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
Pyxis,
Syrian, 899—700 BCE,
49.14
Tribute Bearer from Persepolis
Persian, ca. 358—338 BCE, 44.1
Master of Animals Finial
Iranian, 799—700 BCE,
2007.35
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.
Horse Bit with Cheekpieces in
the Form of Winged Sphinxes
Iranian, 1100—700 BCE, 48.39
Ancient Egypt
King Ny-user-ra, 2390—2360 BCE
Old Kingdom, Dynasty, 5 42.54
The God Horus as a Falcon,
Saite Period (664—525 BCE),
53.44
Relief from the Tomb of Metetu, ca. 2400—2250 BCE
Old Kingdom, 73.64
Sphinx,
Ptolemaic Period (332 BCE—30 CE)
51.307
Inner Coffin of Pa-debehu-Aset,
Ptolemaic Period (332—30 BCE)
2000.11.2
New Year’s Bottle,
Saite Period
(664—525 BCE),
51.200
Standing Figure of the
Finance Minister Maya,
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18
(1550—1295 BCE),
ca. 1330 BCE
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,
ca. 2700—2000 BCE, 99.56
Ceremonial Food Vessel, Type Gui,
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,
Mycenaean, 1275—1225 BCE, 51.203-204
Corinthian Helmet,
late 600s BCE, 2008.70
Grave Stele, 300s BCE, 36.54
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.
Figure of a Woman
(Tanagra Type),
323—90 BCE, 66.14
Gold Wreath of Oak Leaves,
ca. 300 BCE, 99.57
Carthaginians and Etruscans
Cinerary Urn,
Carthaginian, 700s BCE
25.42
Askos in the Form of a Horse,
Carthaginian, before 146 BCE, 25.41
The God Mars
as a Warrior
Etruscan, , 400s BCE,
53.41
Cinerary Urn with Reclining Figure,
Etruscan, 200—100 BCE, 44.49a-b
Votive Head of
a Woman,
Etruscan,
300—1 BCE,
47.14
Oil Lamp,
Carthaginian, before 146 BCE,
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.
Hercules,
Etruscan, 400s BCE,
53.41
Bucchero Ware Oinochoe
(Pitcher),
Etruscan, 400—301 BCE,
51.179
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
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.
Sarcophagus with Portrait Medallion, 250—274 CE, 49.72
Medieval Europe
Châsse (Reliquary) with Scenes
from the Life of St. Stephen,
French, 1220—1230; 49.20
Baptismal Font with Symbols of
the 4 Evangelists and 4 Angels,
ca. 1200
Northern Italian; 49.5
Mourner’s Niche
from the Tomb of
Philip the Bold,
Jean de Marville,
Netherlandish
(active 1366 - 1389)
49.51
Mourner’s Niche from the
Tomb of Philip the Bold,
Jean de Marville, Netherlandish
(active 1366 - 1389); 49.51
Console with Doubting Thomas
French, early 1200s; 49.76
Crucifixion with God the Father,
Giovanni del Biondo, Italian (active 1356—1399, 51.26
Leaf from a Breviary, ca. 1375
French; probably made in Paris; 37.56
B
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
Plate, Turkish,
1500s CE, 79.91
Section of a Qur’an endowed by Sultan
Qansuh al-Ghawri, Cairo, Egypt,
ca. late 1400s CE); 51.350
Lusterware Bowl
with Seated Figures,
Iranian, 1200s
52.11
Sgraffito Ware Vessel
Sharif Al-Abwami, Egyptian,
1300s CE; 51.350
Leaf from a
Manuscript
of Poetry,
Iranian, 1600s CE;
28.317
Ghiordes Prayer Rug
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.
Kubachi Ware Tile
Iranian, 1500s CE;
26.2009L
Medieval East Asia
The God Ganesa
Thai, 1300s, 81.10
Bodhisattva Guanyin on Mt. Potola,
Chinese, early 1200s, 42.21
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.
Bodhisattva Kannon,
Japanese, 1100s, 74.83
Head of a Buddha,
Thai, 1350—1757,
30.33
Head of the Bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara,
Cambodian, 1000s—1100s
36.4
The Renaissance in Europe
Conversion of Saint Paul,
Francesco Ubertini,. Italian (1494?--1557),
1530—35; 54.2
Partial Armor made for the Dukes
St. Margaret with a Donor,
of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel,
Vrancke van der Stockt,
German, ca. 1562; 2006.57
Flemish (bef. 1420– c. 1495)
Portrait of a Boy of the
Saint James,
44.15
Bracciforte Family of Piacenza,
French, late 1400s,
Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli, Italian
94.49
(ca. 1505 - ca. 1569); 76.13
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
Marriage Chest
(Minnekastchen)
German, late 1400s,
2008.2
SubSaharan Africa
Stool
Asante Culture, Ghana
62.24
Helmet Mask (Waniougo)
Senufo Culture, Côte d’Ivoire
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
67.31
Crest Mask
Yaka Culture, D.R. Congo
72.54
Crest Mask: Antelope
(Chi Wara), Male
Bamana Culture, Mali
69.107
Crest Mask (Lipiko), ca. 1950—60
Makonde Culture, Mozambique
2006.71
The unique traditional cultures of Africa
share common artistic traits.
Despite modern religious and cultural influences,
African arts display imaginative use of natural materials,
a respect for the physical and spiritual environment, and
unique ways of displaying identity and social status.
Helmet Mask (Sowei)
Mende Culture, Sierra Leone
72.52
Oceania
Abelam Culture, Papua New Guinea
Yam Mask, 4.78
Era River Region,
Papua New Guinea
Spirit Board (Gope),
87.84
Iatmul Culture,
Papua New Guinea
Mask, 77.158
Middle Sepik River Region,
Papua New Guinea
Body Mask, 73.138
Arambak Culture,
Papua New Guinea
Hook Figure (Yipwon), 70.82
Traditional Pacific islander cultures spread across
thousands of miles of ocean.
Utilizing locally available materials such as raffia grasses,
wood, natural dyes and pigments, shells and boar tusks, the
arts of the Pacific Islands display a range of spiritual beliefs
that connect closely with the natural environment.
Papua
Austral Islander,
Ceremonial Canoe Paddle, 53.31
Influence of Asia:
The Silk Road
A 5,000-mile network of trade routes known as the Silk Road connected the
continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia. Caravans of pack animals carried
luxury goods such as silks, spices, and porcelain to the west, returning to the
east with horses, glass vessels, and carpets.
African Trade Routes
Many highly organized states existed in
Africa long before the European colonial
period. They maintained lucrative Saharan
trade routes for gold, slaves, and kola nuts
from the south, exchanged for salt, glass
trade beads, and cowrie shells from the
north. Many of these goods passed on to
Europe and the Islamic East.
Spread of Religions (via trade routes!)
The major world religions of today — Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam —
spread via missionaries, traders, and travelers, as well as warfare and colonization.