The Warka Vase is a uniquely large piece that was laboriously built, and carefully decorated. The images on the Warka Vase are significant and have iconographic meanings unique to the Uruk people and the cult of Inana. The images reference common practices in cuneiform and iconography of the time and place the Warka Vase was made and can be cross compared with other pieces from the time to understand the symbolism of this brilliant piece of art. To understand who is in the images, what they are doing and how they relate to one another may bring unique insight to the practices of the cult of Inana.
The lined up pairing of bulls and heifers on register 1-3 is echoed on a seal (26), and the pairing of bulls is seen on two other cylinder seals (27, 24). All three of these seals have buildings that have calves emerging from inside, each building has a pole in the center of the building and two of the seals (26, 27) have three poles with six rings on the buildings. The pole with six rings is again seen on a fourth seal (45) which contains what is clearly a temple, this leads to the conclusion that the buildings seen on the seal with the paired bulls and heifers are also temples, and that the paired bulls and heifers on the Warka Vase may be invoking images or practices carried out in the temples.
On the Warka Vase shown on register 4 naked men carry three types of pottery and at least three of these pottery pieces hold some objects, this implies that all three types of pottery are holding some object or objects, since the men are taking the pottery to the same location. One of these pottery pieces appears to be a piece made to pour, and hold, liquids. This pouring vessel is again seen in an image on another vase (20), this vase seem t...
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...with similar characteristics to the bearded man in the other images. This distinct bearding is seen on two sculptures (61, 63) one of which was scaled up to be bigger than real men, this also indicates that the man held some special status, either king or priest.
The Warka Vase is a special view into the daily practices of the Inana cult and the structure of their life and the importance of the various materials, animals and people who makeup the cult of Inana. The Vase honors all aspects of their life. The irrigated water is the basis of their life, without the irrigation no crops would grow. The cattle used in the temples wouldn’t stand without the crops to feed them. Without the cattle neither would the men exist to provide for the cult of Inana. Each register is important to the way of life in the cult of Inana, even the the simple irrigation of their plants.
This sacred space is enclosed with a corridor of stones leading away which represents a Bora. The Bora was a traditional meeting ground of Aboriginals which in this ritual is another connection to their ancestry and spirituality. Connecting with the land has been a vital part of Aboriginal spirituality despite the catholic prominence. Source 1 also ties in with Christian beliefs as well as Aboriginal spirituality with it’s references to “God the creator” and the recollection of Jesus being the light of the world. A candle is placed to acknowledge the light Jesus brought into the world which shows the deep connection to Jesus and Christmas which celebrates Jesus birth. At the centre of the Murri people’s worship place a coolamon which is an area a baby could be placed is created to symbolism Jesus’s Manger. Through source 1 it is shown that religion and spirituality can go side by side in contemporary society by
Maria Martinez?s pottery remains of major collecting interest in the art world due to its supreme sophistication. It dispels the myth that primitive people were incapable of sophistication which may stand the test of time, glow with a maturity and fluidity of design, and reflects the earth philosophy which paraphrases that we as humans are also basically clay vessels capable of great beauty (West).
Information from the textbook and Hays’s article help illuminate the events depicted and their significance in culture and art of the New Kingdom, and how the style ties into the art of the time.
The Attic Black-Figure Ovoid Neck-Amphora is a pottery piece that one does not know a lot about. It was produced sometime between 600 to 400 B.C., and is now housed at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. It was used to hold liquids and was often a source of trade for the Greek potters. In this paper, one will learn how the pottery was made, what the designs on the vase mean, history, and about the culture of the Greeks.
The Etruscans settled northwest of Latium and are regarded as one of “the most remarkable people of early Italy”. Although the origins of Etruscans are a mystery, archaeological sources such as artifacts reveal the material culture of the Etruscans civilizations. The Votive ear is associated to the Etruscans religious tradition known as Votive offerings. Votive offerings can be defined as the purpose of “offering body parts at a shrine as a means to seek help from a deity to alleviate an afflicted organ or region of the body”. Although we inte...
The object pictured above belongs to a group of artifacts known as incantation bowls, demon bowls, devil-trap bowls, or simply magic bowls. They were crafted by the first millennia Anno Domini people of Mesopotamia and are found, perhaps exclusively, in modern day Iraq. They can be dated as early as 3rd century AD and as late as 8th century. The majority date between 400AD and 700AD. Known pieces in public collections number around 2000 with several times that number likely to exist in private collections. (Saar 2) This report will expand on these statements as well as explore incantation bowls’ production, their function, and what little is known (or provided) of the particular bowl from the Kelsey museum. First, however, we’ll look at the historical setting of the location and era.
Despite the artistic beauty of the two vases, both were made for more than just decoration. The vase depicting Artemis is what was called a Bell Krater and was used for mixing the popular Greek drink of water and wine. The other, called a Lekythos was used to pour liquids during elaborate burial ceremonies to honor the wealthy. Another main function of pottery in many cases is to tell a story, which is exactly what Artemis Slaying Actaeon intends. The vase depicts the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, slaying a hunter Actaeon, whom accidentally intruded on her bathing while on a hunt. On the other hand, Woman and Maid is intended as a remembrance of a wealthy woman, and depicts an offering of a chest of valuables from a slave girl to the deceased.
The statue of the Royal Scribe Yuni was found in the tomb of his father, Amenhotep. In this sculpture Yuni is shown kneeling and holding a highly decorative carved shrine. Within this shrine is a miniature figure of Osirus, the god of the underworld. Yuni is dressed in what is considered to be costume for persons of high status at the time, such as a curled wig and papyrus sandals. He wears a double-strand necklace of large lenticular beads known as the “gold of valor”. Two holes located at either side of his neck may have been for the placement of the “real garlands”. The statue of Yuni once had eyes of semi-precious stone in metal sockets. On either side of the back pillar lies a relief of Rennutet, Yuni’s wi...
The furnishings found in each hut also provide indications of how the people lived. In the centre of all the huts lay a fireplace that is thought to be the only source of heat and light in the entire hou...
The figures, both seated and standing are depicted according to traditional Egyptian conventions. Nebamun is painted as the largest figure in the painting because he is the most significant . He is standing in perfect balance with a youthful, well proportioned and defined body. The artist has painted Nebamun in a way that emphasises what the Egyptians believed to be the most important parts of a man’s body. Teeter expands upon this.
Stepping into a museum, large or small, locating in east or west countries, as long as it exhibits ancient Asian artworks, one can hardly not find bronzes placed in the most prominent spot, shone by a beam of cold white light. Bronze Age is not as lackluster or icy-cold as this dark metallic alloy shown to us ostensibly; instead, it was full of creativity and innovation. It is amazing but not surprising that ancient Chinese are considered one of the most intelligent group of human-being, produced such remarkable amount of artifacts to either use in their daily life as necessities or decorations, or sacrifice their ancestors, or record important events. This paper will provide a specific description of two bronze vessels respectively from Shang and Zhou dynasties, giving interpretations of their production process and their roles in ritual performance.
One of the most striking features of a Byzantine style church is the extensive use of iconography, with images often covering most if not all of the walls inside the sanctuary. Upon entering this sacred space, we see the scriptures come to life through the imagery, colors, and events that are depicted. The icons speak to us in a theologically correct way and convey deep meaning about spiritual realities that are often beyond our comprehension. And while the cumulative effect of so many images is quite powerful, each individual icon offers us the same experience. A good example can be seen in the icon of the Annunciation.
For example, the Chi Wara is a ceremonial object. The Chi Wara is from the Bamana people, who used the visuals of dance as well in their art. The Chi Wara is a mystical, zoomorphic, animal headpiece that encompasses an antelope, anteater, and human. It is said to bring favors of fertility, agri...
This sculpture seems to epitomize the ideal male human form. All of the body parts seem perfectly proportioned and the muscles are beautifully defined as if the image were of an athlete. The image is youthful with a calm demeanor. The right missing forearm looks as if it used to be resting at his side, while the left elbow was probably at a 90 degree angle, with the hand holding something. The slight bend in the left leg gives the impression of movement, as if the image was frozen while walking. The counterpoised stance adds an air of nobility to the "man".
The “Sacred Tree,” (fig. 1) was originally positioned behind the king’s throne. The scene shows two genii, sometimes with birds’ heads and sometimes with men’s heads and the horned hats of gods. Each of the winged figures holds a bucket and reaches out with an oval object toward a stylized “tree.” The composition has been read as being based on bilateral symmetry, with the vertical stalk-like structure crowned by a palmette. A meticulous examination reveals that although balanced, it has many discrepancies on both sides that deviate from perfect mirror symmetry. Ashurnasirpal appears twice, shown from two sides, dressed in ceremonial robes and holding a mace connoting his authority. The figure of the king on the right makes an invocative gesture a god in a winged disk in the top center of the relief. Ashur, the national god or Shamash, the god of the sun and justice, may be identified as the god who confers the king divine right. On the left, the king holds a ring, an ancient Mesopotamian symbol of divine kingship, in one...