. Accession number: 32.11.1
Lesko, Barbara, "Queen Khamerernebty II and Her Sculpture," in Ancient Egyptian and Mediterranean Studies, (Providence, Rhode Island, 1998), 158.
Carved from alabaster the over-life-sized statue shows a idealized depiction of ruler Khafre sitting eloquently in his throne. Riddled with indicative symbols and motifs the written language of the ancient Egyptians allows for historian to interoperate the meanings and purpose of the sculpture, and decipher the statements of divinity and the king power left behind by this ancient people. This funerary statue represents Khafre’s eternity a well as utilizing the expensive material as a testament of his importance and
Stepping into a museum, large or small, locating in east or west countries, as long as it exhibits ancient Asian artworks, one can hardly not find bronzes placed in the most prominent spot, shone by a beam of cold white light. Bronze Age is not as lackluster or icy-cold as this dark metallic alloy shown to us ostensibly; instead, it was full of creativity and innovation. It is amazing but not surprising that ancient Chinese are considered one of the most intelligent group of human-being, produced such remarkable amount of artifacts to either use in their daily life as necessities or decorations, or sacrifice their ancestors, or record important events. This paper will provide a specific description of two bronze vessels respectively from Shang and Zhou dynasties, giving interpretations of their production process and their roles in ritual performance.
"Statuette of a standing maiden [Etruscan] (17.190.2066) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
The pieces of sculpture are both carved using the subtractive method of sculpting from stone. However, the types of stone used were very different. The sculpture of Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II was carved from a stone called greywacke, a dark colored, very hard stone the Egyptians prized for sculpture despite the fact t...
...ime period in a positive scientific light. The distinction between modern and medieval science was described as medieval science being more theoretical in nature and modern being of the more applied variety. Through the further presentation of the plethora of Islamic scientists, covering fields as diverse as astronomy, medicine, chemistry, and physics it has been shown, without a doubt, that significant scientific contributions were made in this period. Finally, the source of this misconception was exposed through the common accidental perception of the past as a European narrative. History can easily be focused around Europe, and to do so produces a view of the medieval era being stagnant. However, when one looks at the greater global picture, it is clear that the Islamic world more than makes up for this lull in innovation, successfully brightening the “Dark Age”.
Mathematics in Islamic Civilization - Dr. Ragheb Elsergany - Islam Story. (n.d.). Islam Story - Supervised by Dr. Ragheb Elsergany. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from http://en.islamstory.com/mathematics-islamic-civilization.html