Unit 8: South, East, and Southeast Asia, 300 BCE–1980 CE

Ashlar masonry

carefully cut and grooved stones that support a building without the use of concrete or other kinds of masonry

Bas-relief

a very shallow relief sculpture

Bodhisattva

a deity who refrains from entering nirvana to help others

Buddha

a fully enlightened being. There are many Buddhas, the most famous of whom is Sakyamuni, also known as Gautama or Siddhartha

Cella

the main room of a temple, where the god is housed

Darshan

in Hinduism, the ability of a worshipper to see a deity and the deity to see the worshipper

Garbha griha

a “womb chamber,” the inner room in a Hindu temple that houses the god’s image

Horror vacui

(Latin, meaning “fear of empty spaces”) a type of artwork in which the entire surface is filled with objects, people, designs, and ornaments in a crowded and sometimes congested way

Hypostyle

a hall with a roof supported by a dense thicket of columns Iconoclasm— the destruction of religious images that are seen as heresy

Mandorla

(Italian, meaning “almond”) an almond-shaped circle of light around the figure of Christ or Buddha

Mithuna

in India, the mating of males and females in a ritualistic, symbolic, or physical sense

Mudra

a symbolic hand gesture in Hindu and Buddhist art

Nirvana

an afterlife in which reincarnation ends and the soul becomes one with the supreme spirit

Puja

a Hindu prayer ritual Sakyamuni

Shikara

a bee-hive shaped tower on a Hindu temple

Shiva

the Hindu god of creation and destruction

Stupa

a dome-shaped Buddhist shrine

Torana

a gateway near a stupa that has two upright posts and three horizontal lintels. They are usually elaborately carved

Urna

a circle of hair on the brows of a deity, sometimes represented as focal point

Ushnisha

a protrusion at the top of the head, or the top knot of a Buddha

Vairocana

the universal Buddha, a source of enlightenment; also known as the Supreme Buddha who represents “emptiness,” that is, freedom from earthly matters to help achieve salvation

Vishnu

the Hindu god worshipped as the protector and preserver of the world

Wat

a Buddhist monastery or temple in Cambodia

Yakshi

female and male figures of fertility in Buddhist and Hindu art

The Lion

a symbol of Buddha’s royalty

The Wheel

Buddha’s law

Lotus

a symbol of Buddha’s pure nature. The lotus grows in swamps, but mud slides off its surface.

Columns surrounded by a wheel

Buddha’s teaching

Empty Throne

Buddha, or a reminder of a Buddha’s presence.

Bodhisattvas

helpers of the Buddha, are usually depicted near the Buddha.

mudras

Buddhas' moods vary but most suggest meditation. Hand gestures called \____, reveal Buddhas' actions and feelings.

ushnisha

The head has an \______ or top knot, hair has tight curls, and extremely long ears.

Yakshas and yakshis

These are distinctive figures that appear frequently in Indian popular religion and are often incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon.

Gandharan

By Buddha from Bamiyan (400–800)First colossal Buddhas.Pilgrimage site linked to the Silk Road.

These Buddhas served as models for later large-scale rock-cut images in China.

churning of the ocean of milk

one of the central events in the ever-continuing struggle between the devas (gods) and the asuras (demons, or titans).

Jowo Rinpoche enshrined in the Jokhang Temple

Statue thought to have been blessed by the Buddha himself. Temple founded in 647 by the first ruler of a unified Tibet. Disappeared in 1960s during China’s Cultural Revolution.

Mt. Meru

The stupa represents \_____, the mountain at the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology that connects the earth and the heavens.

giant hemisphere

The stupa's distinctive shape, like a \____, and the direction of prayer with the sun, give it cosmic symbolism.

Great Stupa

Pilgrimage site. A Buddhist shrine, mound shaped and faced with dressed stone containing the relics of the Buddha. The worshipper circumambulates the stupa clockwise along the base of the drum

Great Stupa Torana

orientation and direction of ritualistic circumambulation correspond with the direction of the sun’s courserichly carved scenes on the architraves

Borobudur Temple

Pyramid in form; aligned with the four cardinal points of the compass. This massive Buddhist monument contains 504 life-size Buddhas, 1,460 narrative relief sculptures on 1,300 panels 8,200 feet long. Meant to be circumambulated on each terrace

Borobudur Temple Body

five terraces in which people abandon their earthly desires; this is the world of forms—people have to control these negative impulses; sculptures here show the pilgrimage of the young man, Sudhana, who sets out in search of the Ultimate Truth.

Borobudur Temple Superstructure

an area that represents a formless world, in which a person experiences reality in its purest stage, where the physical world and worldly desire are expunged.

Queen Maya riding a horse carriage retreating to Lumbini to give birth to Prince Siddhartha Gautama

Densely packed scene; horror vacui.The queen is majestic and at rest before giving birth. Ready to give birth to her son, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. She is brought to the city in a great ceremonial procession.

Brahmins

Orthodox Hindus accept the Vedic texts as divine in origin and maintain aspects of the Vedic social hierarchy, which assigns a caste of ritual specialists known as \_____ to officiate between the gods and humankind.

Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja)

Shiva has four hands. The sculpture becomes the receptacle for the divine spirit when people pray before it. The distribution of this figure due to the patronage of a queen, Mahadevi.

Lakshmana Temple

The temple is placed on a high pedestal, or plinth, to be seen from a distance. It appears like rising peaks of a mountain range. It is a Hindu temple grouped with a series of other temples in Khajuraho. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu.

Angkor Wat Temple

Dedicated to Vishnu; most sculptures represent Vishnu’s incarnations. May have been intended to serve as the king’s mausoleum. Built by King Suryavarman II.Mountain-like towers symbolize the five peaks of Mount Meru

South Gate of Angkor Wat Temple

One of the 5 gates which guard the ancient city of Angkor Thom, and is the best preserved of all the gates. It was built by King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th Century, serving as 1 of the 5 holy Buddhist gateways to Angkor Thom.

Jayavarman VII as Buddha

He was considered to be a living Buddha, or bodhisattva who turned his back from the brink of enlightenment to redeem or save his people from suffering; he imagined himself in a role similar to that of the present day Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings

By Bichitr (c. 1620) | Great interest in the Mughal court for European allegorical portraits, techniques, and motifs. Quotation, in frame: “Though outwardly shahs stand before him, he fixes his gazes on dervishes.”

Emperor Shi Huangdi

the first ruler to unify China politically, standardize written Chinese, weights and measures, and establish a uniform currency.

Calligraphy

a traditional Chinese aesthetic expression that stands between poetry and painting, and it was an important part of passing state exams and attaining important posts.

Bi

a round ceremonial disk found in ancient Chinese tombs; characterized by having a circular hole in the center, which may have symbolized heaven

Bodhisattva

a deity who refrains from entering nirvana to help others

Coiling

a method of creating pottery in which a rope-like strand of clay is wrapped and layered into a shape before being fired in a kiln

Colophon

a commentary on the end panel of a Chinese handscroll; an inscription at the end of a manuscript containing relevant information on its publication

Confucianism

a philosophical belief begun by Confucius that stresses education, devotion to family, mutual respect, and traditional culture

Daoism

a philosophical belief begun by Laozi that stresses individual expression and a striving to find balance in one’s life

Hanja

Chinese characters used in Korean script with a Korean pronunciation

Literati

a sophisticated and scholarly group of Chinese artists who painted for themselves rather than for fame and mass acceptance. Their work is highly individualized

Pagoda

a tower built of many stories. Each succeeding story is identical in style to the one beneath it, only smaller. They typically have dramatically projecting eaves that curl up at the ends

Porcelain

a ceramic made from clay that when fired in a kiln produces a product that is hard, white, brittle, and shiny

Potter’s wheel

a device that usually has a pedal used to make a flat circular table spin, so that a potter can create pottery

Throwing

molding clay forms on a potter’s wheel

Vairocana

the universal Buddha, a source of enlightenment; also known as the Supreme Buddha who represents “emptiness,” that is, freedom from earthly matters to help achieve salvation

Yin and yang

complementary polarities.

yin

a feminine symbol that has dark, soft, moist, and weak characteristics.

yang

the male symbol that has bright, hard, dry, and strong characteristics

Dao

a religious journey that emphasizes self-expression, achieving serenity, and oneness with nature

Laozi

the founder of Daoism, believed in escaping societal pressures

Confucianism

religion based on behavior, relationships, and duty

Analects

a series of precepts that presents an ideal man with attributes like loyalty, morality, generosity, and humanity

pagoda

The stupa, a Buddhist building from India, became the \____ in China.

Courtyard-style

\______ residences have exterior walls to keep the outside world away and frame an atrium.

Forbidden City

Largest and most complete Chinese architectural ensemble in existence. The emperor’s palace.

Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City

Ceremonies took place here for the new year, the winter solstice, and the emperor’s birthday. The largest building in the complex. It is a wooden structure made with elaborately painted beams; meant for grand ceremonies.

Handscrolls

These are read right to left and can be stored in specially designed cabinets.

Silk

This is the preferred surface for painting, with artists choosing specific silks for color and texture.

Landscape paintings

These are highly valued and reflect a philosophical idea through the use of crowded and empty spaces.

Chinese porcelain

It is a form of art that appears utilitarian but stands alone as an object of beauty.

Glazing techniques

These are used to achieve a glossy finish and protect the vase from wear.

Literati

the artists who rejected the restrictive nature of court art and developed a highly individualized style.

Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)

Covered the inner coffin which contained the intact body of Lady Dai in a tomb. Carried in a procession to the tomb, and then placed over the body to speed its journey to the afterlife.

Travelers among Mountains and Streams

By Fan Kuan (c. 1000); Hanging scroll; meant to be studied and appreciated, not hung permanently. The work contains elements of Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Very complex landscape.

Portrait of Sin Sukju

Hanging scroll. Painting on silk was a highly desired and a greatly esteemed product. A reminder to his descendants of Sin Sukju’s status in Korean society.

Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan

An oil painting by Liu Chunhua (1969); Mao rises above a landscape that contains a power line as a symbol of ­industrialization. Painted during the Cultural Revolution of 1966–1976

Terra cotta warriors

From the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor of China (c. 221–209 B.C.E.). The work represents a Chinese army marching into the next world. This is an early form of mass production, alluding to the power of the state.

Longmen Caves

The Buddha is arranged as if on an altar of a temple, deeply set into the rock face. Sculptures and reliefs are carved from the existing rock—some colossal, some small. More than 2,300 caves and niches are carved along the banks of the Yi River.

Gold and jade crown

Stylized geometric shapes symbolize trees.Antler forms influenced by shamanistic practices in Siberia. Uncovered from a royal tomb in Gyeongju, Korea; from the Silla Dynasty.

Coiling

It was the original method of making ceramics in China, where clay was rolled into a cord-like shape and sculpted into a form.

Yuan Dynasty

This dynasty produced vases with a distinct blue and white color, which was achieved by using imported cobalt from Iran.

The David Vases

The blue color was imported from Iran; Chinese expansion into western Asia made the cobalt blue available. Made for the altar of a Daoist temple along with an incense burner. Made of Jingdezhen porcelain. Named after Sir Percival

kamikaze

The Mongols attempted to invade in 1281 but their fleet was destroyed by a typhoon called .

Continuous narrative

a work of art that contains several scenes of the same story painted or sculpted in continuous succession

Genre painting

painting in which scenes of everyday life are depicted

Haboku (splashed ink)

a monochrome Japanese ink painting done in a free style in which ink seems to be splashed on a surface Kondo

Mandorla

(Italian, meaning “almond”) a term that describes a large almond-shaped orb around holy figures like Christ and Buddha

Tarashikomi

a Japanese painting technique in which paint is applied to a surface that has not already dried from a previous application

Ukiyo-e

translated as “pictures of the floating world,” a Japanese genre painting popular from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century