Objects, images, descriptions and audio guide.
So-called mummy portraits were apparently painted during the owners' lives and hung in their homes. At the time of the owner's death, the portrait was taken down, cut fr…
Seated on an elaborate throne, the Madonna’s weighty majesty emphasizes her role as the Queen of Heaven as she gazes at her infant son. The child, in turn, stares at the…
The evil king Kamsa organized a fire sacrifice in order to bring about the death of his brother-in-law, Vasudeva, father of the Hindu god incarnated as Krishna. The four…
Poet Tao Yuanming (365–427 CE) turned down a career as an official in politically turbulent times to return to his home estate, northwest of Mount Lu, to write poetry an…
Manuscripts of the Kalpa-sutra are sacred embodiments of Jain doctrine. For this reason, they are worthy of beautification, adornment, and celebration by the inhabitants…
Artist Tani Bunchō painted this image in a mountain pavilion during winter. He inscribed it with two lines of a poem: “The stone cliff of layered rocks is extremely high…
Scenes pertaining to the loss and rescue of Sita have been embedded in a popular tale written by Bhadrasena (active c. 1620), and expanded by the poet Karamacand in 1629…
One of a pair, this screen shows a section of the narrative of how the Chinese Emperor Yao (about 2356–2255 BC) selected his successor, Yu Chonghua (about 2294– 2184 BC)…
The Hindu god Vishnu incarnated himself as Krishna in response to pleadings from the Earth goddess to rid her of a wicked king. The king sent demons of many forms to ass…
A proliferation of white tree peonies dominates this composition. Behind them are tall, feathery-topped susuki grasses and leafy deciduous trees. Tatebayashi Kagei restr…
Largely a self-taught artist, Thomas Doughty often painted landscapes that include a body of water. In this example, the artist inserted figures of two hunters, accompan…
Until recently, and especially during the 1800s and early 1900s, the paintings in South Asian manuscripts were excised and mounted as individual works of art. These two …
The artist has masterfully set the somber procession against the stark white walls of the city. In the middle of the page wearing gold crowns, the two brothers of the ex…
Emperor Muhammad Shah, who reigned from 1719 to 1748, was known as “Rangila,” which means “the Colorful.” The innovative use of a black background sharply sets off the c…
In late Song dynasty Chinese Chan Buddhist temples, paintings of landscapes, animals, or plants frequently took the place of deities. This hanging scroll features the hu…
In the autumn of 1570, Wen Boren painted this seemingly unemotional scene of low-lying marshlands with a chain of rounded mountains in the background. A fishing boat is …
The painter created a paradoxical juxtaposition of the boat serenely sailing against the turbulent onrushing movement of the towering mountains in the background. Fisa d…
The painting alludes to a legendary incident from the life of Ji Kang 嵇康 (AD 223–262), a guqin player who belonged to a group of 3rd-century eccentric intellectuals. J…
Leaf 7 Han Tan's colophon reads: Thoughts of autumn in the nuptial chamber with the new chill arising, The white frost all persuasive with a bright moon shining. Outside…
Zhou Yi's calligraphy is across from the painting on leaf six. His colophon reads: The bright moon emerges through the willow, The fragrance of flowers is already diffic…
Fan Qi's painting on the fifth leaf evokes Zuo Si's poetic line: I shake my robe atop the cliff of thousand ren . The calligraphy by Zhou Yi adjacent to the painting rea…
The fourth painting by Fan Qi alludes to Wang Wei's poetic lines: In empty hills, there is no one there; Yet one can hear the sound of conversation. The calligraphic col…
Fan Qi's painting for the third leaf of the album evokes Wang Wei's poetic line: Sit and watch the clouds rising. Xu Fang's calligraphic colophon reads: Green are the re…
Leaf 10 Zhou Yi's colophon reads: Green bamboos stand alone with a snowy covering, In the deep recesses of a secluded valley, the evening breeze is light. White egrets a…