Final IDs Flashcards
Great Stupa (Buddhist)
ca. 250 BCE
Sanchi India
Significance:
When the Buddah died, his body was divided among stupas, which became religious sites that literally and figuratively spread buddism across India. Fulfilled 3 main functions, 1. provided a focus for meditation, 2. helped with religious teaching through visual storytelling, and 3. through patronage of these stupas, one could gain spiritual merit
Solid interior meant the outside was the site for religious activity, with a stone harmika (symbolizes heaven) surrounding a three tiered parasol (symbollically shields buddah’s relics within)
Double Railings surround the stupa that mark pathways for pradakshina (ritual circumambulation) and the outer railing is punctuated by 4 gates called toranas which mark the cardinal directions and contain narrative reliefs depicting the buddah’s life such as the great departure on an architrave on the eastern torana
The Buddha (Buddhist)
Early 2nd century CE (Kushan Period)
Mathura, India
Material: Red Sandstone
An example of one of the first times the Buddha was represented anthropomorphically (previously represented symbolically). Here the buddha is represented as a seated smiling figure, with his hand raised in a welcoming mudra (symbolic gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism usually involving the hands and fingers). This representation of the Buddha is typical for Mathura sculptures.
The Kushan Empire had two capitals, Mathura and Gandhara, which were both centers of buddhist sculpture production that created very different representations. Mathura used red sandstone to create a smiling seated figure with smooth hair and a sheer shawl draped over one shoulder, the other hand raised in a welcoming mudra. Gandhara, however used grey schist stone and combined elements of roman portraiture with south and west asian visual traditions seen through the heavy draped cloth and thick wavy hair. Also tend to look downwards with serious expressions.
Temple to Vishnu (Hindu)
Early 6th century (Gupta period)
Deogarh, India
Hindu temples were homes for deities on earth, and had an small inner chamber symbolizing a cave called a garbhagriha (held main icon of diety) with a single entrance topped with shikhara (tower above inner sanctum). A devotee would have entered the chamber and performed pradakshina (ritual circumambulation) and stand in the garbhagriha doorway to receive darshan (the auspicious devotional act of seeing and being seen by a deity, holy person, or sacred object in Hinduism.)
The temple’s exterior is decorated with a heavily ornamented doorframe on the western facade and 3 rectangular sculptural panels that depict Vishnu creating the god brahma, Vishnu meditating and preaching the importance of dharma, and Vishnu liberating an elephant king who had been trapped by a sea serpent. Together these panels would have told a story to those who circumambulate the temple (creation, dharma, and liberation) The doorframe is decorated with an image of Vishnu on a serpent surrounded by protective figures such as mithunas (amorous couple representing fertility)
Sculptural Panel showing Vishnu reclining on serpent Ananta
Early 6th century (Gupta period)
Temple to Vishnu, Deogarh, India
- Panel to left = Elephant headed god Ganesha - remover of obstacles and worshiped at the start of a task, indicates to start the pradakshina here
- Crown on central reclining figure shows it’s vishnu laying atop the serpent of infinity, Ananta. A Lotus vine is draped across him which connects to the story where a lotus grew from his naval as he slept which eventually opened to reveal Brahma, the god of creation.
- At top of image, Brahma is seated on a lotus flower flanked by other deities to witness the event
- The figures in a row at the base are personifications of Vishnus weapons, stopping to demons on the left from attacking Vishnu as he sleeps
- Vishnu’s broad, round shoulders and smooth chest, and oval face indicate that this was created in the Gupta style
Portrait of Augustus as general (imperator)
1st century CE (copy of bronze original ca. 20 BCE)
Primaporta, Italy
Material - marble
Provides a contrapossto stance and idealized/youthful features resemble Polykleito’s Doryphoros. This greek classical ideal means that Augustus was never represented as old despite the fact that he lived into his 70s. Even though he shows idealized features, he still has distinctive features such as his facial features (i.e. nose) and hair style which identify him as Augustus and depart form the generic ideal that Doryphoros shows.
The Statue would have originally been painted which would have added more details. Cupid, god of love and desire, and the dolphin at Augustus’s feet are subtle references to Cupid’s mother, Venus (goddess of love), who was born from the sea, and from whom Augustus was supposed to descend.
His breast plate shows images such as the central image of a roman soldier receiving a roman legionary standard from a Parthian which was a symbol of rome’s political victory over the Parthians, all of which were reminders of Augustus’ cultural renewal.
Overall the image shows the peace and abundance brought by Augustus’ reign believed to be sanctioned by the gods
Altar of Augustan Peace
13-9 BCE
Rome, Italy
Another example of Augustus’ ideological program for cultural renewal, this multicolor open air altar was commissioned by the senate would have been oriented to the cardinal directions. The altar was dedicated to Pax (Roman goddess of peace) and set up on a podium and surrounded by walls that held reliefs on the inside of ox skulls (representative of the sacrifices that would have been made to the gods here) and on the outside there were 2 large registered separated by a roman key pattern.
The lower register is vegetal (shows plants) with acanthus which represent abundance and order
The upper register shows figures with both historical and mythical propaganda which supported a positive view of Augustus.
Mithras Slaying the Bull
ca. 170 CE
At the Mithraeum at Dura-Europos
Dura-Europos was a city in West Asia that boasted an incredible diversity of religions, including Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Mithraism and more. This image of Mithras slaying the bull is part of the Mithraeum that resided underground at Dura-Europos. This scene depicts Mithras (the deity worshiped in Mithraism) killing the cosmic bull to release justice into the world.
Mithras is shown in hierarchical scale which emphasizes his importance in the violent act of slitting the bull’s throat. The Patron of this piece is identified as a figure to the right named Zenobius who is seen making a sacrifice to Mithras. This piece also signifies the importance of lineage as Zenobius’ descendants are depicted at the beside and below the altar.
Consecration of the tabernacle
ca. 245 CE
At a synagog at Dura-Europos
A mural decorates the interior walls of the synagog at Dura-Europa, with 28 panels arranged in 3 different registers delineating stories from the Hebrew bible which portrayed the Jewish history, faith, and laws. The western wall contains a niche where the Torah was kept, above which a painting depicts the consecration of the tabernacle (the portable earthly home of God during the Jewish people’s 40 yr journey to the promised land), inside of which a menorah and the ark of the covenant (where the original tablets that showed the 10 commandments were written)
Aaron, the first Jewish great priest, is represented to the tabernacle’s left with opulent robes and greek lettering spelling out his name.
Fresco on cubiculum vault in the Catacomb of Sts Peter and Marcellinus
4th Century CE
Rome
Roman Christians buried their dead in catacombs (underground tunnels with hollows to hold the dead) which contained depictions of narratives intended to help onlookers remember key moments in the past and link it to prophetic future events through representations of many religious symbols and sacred persons.
In the center of this peace, a medallion represents christ as the Good Shepherd. The circular space is surrounded by 4 lunettes depicting the story of Jonah (early story of rebirth)
The Dome of the Rock + Al-Aqsa Mosque
ca. 691-92 (Umayyad period)
Jerusalem, Israel
Perhaps the first major work of Islamic Art, this monument is the 3rd most holy site in Islam (after the Ka’ba in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina), this was originally the site where the 2nd Jewish Temple once stood. It is built around a Rock that is sacred to both Jewish and Islamic faith as the Rock where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son and where Muhammad was said to ascend to the heavens. It is decorated with marble columns and glass mosaics which depict common Byzantine motifs such as foliage, jewelry, and winged crowns. There is an arabic inscription in gold mosaic of Qur’anic passages which emphasize the differences between Islam and Christianity (Islam, God has no Son, and there is a pointed reference to Jesus that does not deny his existence as a profit but negates his role as the son of God.)
The Great Mosque of Damascus
ca. 715 (Umayyad Period)
Syria
Built on a site originally occupied by a Byzantine Church, the great mosque boasts many common architectural elements of mosques, such as a spacious courtyard, an ablution fountain, covered prayer hall (w/ a facade that looks to the courtyard), a hypostyle hall (lrg room w/ pillars supporting the roof) with a gabled roof that leads to the main mihrab (prayer niche) + minbar (pulpit where sermon was given) located on the qibla wall (wall indicating the direction of prayer). There were also multiple minarets which served as a place to call to worship and also a visible sign on the skyline of the mosque.
Mosaic w/ lion and gazelles, from a reception hall in bathhouse
c. 724-44 (Umayyad Period)
Khirbat al Mafjar, Near Jericho
The caliph would have been seated atop this mosaic, which would have implied the caliph’s power to those who came to meet him. It was placed at the apse end of the small room. Those who met with the caliph would have been able to look at the mosaic and wonder which type of gazelle they were, those that could eat peacefully and those that were taken down by the mighty lion, a common symbol for rulers. The tassels that surround the image make it look as if it was a textile or a rug.
Rhinoceros from burial at Mapungubwe
ca. 1000 CE
South Africa
This piece was made from multiple sheets of gold fastened a wooden core with small nails. The animal almost has an appearance of an armored vehicle, and its head is lowered as if ready to charge. These give the animal a powerful symbolism and would have been a suitable metaphor for a royal leader. It was from a burial site at Mapungubwe, and the accurate depiction of a rhino despite the fact that there were no similar looking creatures native to this region indicates that there may have been an exchange of information or that the piece was created somewhere else and imported.
Great Zimbabwe
1250-1400 BCE
Ancestral Shona, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a term linked to royal residences and stone enclosures, and each was a residence of a king whose connection to previous divine rulers were believed to give him supernatural power and political authority. There are many artifacts that indicate that the kingdom traded goods over long distances including iron gongs and copper crosses from central Africa, beads from South Asia, and Porcelain from East Asia. This structure was built without mortar and is therefore an example of dry masonry, using blocks of granite that were smoothed and carefully stacked together. The exterior walls were very tall (up to 36 ft high), while interior walls divided different rooms such as meeting halls, thatched dwellings, and throne rooms. There were conical structures that mirrored what have been used to store crops, and were likely symbols of the rulers ability to provide rainfall for abundant harvests.
Royal emblem in the form of a fish eagle
1250-1400
Ancestral Shona, Zimbabwe
Found in one of the dwellings believed to be for the king’s wife or sister, this post was found that depicts a crocodile (which resides in the deep where it is said the spirits of dead rulers rest) climbing up towards zigzagging lines representing lightning, round circles that may represent vigilant owl eyes. On top there is a fish eagle capable of hunting down fish from the water quickly (likely the speed is connected to the depiction of lightning) The eagle is a representation of this king, whose prayers bring together the water in pools and water in clouds.