Studied by 1 person
Woman of Willendorf, Austria, 24,000 BCE
emphasis on woman's female anatomy
small/ probably meant to be carried or worn
could have served as fertility image or maybe exchanged between allies as form of nonverbal communication
maybe created by pregnant woman looking down on own body
Royal Standard of Ur, Iraq, 2500 BCE
hierarchy of scale used to depict ruler as more powerful
several registers
scene shows a battle/ pictorial narrative of political conflict and war
Palette of Narmer, Egypt, 3000 BCE
likely intended to be temple offering for a god, honors the king who united the 2 parts of Egypt and conveys his power
dark gray-green stone carved in low relief, there are registers and a circular depression
hieroglyph writing of the king's name
hierarchy of scale used as Narmer is striking a kneeling enemy
Ishtar Gate, Babylon, 600 BCE
ceremonial entrance into Babylon
the yellow, red, brown, etc. colors are low relief representations of mythological animals and deities -- zoomorphic
this gate played major role in Babylonian religious festival, akitu (procession takes statue of Marduk to small temple, akitu house, outside the city to restore political and social order)
Colossal Statue of Akhenaten, Egypt, Amarna Period, 1300 BCE
artist: Bak
depicts Akhenaten wearing his kilt with breasts, full abdomen, narrow waist, and wide hips possibly representing that the king displayed himself as both male and female -- the human version of the androgynous creator Aten
Last Judgment before Osiris, Book of the Dead, Egypt, 1200 BCE
painted papyrus
the book of the dead has images and hieroglyphs and was placed in a tomb to help guide souls in the afterlife
Osiris is the ruler of the afterlife and judges whether someone has lived an ethical life
Terra Cotta Army of the First Emperor of Qin, China, 200 BCE
life size sculptures of soldiers and horses
the army was intended to serve first emperor of Qin in the afterlife to provide military power, technology, and bureaucracy that helped the Qin state to victory in real life
Light well in the Palace at Knossos, Crete, 1700 BCE
light well is small rectangular room open to the sky that lets light and air in
often build near staircases
La Venta Throne, Olmec, 900 BCE
example of rammed-earth architecture (i think) -- carved out of single blocks of stone
human figure carved in high relief, rest is low relief flower motifs
the figure is emerging from the underworld
Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, Athens, 400 BCE
temple of Athena Parthenos
the architects are Iktinos and Kallikrates -- they combined balance, proportion, and architectural refinements to create powerful imagery of the democratic ideals and imperial achievements of Athens
includes large cella and an opisthodomos
peristyle surrounds the cella and a frieze runs around the exterior of the cella walls
barely any 90 degree angles since the columns incline inward slightly
gives viewer impression that building is rising up in a dynamic way rather that appearing static
Polykleitos, Doryphoros (Spear Bearer), 400 BCE
Polykleitos is the sculptor (classical age)
demonstrates more advanced stage of contrapposto
depicts male warrior (maybe Achilles) and he originally held a spear in his bent left arm
tilt of his head implies subtle movement
represents youth naturally with muscles, veins, etc. but is generic and shows the Greek ideals of perfection and beauty
Winged Victory of Samothrace (Nike), Greece, 200 BCE
artist: Pythokritos
Hellenistic sculpture
originally built to be positioned in a niche above the sanctuary at Samothrace so it could be seen
dramatic, theatrical depiction of winged Nike figure -- dynamic
an offering to the gods for sanctuary on Samothrace (Greek island)
House in Catalhoyuk, Turkey
a site where humans made transformation from nomad to settler
made of adobe w/ thick walls
enter home via doorway on the roof (makes more fortified)
typically one room and centered around a hearth and often displayed art and decoration
evidence that the dead were buried under the floors of the home
Uruk Vase, Iraq
low relief pictorial narrative in registers carved in alabaster
appears to have been broken and reassembled several times -- emphasizing its importance and long life in the temple
one of earliest examples of pictorial narrative
lowest register has wavy lines depicting water, topped with an alternating row of plants -- above plants alternating rams and ewes
3 level base represents an ordered ecology of water, plants, and animals (most likely associated with worship)
middle register depicts row of naked men carrying baskets (perhaps visual of ritual offerings of food/drink to gods and goddesses
top register connects to the others and features a female figure (probably temple priestess) with another figure who is overseeing the ceremony
Stele of Naram-Sin, Akkadian
stele represents break from the visual conventions of previous Mesopotamian monuments since it doesn't have horizontal registers
the victory narrative is contained in one scene -- framed in mountain landscape
figure of Naram-Sin is shown in hierarchy of scale carved in low relief and stands victoriously -- facing mountain holding bow and arrow
honors the king on his military victory and serves as public monument to celebrate king
Ziggurat at the Sanctuary of the Moon God Nana, Iraq
one of the largest ziggurats dedicated to mood goddess Diana
architectural structure (stepped tower) that was a base for the temples for gods and goddesses that protected the city
purpose was to allow temple to be closer to heaven so that it could connect heaven and earth and be seen from afar
Mastaba Tomb, Egypt
elaborate tombs primarily made for high-ranking male officers in state administration and their family
decorated with low relief or painted detailed scenes of everyday life -- illustrated crafts, agricultural activities, hunting, animal husbandry, and food preparation
the deceased would often appear in these scenes (like a visual biography)
sometimes scenes of loving memories or hopeful images of prosperous afterlife
blended past, present, and future into single scene
Ti watching a Hippo hunt, Egypt
the mastaba tomb of Ti
contained reliefs and paintings intended to nourish his ka and help him do the activities depicted
his tomb was bigger and more complex than most bc he was a high ranking official in Egypt's fifth dynasty
in the painted low relief carving it shows Ti overlooking men hunting a hippopotamus
he is in hierarchy of scale
Law Stele of Hammurabi, Babylon
7 1/2 foot tall pillar-shaped stele carved out of black basalt
one of oldest surviving legal records
top portion was carved in low relief -- face-to-face encounter between Hammurabi and the sun god Shamash (god of justice)
laws are inscribed in horizontal bands
image justifies the laws by linking them to divine authority and the archaizing characters of the inscriptions link them to a past golden age
The Apadana, Persepolis
Persepolis was built as ceremonial city
a platform leads to the monumental gatehouse that held palaces, a treasury, a throne room, and the Apadana
the apadana was the largest building and it was an audience hall where the emperor received gifts from dignitaries and representatives from across the empire
the hypostyle hall held 1000s of people for ceremonies, festivals, etc.
Guan (jar), Majiayao Period
terra cotta jar painted with pigments
in upper register there are zoomorphic designs of geometric shapes but the artist used abstract and representational forms
similar to amphorae which were typical pottery vessels during this time
Fang Ding with Taotie Design, Shang Dynasty
precise meaning of taotie is ongoing -- some say it represents a sacrificial animal or deity in animal form -- others say it is an evolved pattern from the relationship between design and technique in bronze casting
taotie design is common of a symmetrical animal mask -- spirals and hooks
use of flat zoomorphic legs
Rack of Bells of marquis Yi, China
most famous object excavated from tomb of Marquis Yi
65 bels strung on wooden rack -- likely required 5 people to play
found in the central chamber of tomb
the bells like everything else left in his tomb were to ensure that he had everything necessary to be happy and comfortable in afterlife and prove he was a man of substance
Figure of a Woman, Cycladic
marble sculpture of human figures carved with flint, obsidian, copper, or done
naked woman -- arms typically folded over body with only nose as carved facial feature -- suggested that other features were painted
painted necklaces, bracelets, and diadems
swollen belly suggests pregnancy
likely displayed laying down or were carried -- discovered in tombs
thought to be made for burials or rituals
Interior of Treasury of Atreus tholos tomb, Mycenae
- over 40 ft high corbeling used as a vault system -- stacked stones in horizontal courses until they meet (no mortar used)
Geometric Krater, Athens
krater is like a vase and typically help wine mixed with water
geometric krater was used as a burial marker
the bottom of the krater is open (possibly to allow liberations to be poured onto the earth)
most of the surface is decorated with geometric forms
Goddess fresco, Teotihuacan
refered to as great goddess
showed frontally with arms outstretch and water seemingly flowing out of hands
snake around her neck
elaborate headdress head of a bird also with snake around its neck
snakes/birds prominent symbol
overall the imagery is thought to represent the all-encompassing great goddess of Mesoamerica
Kouros from Anavysos, Greece
popularly known as the Anavysos Kouros
likely to be a heroic nude sculpture set up by family of fallen youth in battle
same as all kouroi, the young male is naked to reveal sculptors interest in naturalistic and supple forms
slightly larger than life sized standing rigid with arms down by side, archaic smile is featured (not meant to show joy but to animate the sculpture)
Gigantomachy (Athena battling a giant), Pergamon
gigantomachy is a legendary battle between gods
high relief sculpture
part of the sculpted frieze on Athena's altar
imagery is presenting real event in mythological way -- metaphor for the defeat of the Gauls
shows Athena attacking the giants -- she is the winged figure in center
the earth goddess is pleading with Athena to save her son
Nike is coming in to crown Athena as victor over the giants
get sense of horror, pain, defeat -- very dynamic
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