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Art History > Unit 7 - Art of West & Central Asia > Flashcards

Unit 7 - Art of West & Central Asia Flashcards

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1
Q

Petra: Identifiers

A

Style: Nabatean
Artist: Unknown
Location: Jordan
Date: 400 BCE - 100 CE

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2
Q

Petra- Treasury: “Al-Khazneh”: Form

A
  • rock cut 81x127 ft.
  • hellenistic style: influence of Alexandria, Corinthian columns
  • Bottom: Greco-Roman temple
  • Top: broken pediment, tholos: circular structure of a temple, sculptural decoration: connection to Hellenistic world
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3
Q

Petra: Function

A
  • Al-Khazneh “The Treasury”: believed to be the hiding place of treasure hidden by bandits (really was a mausoleum of a King)
  • Rock Cut tombs: 500 royal tombs, no human remains found, unknown burial practices: originally believed to be a necropolis however proven that it was a metropolis
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4
Q

Petra: Content

A
  • Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian gods on facade
  • On top: 4 eagles that would carry away souls
  • Upper level: dancing Amazons with double-axes, focal point: likely Isis-Tyche
  • Lower level: entrance flanked by statues of twins Castor & Pollux who lived parly on Olympus and partly in the underworld
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5
Q

Petra: Context

A
  • Petra, capital of Nabataean Kingdom: regional trading hub of nomadic people, known to them as Raqmu, used to living in desert conditions and were skilled at harvesting water
  • Petra becomes part of Roman empire in 106 BCE: annexed by Emperor Trajan
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5
Q

Bamiyan Buddhas: Identifiers

A

Style: Buddhist/ Gandharan
Artist: Unknown
Location: Afghanistan
Date: 400-800 CE

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6
Q

Bamiyan Buddhas: Form

A
  • cut in niches into rock
  • stucco helped to even out textured rock surface
  • taller on on the west: 175 ft.
  • smaller on on the east: 120 ft.
  • mixed Hellenistic Greek traditions with Indian subject matter: flowing drapery
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6
Q

Bamiyan Buddhas: Function

A
  • made for practicing Buddhist in area: area around larger Buddha’s feet were carved in the round, allowing worshippers to circumambulate
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7
Q

Bamiyan Buddhas: Content

A
  • Chinese monk Xuanzang (Hsuan-Tsang) traveled to Bamiyan in 643 CE: spoke about their magnificent presence in the region
  • described them as being adorned with metal, color, and gems
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8
Q

Bamiyan Buddhas: Context

A
  • located on the Silk Road
  • influenced by many different cultures
  • site of merchants and missionaries: spreading goods + stories/beliefs
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9
Q

Bamiyan Buddhas: Context cont.

A
  • Mullah Omar ordered Taliban forces to demolish Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001
  • Taliban’s extreme iconoclastic campaign: disdain for western interest and funding that had gone to protecting images while there was an intense growing need for humanitarian aid in the region
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10
Q

The Kaaba: Identifiers

A

Style: Islamic Architecture
Artist: Unknown
Location: Saudi Arabia
Date: 631 CE

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11
Q

The Kaaba: Form (Exterior)

A
  • Kaaba means cube in Arabic, elegantly draped in a silk and cotton veil called Kiswah
  • Replaced annually
  • 42 ft. high 36 ft. Long
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12
Q

The Kaaba: Form (Interior) + Function

A
  • marble and limestone floor
  • doors to the Kaaba open 2 times a year for cleaning: 30 days before Ramadan and 30 days before Hajj
  • Function: pilgrimage site, houses in Black Stone in eastern corner of the Kaaba
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13
Q

The Kaaba: Content

A
  • holiest shrine in Islam
  • Hand embroidered text from the Quran
  • every year the old Kiswah is removed and cut into small pieces that are then distributed to certain individuals and organizations
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14
Q

The Kaaba: Context

A
  • belief- Ibrahim and his son Ismail constructed it
  • symbolic of the journey and triumph of Muhammad: driven out of Mecca, when he was gone- Kaaba taken over and filled with icons/idols * return: removed false idols and rededicated the Kaaba
  • black stone is thought to have been given to Ibrahim by the Angel Gabriel
  • 632 CE - year Muhammad died- his final pilgrimage to the Kaaba and established rite of pilgrimage
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15
Q

Jowo Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple: Identifiers

A

Style: Buddhist
Artist: Unknown
Location: Tibet
Date: 641 CE

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16
Q

Jowo Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple: Form

A
  • larger than life
  • sometimes dressed with a magnificent jeweled crown and robes
  • Jowo Shakyamuni is another name for Buddha
  • Jowo Rinpoche = The Precious One
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17
Q

Jowo Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple: Function

A
  • purpose of statue’s carving was to act as the Buddha’s proxy after his parinirvana or departure from the world
  • dressing of sculpture for special occasions and feeding of it as if it were the Buddha on earth
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18
Q

Jowo Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple: Content

A
  • seated with legs in lotus position
  • left hand is in mudra of meditation
  • right hand in gesture of calling the earth to witness
  • together postures signify moment of Buddha’s enlightenment
    thin monk’s robe, drapes over body and covers left shoulder
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19
Q

Jowo Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple: Context

A
  • most sacred & important Buddha image in Tibet: believed to have been carved by celestial architect Viswakarma in India during lifetime of the Buddha Shakyamuni
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20
Q

Dome of the Rock- Identifiers

A

Style: Islamic Architecture
Artist: Unknown
Location: Jerusalem
Date: 691 CE

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21
Q

Dome of the Rock: Form (Exterior) 1

A
  • domed octagon
  • dome is double shelled and made of wood - 60 ft. across and 70 ft. high: originally made of gold, replaced with copper then aluminum, aluminum now covered with gold leaf
  • restored- tiling from 16th century replaced original mosaic
  • arabic inscription verses from Qur’an, tells story of Muhammad’s Night Journey
22
Q

Dome of the Rock: Form (Interior)

A
  • very well preserved
  • mosaics
  • no human figures of animals
  • vegetative scrolls & winged crowns, worn by Sasanian kinigs, iconography of majro pre-Islamic civilizations
  • center is a large rock: location where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Ismail
  • inscription that is 240 m. long, includes some of the earliest surviving examples of verses from Qur’an- in an architectural context or otherwise
23
Q

Dome of the Rock: Function + Content

A

Function: * not a mosque- scholars still debate original function & meaning
* houses the rock: story of Abraham & his son
Content: location of dome of the rock has specific/important meaning for each of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths

24
Q

Great Mosque (Masjid e-Jameh): Identifiers

A

Style: Islamic Architecture
Artist: Unknown
Location: Iran
Date: 700 CE

25
Q

Great Mosque (Masjid e-Jameh): Form Plan

A
  • hypostyle hall
  • centrally planned
  • mosque shares walls with other buildings
26
Q

Great Mosque (Masjid e-Jameh): Form Other

A
  • Iwan: vaulted space that opens on one side to a courtyard (4)
  • one Iwan has minarets to indicate direction of Mecca
  • use of blue and gold
  • muqaranas
  • stone, brick, wood, plaster, and ceramic glaze tile
27
Q

Great Mosque (Masjid e-Jameh): Function + Content

A

Function: main mosque of the city, commercial activity
Content: made to be calming, open and integrated into city to emphasize it being a part of everyday life

28
Q

Great Mosque (Masjid e-Jameh): Context

A
  • modified over a period of 1000 years: ruling groups of Isfahan include Seljuk Turks, II-Khanid, Timurid, Safavid, and Qajar
  • located in 3rd most populous region of Iran
29
Q

Folio from a Qur’an: Identifiers

A

Style: Islamic Manuscript
Artist: Unknown
Location: North Africa
Date: c. 800 CE

30
Q

Folio from a Qur’an: Form

A
  • folio - individual leaf of paper/parchment
  • kufic- early form of Arabic script, characterized by angularity, with upright forming almost right angles with baseline
  • 2 page spread
  • read right to left
31
Q

Folio from a Qur’an: Function

A
  • Quran, Qur’an, Koran:
  • central text in Islam
  • revelation from Allah (god)
  • revealed verbally by Allah through the angel Gabriel Muhammad over 23 years
32
Q

Folio from a Qur’an: Content

A
  • contains beginning of Sura Al-‘Ankabut (The Spider)
  • name derived from those who taking protectors other than Allah, are likeend to spiders who build flimsy homes
33
Q

Folio from a Qur’an: Context

A

*Qur’an means “recitation”: suggests that manuscripts were of secondary importance to oral tradition
* 114 suras (chapters) of the Qur’an were compiled into a textual format, from longest to shortest, only after death of Muhammad

34
Q

Basin (Baptistere de St. Louis): Identifiers

A

Style: Islamic Luxury Item
Artist: Muhammad ibn al-Zayn
Location: Syria
Date: 1320 CE

35
Q

Basin (Baptistere de St. Louis): Form + Function

A

Form: brass inlaid with gold & silver, entire surface is decorated
Function: original & Islamic, ceremonial hand washing, later used by French royalty for Christian baptisms

36
Q

Basin (Baptistere de St. Louis): Content

A
  • full of animals and human figures
  • rulers on horseback
  • signature of the artist under the rim - signed 6 times
37
Q

Basin (Baptistere de St. Louis): Context

A
  • created by Mamluk slave warriors: extraordinary craftsmen, from areas in present day Syria & Egypt
  • normally these would have calligraphy, instead this one has figures
  • Fleur de lis was symbol of both a Mamluk Sultan and the French
38
Q

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg: Identifiers

A

Style: Islamic Manuscript
Artist: Unknown
Location: Iran
Date: 1330 CE

39
Q

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg: Form

A
  • large for a hand painted book: referred to as the Great Mongol Shahnama
  • original form: 280 folios w 190 illustrations, only 57 folios known to have survived, taken apart and sold by art dealers
  • chinese and eastern Asian influences
  • visual circuit around Bahram Gur
  • calligraphy fills the page
40
Q

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg: Function

A
  • mongols are connecting themselves to Persian warrior-kings of teh past to enhance their authority
  • symbolize just rule and civilized society triumphing over chaos and disorder
  • good defeating evil
  • good and stable social roder based upon kingship, and that warrior-kings like Bahram Gur are moral and courageous models to be emulated by readers of the book
41
Q

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg: Content

A
  • King Bahram V: Sasanian empire ruled Persia from 3rd-7th cent. prior to arrival of Islam
  • Nickname: Bahram Gur: refers to a fur or onager (type of wild donkey, one of fastest-running mammals
  • gur may also mean swift
  • great hunger of onagers
  • renowned for his talents in warfare, chivalry, and romance
42
Q

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg: Content backstory

A
  • on trip to India, according to the Shahnama, the king of India, a ruler named Shangal, recognized Bahram Gur’s abilities and sought his help in ridding Indian countryside of the frightening and fierce Karg
43
Q

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg: Content Man on horse

A
  • depicted as a king: golden cornw, gold sun behind head, gold & pearl earring
  • depicted as a warrior: mace over shoulder, bow arrow sword, covered in a leopard skin hanging from his waist
  • ferocious horned wolf
  • The Karg’s head, very close to viewer, is centrally placed and dripping blood
44
Q

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg: Context

A
  • this image painted in the 14th century by artists in the Mongol court in Persia (present day Iran)
  • text of the Shahnama composed by poet named Firdawsi 400 years earlier 1000 CE
  • Shahnama incorporates many older stories once told orally, chronicling history of Persian before arrival of Islam and celebrating glories of Persian past and ancient heroes
  • still taught in school today, considered to be Iran’s national epic
45
Q

The Court of the Gayumars: Identifiers

A

Style: Islamic Manuscript
Artist: Sultan Muhammad
Location: Iran
Date: 1525 CE

46
Q

The Court of the Gayumars: Form

A
  • folio
  • watercolor
  • whole book contains 258 illustrated pages
  • calligraphy
  • circular composition
  • Individualized faces
  • hierarchal composition
  • Chinese influence: twisting tree branches bloom with stylized flowers & patterned clothes
47
Q

The Court of the Gayumars: Function

A
  • Book of Kings: guide for benevolent rule
  • show wealth & status
  • shows humans living in harmony with nature
48
Q

The Court of the Gayumars: Content

A
  • Mountaintop Kingdowm
  • peacefully ruling over humans and animals
  • clothes in leopard pelts
  • King gazes tearfully at his son: learns from an angle that his son will die, a demon will kill him
49
Q

The Court of the Gayumars: Context

A
  • begun during first years of the 16th century for the first Safavid dynastic ruler, Shah Ismail I
  • completed under the direction of his son, Shah Tahmasp I in the northern Persian city of Tabriz
  • The Safavid dynastic rulers claimed to descend from Sufi shaikhs- mystical leaders from Ardabil in northwestern Iran (a shaikh is a Sufic teacher)
50
Q

The Ardabil Carpet: Identifiers

A

Style: Islamic Carpet Making
Artist: Maqsud of Kashan
Location: Iran
Date: 1540 CE

51
Q

The Ardabil Carpet: Form

A
  • 1 of 2, originally located side by side
  • made from wool, rather than silk, because it holds dye better: dyes used tot color the carpet are natural and include pomegranate rind and indigo
  • the knot-count of a carpet impacts teh value: more knots per square centimeter = more detailed/elaborate patterns
  • the Ardabil carpet has 340 knots per square inch: today a commercial rug averages 80-160 knots per square inch
  • up to 10 weavers could have worked on the carpet at any given time
  • calligraphy from Quran
52
Q

The Ardabil Carpet: Function

A
  • carpets decorated: floors of mosques, shrines, and homes
  • also be hung on walls of houses to preserve warmth in the winter
53
Q

The Ardabil Carpet: Content

A
  • rich geometric patterns, vegetative scrolls, floral flourishes
  • central golden medallion dominates carpet; surrounded by ring of multi-colored, detailed ovals
  • lamps appear to hang at either end
  • meaning of lamps debated
  • different sizes: perspective effect? no evidence for the use of this type of perspective in Iran in the 1530s, nor does this explain why lamps were included: mimic lamps found in mosques and shrines?
54
Q

The Ardabil Carpet: Context

A
  • one of the world’s oldest, largest, beautiful, historically important
  • name from town of Ardabil in north-west Iran: home to the shrine of Sufi saint, Safi al-Din Ardabil, died in 1334
    Sufi saint, Safi al-Din Ardabili: * trained followers in Islamic mystic practices
  • after his death his following grew
  • descendants became increasingly powerful
  • 1501- Shah Isma’il seized power, united Iran, established Shi’a Islam as official religion
  • dynasty he founded is known as the Safavids
  • their rule- one of the most important periods for Islamic art, especially for textiles and manuscripts
55
Q
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Art History (9 decks)

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