The Art Institute's distinguished Asian collection comprises works spanning nearly five millennia from China, Korea, Japan, India, southwest Asia, and the Near and Middle East. It includes 35,000 objects of great archaeological and artistic significance.
Iran Blue and White Dish, 17th century
IranFars, Shiraz
From a manuscript of the Shahnama
Zal Climbing to Rudaba, page from a copy of the Shahnama of
Firdausi, 1580/1590
Iran Star Tile, 13th century
Iran Architectural Fragment, 13th-14th century
Iran or Central AsiaTwelve-Point Star,
late 15th century
Iranprobably KashanTile with Double-Arched Prayer Niche (Mihrab), 13th century
Iran Oil Lamp (Cheragh), early 13th century
Iran probably KashanBowl with Birds,
late 13th-early 14th century
Left of the staircase
Bodhisattva and Pair of Buddhist
Monks
Bodhisattva China Tang dynasty (618-907)8th century
Bodhisattva China
Tang dynasty (618-907)8th century
Pair of Buddhist MonksChina
Sui dynasty (581-618)
Right of the staircase
Bodhisattva and Maitreya Buddha
Maitreya Buddha (Mi-le)
Tang dynasty (618-907)
8th century
Buddha China
Tang dynasty (618-904)
early to mid 8th century
Buddha China
Tang dynasty (618-904)
early to mid 8th century
Buddha ChinaTang dynasty (618-904)early to mid 8th century
JapanFlowering Cherry and Autumn Maple with Poem SlipsSesson Shukei (c. 1490-after 1577)
JapanFlowering Cherry and Autumn Maple with Poem SlipsSesson Shukei (c. 1490-after 1577)
Shiva and Uma seated with their
son SkandaIndia, Tamil Nadu Vijaynagar Period,
1400
Twenty-Armed Dancing God
Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles
Madhya Pardesh, India
11th century
Sculptures from Bihar, India
Sculptures from Bihar, India
Shiva as Lord of Music, with a Vina, seated on his Bull, Nandi
India10th century
Vishnu (Varaha -Boar incarnation of
God) 12th century
India Rajasthan
Vishnu (Varaha -Boar incarnation of
God) 12th century
India Rajasthan
Vishnu (Varaha -Boar incarnation of
God) 12th century
India Rajasthan
Vishnu (Varaha -Boar incarnation of
God) 12th century
India Rajasthan
New Galleries of Asian Art
Buddha seated in Meditation
India, Tamil Nadu,
NagapattinamChola period, c 12th century
Buddha seated in Meditation
India, Tamil Nadu,
NagapattinamChola period, c 12th century
Karttikeya, God of War, Seated on a Peacock,
Ganga Period, c. 12th
century.
IndiaAndhra
Pradesh, MadanapalleKarttikeya,
God of War, Seated on a
Peacock, Ganga Period, c. 12th century
IndiaUttar Pradesh,
MathuraKarttikeya,
God of War, Holding a
Spear, 2nd century
Buddha seated in Meditation India, Tamil Nadu, Nagapattinam c 12th century
God Hanuman, the Monkey God
India, Madhya Pradesh
9th century
Marriage of Shiva and Paravati
India, Uttar Pardesh10-11 century
Dancing God Shiva (Natesha) India Rajasthan 10/11th century Marriage of Shiva and Paravati
Marriage of Shiva and Paravati
India, Uttar Pardesh10-11 century
Marriage of Shiva and Paravati
India, Uttar Pardesh10-11 century
Detail
Marriage of Shiva and Paravati
India, Uttar Pardesh10-11 century
Detail
Cow Suckling A Calf
India, Madhya Pradesh or Uttar Pradesh
9th century
Eight Armed Dancing God
Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles
Utter Pardesh, India
10th century
God Ganesha,
Remover of ObstaclesIndonesia,
Central Java9th-10th century
Lion India
Uttar Pradesh2nd century
Lion India
Uttar Pradesh2nd century
Shiva, as Lord of the Dance-
NatarajaIndia,
Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur.
Chola period, 1000c
The surrounding flames represent
the manifest Universe
Nataraja, The Lord (or King) of Dance, is a depiction of the god Shiva as the cosmic dancer who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for the god Brahma to start the process of creation.
The sculpture is usually made in bronze, with Shiva dancing in an aureole of flames, lifting his left leg (or in rare cases, the right leg) and balancing over a demon or dwarf (Apasmara) who symbolizes ignorance.
Nataraja, The Lord (or King) of Dance, is a well known sculptural symbol in India and popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture
The snake swirling around
his waist is kundalini, the
Shakti or divine force thought to
reside within everything.
This also parallels the cords of life
worn by the Brahmins to
represent the second rebirth.
Text and pictures: InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors
Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda