Welcome to the Memorial Art Gallery!
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Welcome to The Memorial Art Gallery! The Gallery is an art museum, a special place where works of art from many times and places are collected, cared for, and displayed. The Memorial Art Gallery has nearly 1,000 works of art on view, from cultures around the world; some as old as 5,000 years! The main entrance of the Memorial Art Gallery, as viewed from University Avenue. We are always happy to welcome school groups! When you come to the Gallery… ¾ We have a special bus-friendly entrance just for school tours! ¾ Trained tour guides called docents (DOE-sents) will meet you at the door and show you around the Gallery. .Students disembark at the School Tour Entrance, on the north side of the Memorial Art Gallery’s main building. Did you know . ? Learning how to look at a work of art is a lot like learning to read. Your docent will share interesting information, answer your questions, and help you look at and learn about the art that you see around you! We look forward to seeing you soon! Memorial Art Gallery Passport to the Past An Introduction to the Cultures and Art of the Eastern Hemisphere as represented in the collections of The Memorial Art Gallery Where in the World . ? The Eastern Hemisphere Indian Ocean When . ? A Memorial Art Gallery Timeline What do “BCE” and “CE” mean? BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era) refer to the same time periods as the more traditional BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, which means “The Year of our Lord”). The Ancient Middle East Cuneiform Tablet with Case Sumerian, Ur III, 2049 BCE, Clay; 54.58.4.1-2 Horse Bit with Cheekpieces in the Form of Winged Sphinxes Master of Animals Finial Iranian, 1100—700 BCE, 48.39 Iranian, 799—700 BCE, Pyxis, 2007.35 Syrian, 899—700 BCE, Tribute Bearer from Persepolis 49.14 Persian, ca. 358—338 BCE, 44.1 Worshipper Bearing an Animal Offering Mesopotamian, ca. 1800s BCE, 45.60 The ancient Middle East nurtured some of the world’s earliest cultures and civilizations. People attracted by the region’s rich river flood plains, wide grasslands, barren deserts, and forested mountains developed cooperative societies, in both fortified cities and nomadic clan groups. Ancient Egypt The God Horus as a Falcon, Saite Period (664—525 BCE), King Ny-user-ra, 2390—2360 BCE Relief from the Tomb of Metetu, ca. 2400—2250 BCE 53.44 Old Kingdom, Dynasty, 5 42.54 Old Kingdom, 73.64 Sphinx, Ptolemaic Period (332 BCE—30 CE) 51.307 Standing Figure of the New Year’s Bottle, Finance Minister Maya, Saite Period New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (664—525 BCE), (1550—1295 BCE), Inner Coffin of Pa-debehu-Aset, 51.200 Ptolemaic Period (332—30 BCE) ca. 1330 BCE 2000.11.2 51.200 The powerful Egyptian civilization reached its height between 2649 and1070 BCE. The arts of stone-carving, metalwork, and pottery all supported and recorded the Egyptians’ daily lives, religious practices, and funerary beliefs. Ancient China Harness Ornament with Two Ibexes, Mongolian, Ordos Culture (2nd—1st centuries BCE), 73.66 Funerary Urn, Ceremonial Food Vessel, Type Gui, ca. 2700—2000 BCE, 99.56 1000s—early 900s BCE, 42.15 Court Musicians from a Tomb, 600s—early 700s CE Tang Dynasty (618—907 CE), 31.2 Tomb Tile with Tiger, Winged Horses, and Phoenixes, 1—299 CE, 42.16 Horse, 600s—900s CE, Tang Dynasty, 30.26 Early Chinese artists developed sophisticated pottery and bronze work for ceremonial and status objects. Elaborate burials with decorative and symbolic vessels and figures demonstrate a belief in the afterlife and the influence of ancestors on the lives and fortunes of living family members. Ancient Greece Kraters with Chariot Procession, Corinthian Helmet, Mycenaean, 1275—1225 BCE, 51.203-204 late 600s BCE, 2008.70 Figure of a Woman (Tanagra Type), Grave Stele, 300s BCE, 36.54 323—90 BCE, 66.14 Gold Wreath of Oak Leaves, ca. 300 BCE, 99.57 Black Figure Kylix with Dionysian Revelers, 500s BCE, 29.91 Protome, 450—425 BCE, 88.5 Red Figure Pelike, 400s BCE, 29.89 The Bronze Age cultures of Greece, Carthage, and Etruria vied for control of the Mediterranean Sea. Greek culture spread through colonization and trade, but also because these neighboring , and often competing, cultures admired and adopted Greek art forms and customs. Carthaginians and Etruscans Cinerary Urn, Askos in the Form of a Horse, The God Mars Hercules, Carthaginian, 700s BCE Carthaginian, before 146 BCE, 25.41 as a Warrior Etruscan, 400s BCE, 25.42 Etruscan, , 400s BCE, 53.41 53.41 Bucchero Ware Oinochoe (Pitcher), Cinerary Urn with Reclining Figure, Etruscan, 400—301 BCE, Etruscan, 200—100 BCE, 44.49a-b 51.179 Votive Head of a Woman, Etruscan, Oil Lamp, 300—1 BCE, Carthaginian, before 146 BCE, 47.14 20.75 Bombylios (Baby Feeder), Carthaginian, before 146 BCE, 25.51 The Bronze Age cultures of Greece, Carthage, and Etruria vied for control of the Mediterranean Sea. Greek culture spread through colonization and trade, but also because these neighboring , and often competing, cultures admired and adopted Greek art forms and customs. ANCIENT ROME Double-headed Perfume Flasks, ca. 200—400 CE, 28.68.1-2 Denarius of Lucius Sempronius Pitio, Republican, 148 BCE, 95.34 Obverse: the goddess Roma Fresco Fragment with Cupid Holding a Mask, from Pompeii, before 79 CE, 28.75 Transport Amphora, 27 BCE - 96 CE 44.51 Sarcophagus with Portrait Medallion, 250—274 CE, 49.72 Togatus, 1—99 CE, 73.146 Commemorative Coin of the Emperor Constantine, 307—334 CE, 95.25 Mosaic Floor Panel with Head of Tethys, Made in Antioch, Syria, 200s CE, 46.39 Height of the Roman Empire, 27 BCE—192 CE From the administrative, religious, and commercial capital of Rome, successive imperial dynasties spread Roman political, military, and artistic influence to create the greatest empire the world had seen. Medieval Europe Châsse (Reliquary) with Scenes from the Life of St. Stephen, French, 1220—1230; 49.20 Mourner’s Niche from the Tomb of Philip the Bold, Baptismal Font with Symbols of Jean de Marville, Netherlandish the 4 Evangelists and 4 Angels, (active 1366 - 1389); 49.51 ca. 1200 Console with Doubting Thomas Northern Italian; 49.5 French, early 1200s; 49.76 Leaf from a Breviary, ca. 1375 Crucifixion with God the Father, French; probably made in Paris; 37.56 Mourner’s Niche Giovanni del Biondo, Italian (active 1356—1399, 51.26 from the Tomb of Philip the Bold, B Jean de Marville, Netherlandish (active 1366 - 1389) 49.51 Madonna and Child with Saints Francis of Assisi, John the Baptist, Peter and Dominic, Nardo di Cione, Italian (active 1343 - d. 1365/66 ); 57.4 Much of medieval Europe came under the influence of Christianity. The arts of this period reflect Christian beliefs and practices, as the Catholic Church controlled cultural and political centers including Rome, Constantinople, and Paris. Medieval Europe, ca. 1200 Medieval Islamic World Lusterware Bowl with Seated Figures, Plate, Turkish, Iranian, 1200s 1500s CE, 79.91 Sgraffito Ware Vessel Sharif Al-Abwami, Egyptian, 52.11 1300s CE; 51.350 Leaf from a Section of a Qur’an endowed by Sultan Manuscript Qansuh al-Ghawri, Cairo, Egypt, of Poetry, ca. late 1400s CE); 51.350 Iranian, 1600s CE; 28.317 Kubachi Ware Tile Iranian, 1500s CE; Ghiordes Prayer Rug 26.2009L Turkish, 28.459 Calligraphic Frieze with Inscription from the Qur’an, North Indian, 1400s CE, 2009.8 The Islamic faith spread from western Arabia to encompass much of the medieval world. The spread of Islamic empires created art forms that reflect local traditions as well as Islamic ideals of decorative scripts and floral patterns. Medieval East Asia The God Ganesa Thai, 1300s, 81.10 Bodhisattva Guanyin on Mt. Potola, Head of a Buddha, Chinese, early 1200s, 42.21 Thai, 1350—1757, Head of the Bodhisattva Bodhisattva Kannon, 30.33 Avalokitesvara, Japanese, 1100s, 74.83 Cambodian, 1000s—1100s 36.4 Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Puntadéwa Javanese, late 1700s, 37.16 Powerful Mongol rulers from northern China united huge areas of medieval Asia. Mongol rule established a relative peace, allowing east-west trade to thrive. Religious tolerance encouraged the spread of beliefs and images along these routes as well, inspiring unique regional art forms. The Renaissance in Europe Marriage Chest (Minnekastchen) Partial Armor made for the Dukes St. Margaret with a Donor, German, late 1400s, Conversion of Saint Paul, of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, 2008.2 Francesco Ubertini,. Italian (1494?--1557), German, ca. 1562; 2006.57 Vrancke van der Stockt, 1530—35; 54.2 Portrait of a Boy of the Flemish (bef. 1420– c. 1495) Bracciforte Family of Piacenza, 44.15 Saint James, Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli, Italian French, late 1400s, (ca. 1505 - ca. 1569); 76.13 94.49 Wedding Cutlery Set with Case in the Form of a Fish French, ca. 1550 2010.9 The European Renaissance was a period of social, educational, and financial change. Interests in science, trade, and discovery opened up opportunities for a newly rich merchant class. They took advantage of wealth and leisure to support the arts. Europe ca. 1500 SubSaharan Africa Stool Helmet Mask (Waniougo) Asante Culture, Ghana Senufo Culture, Côte d’Ivoire 62.24 70.22 Twin Figures (Ere Ibeji) Yoruba Culture, Nigeria 65.9.1-2 Champion-Cultivator Staff, Senufo Culture, Côte d’Ivoire 71.64 Fertility Doll (Akuaba) Asante Culture, Ghana Helmet Mask (Sowei) 67.31 Mende Culture, Sierra Leone 72.52 Crest Mask (Lipiko), ca. 1950—60 Makonde Culture, Mozambique 2006.71 Crest Mask Crest Mask: Antelope Yaka Culture, D.R. Congo (Chi Wara), Male 72.54 Bamana Culture, Mali 69.107 The unique traditional cultures of Africa share common artistic traits.