October 29, 2023
The following ten pieces are my favorite objects from those that we have studied in Objects As History. They are in order of when we learned about them, not in order of most to least favorite or vice versa. All of the technical details are copied directly from the textbook (Stokstad & Cothren), and all of the images are from ARTSTOR and/or The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
1. Running horned woman, 6,000–4,000 B.C.E., pigment on rock | Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria
This piece is a cave painting from prehistoric Algeria, dated to be about 6,000 years old (Neolithic period). Needless to say, the story behind this piece isn’t confirmed, but based on context and symbolism, theories state that the painting of the female figure could represent fertility, rituals/shamanism, and/or cultural and religious beliefs. I really enjoyed studying this piece because it seems like it’s one of the first depictions of a belief system that doesn’t completely stem from the known world. Previous cave paintings we’ve studied have been of bulls or other animals that would have likely been roaming those areas, just paintings of observations. This piece, to me, was one of the larger turning points in art history where historians could conclude decisively that these groups of humans had a belief system and were able to represent it without a written language, For me, this is why the piece makes my top ten list; it’s really profound to consider that our very first ancestors also found a system to connect themselves to; as someone who follows a religion where the main concept is that there is more to life than Earth, it’s gratifying to think that the first humans were, at their core, similar to us in that sense.
2. William The Faience Hippopotamus c. 1961-1878 BCE, Meir Middle Kingdom, Dynasty XII Faience (ground quartz) | L. 20 cm (7 7/8 in.); W. 7.5 cm (2 15/16 in.); H. 11.2 cm (4 7/16 in.) | The Met
This piece is a sculpture made of faience (glazed ceramic material) created around the 12th Dynasty of Egypt. It’s believed to represent the goddess of fertility and childbirth, Taweret. The goddess was thought to protect infants and pregnant women, and so it was also believed that this small sculpture and others like it were placed in the homes of newborns and expecting women to bring good luck. While learning about this object, I really loved it because I thought it was, for lack of a better word, really cute! I think it’s so human of historians and viewers to collectively agree on naming this figure “William” just from a playful and affectionate stance in 1931 (The Met, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544227). Plus, the cute nature of the hippo adds to the belief that it was put in homes with infants and newborns; it’s similar to how new mothers buy cute objects for their babies to play with. This is why it made my top ten list: the nature of humans, even from centuries ago, is so similar at its core that I can’t help but be fond of the context behind some of these artifacts.
3. Model Bust of Queen Nefertiti, Thutmose, New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII, c. 1340 BC Limestone, gypsum, crystal and wax | 50 cm | Amarna | Neues Museum, Berlin
This is a bust (sculpture) made during King Akhenaten’s rule, the period in which traditional Egyptian art styles and religious beliefs were changed from the norm (the Amarna period). The new art style of this period is depicted through this sculpture: the symmetrical details, the slender lines, and the graceful portraiture. Queen Nefertiti was King Akhenaten’s wife and queen and had many portraits done by Thutmose. The reason why this bust is in my top ten is because of how intriguing I find the shift from Amun to Aten and the impact it had on artistic traditions. Nefertiti’s bust is one of the most beautiful pieces of art from Ancient Egypt in my opinion, and it’s fascinating how the creation of a sculpture like this relied on the shift to a monotheistic belief.
4. Vishnu Lying on the Cosmic Waters, c. 530 CE. Relief panel, sandstone, height approx. 5′ (1.5 m). Vishnu Temple, Uttar Pradesh, Deogarh, India (Gupta period, ca. 320-late 5th century).
This work is a high-relief panel on the side of the Vishnu Temple in Deogarh, India, made during the Gupta period (ca. 320 – late 5th century). This is in my top ten because of the religious and symbolic values it holds. A partner and I made a presentation on this work, and so I got to know it really well. I’m also Hindu, so the narrative behind this piece is really close to my beliefs. The story behind it is rooted in Hindu beliefs and cosmology. Lord Vishnu, the larger figure depicted, is reclining on the cosmic waters of the universe, as the protector and creator of the cosmos, along with Goddess Lakshmi, a form of Goddess Shakti. The serpent that Vishnu is lying on is the infinite serpent Ananta, the unending nature of time and space. The dreaming of the universe is a concept that I fully believe in as a follower of Hindu philosophy, which makes this piece really special to me.
5. Shiva Nataraja (12th c. Chola Dynasty) Bronze | H: 96 L: 82.8 W: 28.2 cm, Tamil Nadu | National Museum, New Delhi
Nataraja is the depiction of Lord Shiva as the Lord of Dance, in a sculpture form in this case. This piece is unique in that there are thousands of this piece all over the world; the sculpture was copied and distributed across the Chola Dynasty and is a staple seen in almost all Hindu homes in the modern day. The Nataraja imaging represents the cosmic dance that Shiva performs within a ring of fire. This dance is symbolic of the creation and destruction of the universe, the eternal cycle of the universe. This concept is profound and important in Hindu philosophy. The destructiveness and gracefulness of the dance signifies the balance that is necessary in the world, and how all forces, whether perceived as good or bad, are connected. Shiva dances on top of a demon, symbolic of ignorance; it’s the triumph of wisdom over ignorance. This piece is in my top ten because of the significance it has in my culture; I even have one of these sculptures in my own house. It’s such an important piece, and I was really happy to learn about it in class.
6. Incense Burner, From the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng, Mancheng, Hebei. Han dynasty, 113 BCE. Bronze with gold inlay, height 101⁄2′′ (26 cm). Hebei Provincial Museum, Shijiazhuang.
This sculpture is a unique and dynamic incense burner. The burner was found in the tomb of royalty during the Han Dynasty, making it a very significant find for ancient Chinese art and culture. The craftsmanship and design are that of a miniature palace, surrounded by stylized waves and the mountainous island (Stokstad & Cothren, 343), and it represents the architectural/artistic style and aesthetics of the Han Dynasty and their bronze-casting techniques. The reason why it’s in my top ten is because of how multifaceted the piece is; not only is it an incense burner, likely used for ritual practices and afterlife purposes, but the design caters to the visual appeals of the architecture of the time period. It’s really exquisite.
7. Attic black-figure amphora by Exekias (master potter and painter) titled Ajax and Achilles playing a board game, archaic period, c. 540-530 B.C.E. H: 61.1 cm high, found Vulci | Gregorian Etruscan Museum, Vatican
This is an amphora designed with the black-figure pottery technique. The piece represents the narrative written in Homer’s Iliad, specifically the moments before Achilles is killed with a wound to his heel in battle. The thing I find most amazing about this piece (and pieces like it) is the attention to detail, the symbolism, and the technique used to achieve it all. Black-figure techniques are so intriguing and ever since we studied both black and red-figure techniques, I’ve been in awe of the compositions that artists came up with. This one in particular is my favorite because I enjoy Greek mythology and I’ve read the Iliad before so seeing the symbolic details of the helmets or spears of both Achilles and Ajax is really fulfilling to me.
8. Man with a Dog (Tlatilco), c. 1200-600 BCE, Ceramic with traces of paint | 5.9 in. National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
This piece is a ceramic sculpture. The Tlatilco civilization of Mesoamerica frequently used the motif of carrying small animals. Though it isn’t clear why, we can understand that it must have had either cultural or social significance. The idea of animal domestication is prevalent, and it’s this idea that made the piece have a spot in my top ten objects. I have a dog, and seeing this sculpture immediately made me think of pets, or just in general, the caring of animals. Even though the role of this figurine isn’t certain, we know that it represents an aspect of the Tlatilco society. Similar to my affection for the Faience Hippo, I think to represent such a domestic scene is really telling of how every society has something in common; I feel as though these figurines should have been evidence enough to the colonizers that these civilizations were as human as the Europeans.
9. Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli, c. 1484–1486. Tempera and gold on canvas, 5′87⁄8′′ × 9′17⁄8′′ (1.8 × 2.8 m). Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
This is a famous painting made by Botticelli, representing the Roman version of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love, fertility, and many other concepts, Venus. This is a special painting to me because it’s probably the most famous recreation of an existing statue in a different medium (“modest Venus”, (Stokstad & Cothren, 635)). Also, belonging to the Renaissance, the harmonious composition and revival of classic Greek and Roman art are beautiful; this painting is a part of the shift to humanism and naturalism but with the same “antique” beliefs. It’s in my top ten, not only because I really admire Renaissance paintings, but because of what it meant to the artistic community. The change in medium to the shift in composition and style, it’s a profound piece of artwork.
10. The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci, Refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan. 1495–1498. Tempera and oil on plaster, 15′2′′ × 28′10′′ (4.6 × 8.8 m).
This is one of the most famous depictions of the narrative within the Bible. This painting is in my top ten for many reasons. I’ve actually seen this painting in person before, and it’s really spectacular. Personally, I have never read the Bible, but the narrative within this piece is easy to tell. I think one of the main reasons I enjoy this piece so much is because of the mixed reviews and the numerous theories surrounding the piece. One of the things that makes this piece so interesting to me is that I’ve read Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, and that novel is entirely focused on Da Vinci and this painting. Though it is historical fiction, the fact that there are so many theories behind the painting and its meaning and symbolism is out of the ordinary for me, and I feel as though, academically, it’s such a pleasure to study because of all of the nuances.