Smarthistory Logo
Smarthistory Logo
  • About
      • ABOUT SMARTHISTORY
      • What is Smarthistory?
      • Who is Smarthistory?
      • Is Smarthistory reliable?
      • Museum and institutional partners
      • Major donors
      • Press coverage
      • Our blog
      • Give us feedback
      • Contact us

      • At Smarthistory, the Center for Public Art History, we believe art has the power to transform lives and to build understanding across cultures. We believe that the brilliant histories of art belong to everyone, no matter their background.

        With 503 contributors from 201 colleges, universities, museums, and research centers, Smarthistory is the most-visited art history resource in the world.

  • For Learning
      • ART HISTORIES
      • Start here
      • Prehistoric
      • Africa
      • Americas
      • Asia
      • Ancient Mediterranean + Europe
      • Medieval Europe + Byzantine
      • The Islamic World
      • Europe 1300–1800
      • Europe 1800–1900
      • Pacific Islands
      • Modernisms 1900–1980
      • Art since 1980
      • TOPICS & COURSES
      • Art Appreciation
      • AP® Art History
      • A-Level Art History
      • History of photography
      • Creating and conserving
      • SPECIAL PROJECTS
      • The U.S. Civil War in Art
      • Seeing America
      • Not your grandfather’s art history: a BIPOC Reader
      • ARCHES: At-risk Cultural Heritage
      • Expanding the Renaissance
      • Across Cultures
      • Virtual Visits
  • Books
      • SMARTHISTORY BOOKS
      • Reframing Art History, a new kind of textbook
      • Guide to Byzantine Art
      • Guide to Ancient Roman Art
      • Guide to AP® Art History vol. 1 (#1–47)
      • Guide to AP® Art History vol. 2 (#48–98)
      • Guide to AP® Art History vol. 3 (#99–152)
      • See complete collection of titles
      • NEW TITLES
        • reframing art history cover smReframing Art History
          a new kind of textbook
        • Byzantine cover jpgGuide to Byzantine art
  • For Teaching
      • TOOLS FOR TEACHING
      • All content for teaching
      • Webinars past & present
      • Teaching with images: K-12
      • Syllabi
      • Do-it-yourself tools
        • UPCOMING EVENT
          • Dr. Elena FitzPatrick Sifford on casta paintings

            Oct.18.2023

            1:00–1:30 PM ET

            BIPOC Reader: Teaching Practices and Strategies with…

        • PAST EVENT
          • Dr. Elena FitzPatrick Sifford on casta paintings

            Apr.06.2022

            The Kaaba with Dr. Nancy Demerdash

  • Support
      • SUPPORT SMARTHISTORY
      • Donate
      • Contribute an essay

      • We created Smarthistory to provide students around the world with the highest-quality educational resources for art and cultural heritage—for free.

  • Search

All Results

Generic filters
Search in excerpt

Art of Asia

  • Browse this content
  • A brief history of the cultures of Asia
  • Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, a beginner’s guide
    • Browse all content
    • Hinduism and Buddhism, an introduction
    • Hinduism
      • Discovering Sacred Texts: Hinduism
      • Sacred texts in Hinduism
      • Hindu deities
      • Hindu temples
      • Beliefs made visible: Hindu art in South Asia
    • Buddhism
      • Introduction to Buddhism
      • The historical Buddha
      • How to recognize the Buddha
      • The Buddha and Buddhist sacred texts
      • Introduction to the stupa
      • Buddhist monasteries
      • Bodhisattvas, an introduction
      • Buddhist meditation and chant
      • Maitreya
      • Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara: Guanyin
      • Seated Buddha
      • Four Buddhas at the American Museum of Natural History
      • Beliefs made visible: Buddhist art in South Asia
    • Jainism
      • An introduction to the Jain faith
      • Jain cosmology
    • Sikhism
      • Origins and development of Sikh faith: The Gurus
      • Sikh prayer and worship
      • Sikh sacred places
    • Zoroastrianism
      • An introduction to Zoroastrianism
  • Beginner’s guide to East Asia
    • Trade in East Asia
    • Cultural diversity in East Asia
    • Innovation in East Asia
  • China
    • Browse this content
    • A beginner’s guide
      • Imperial China, an introduction
      • Chinese landscape painting
      • Mountings of Chinese paintings: scrolls, fans, and leafs
      • Chinese calligraphy, an introduction
      • Chinese scholar-painters, an introduction
      • Chinese porcelain: decoration
      • Chinese porcelain: production and export
    • Neolithic
      • Browse this content
      • Neolithic period (c. 7000–1700 B.C.E.), an introduction
      • Chinese jade: an introduction
      • Jar (Hu)
      • Jade Cong
      • Working jade
    • Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 B.C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Shang dynasty, an introduction
      • Oracle Bone, Shang Dynasty
      • Tigers, dragons, and, monsters on a Shang Dynasty ewer
      • War and Sacrifice: The Tomb of Fu Hao
    • Zhou dynasty (c. 1050–221 B.C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Zhou Dynasty, an introduction
      • Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 B.C.E.)
        • Browse this content
        • Da Ke Ding
        • Square lidded ritual wine container (fangyi)
      • Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 B.C.E.)
        • Browse this content
        • Bell (bo) with birds and dragons
        • Ambition and luxury: Marquis Yi of the Zeng State
    • Qin dynasty (c. 221–206 B.C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Qin dynasty, an introduction
      • The Tomb of the First Emperor
      • The Terracotta Warriors
    • Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Han dynasty, an introduction
      • The search for immortality: The Tomb of Lady Dai
      • Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
      • Ladle
      • Mirror with game board design and animals of the four directions
      • Tomb model of a watchtower
      • Disk (bi) with knobs, feline, and dragon
    • Period of Division (220–589 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Period of Division, an introduction
      • Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 C.E.)
        • Browse this content
        • Yungang grottoes
        • Longmen caves, Luoyang
      • Northern Qi dynasty (550–577 C.E.)
        • Browse this content
        • Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)
        • Western Paradise of the Buddha Amitabha
        • Cosmic Buddha Vairochana with the Realms of Existence
        • Base of a funerary couch
      • The Wirkak (Shi Jun) Sarcophagus
      • Cultural exchange and integration, a Khotanese carpet on the Silk Road
    • Tang dynasty (618–907 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Tang dynasty, an introduction
      • A Tang silk brocade
      • Tang Yue ware
      • Tomb figures
        • An introduction to tomb figurines, Tang dynasty
        • Tomb figures of a man and woman on horseback
        • Tomb figure of a groom
        • Figure of a seated court lady
      • Chinese Buddhist cave shrines
      • Mogao caves, Dunhuang
        • Mogao caves at Dunhuang
        • Jataka tales at Dunhuang
        • Dunhuang Historical Art, Cave 323
        • A silk painting of sacred Buddhist images from Dunhuang
        • The paintings and manuscripts from cave 17 at Mogao (1 of 2)
        • The paintings and manuscripts from cave 17 at Mogao (2 of 2)
        • Hong Bian, the monk in the Library Cave (Cave 17), Mogao
        • Stencil for a five-figure Buddha group
        • Illustration to the Fumu enzhong jing, Dunhuang
        • Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak embroidery
      • Giant Buddha of Leshan
      • Attributed to Zhou Fang, Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair
      • Admonitions Scroll, attributed to Gu Kaizhi
      • Han Gan, Night-Shining White
      • Zither (qin) inscribed with the name “Dragon’s Moan”
    • Five Dynasties period (907–979 C.E.)
      • Gu Hongzhong, The Night Revels of Han Xizai, handscroll
    • Liao dynasty (907 C.E.–1125 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Murals in two Liao Dynasty tombs
      • Arhat (Luohan)
    • Song dynasty (960–1279 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Song dynasty, an introduction
      • Painting and calligraphy
        • Neo-Confucianism and Fan Kuan, Travelers by Streams and Mountains
        • Emperor Huizong, Auspicious Cranes, handscroll
        • Attributed to Zhang Zeduan, Along the River during Qingming Festival, handscroll
        • Gu Kaizhi, Nymph of the Luo River
        • Liang Kai
          • Poet Strolling by a Marshy Bank
          • Liang Kai (attributed), White Egret
      • Master of the (Fishing) Nets Garden
      • The art of salvation—Mt. Baoding, Dazu rock carvings
      • Ding ware bowl
      • Ceramic pillow
      • Guan ware long-necked vase
      • Bowl with “oil spot” glaze
    • Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Yuan dynasty, an introduction
      • Paintings and calligraphy
        • Zheng Sixiao, Ink Orchid
        • Zhao Mengfu, Autumn Colors on the Que and Hua Mountains, 1295
        • Huang Gongwang, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains
        • Ni Zan, A branch of bamboo
        • Xie Chufang, Fascination of Nature, handscroll
        • Wu Zhen, Fishermen, after Jing Hao
        • Attributed to Cheng Qi, Tilling Rice, after Lou Shou
        • Portrait of Chabi
        • Qian Xuan, Young nobleman on horseback, handscroll
        • Wang Mian, Plum Blossoms in Ink
      • Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo)
      • The David Vases
      • Caterina Vilioni’s tomb in Yangzhou
    • Ming dynasty (1368–1644 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Ming dynasty, an introduction
      • Tomb of the first Ming emperor
      • The Forbidden City
      • Temple of Heaven
      • Painting and calligraphy
        • Shen Zhou, A Spring Gathering
        • Shakyamuni, Laozi, and Confucius
        • Congyi, Cloudy Mountains
        • Wang Lü, Landscapes of Mount Hua (Huashan)
        • Wen Zhengming, Wintry Trees
        • Qiu Ying, Journey to Shu
        • Copy after Qiu Ying, Playing the Zither Beneath a Pine Tree
        • Palace Women and Children Celebrating the New Year
        • Eleven Dragons handscroll
        • Wang Wen, Poem in cursive script
      • Ceramics and decorative arts
        • A Ritual Ming dish
        • Li (tripod)-shaped cloisonné incense burner
        • Canteen
        • ‘Kraak’ bowl, from Jingdezhen
        • Brushrest with Arabic inscription
        • Miniature furniture and figurines in a Ming tomb
      • The Abduction of Helen Tapestry
      • Standing figure of Guanyin as Buddha
      • Ming banknote
    • Qing dynasty (1644–1912 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Qing dynasty, an introduction
      • Painting and calligraphy
        • Wang Shimin, Cloud Capped Mountains and Misty Riverside
        • Bada Shanren, Lotus and Ducks
        • Gong Xian, Eight Views of Landscape
        • Shitao, Returning Home
        • Wang Shishen, Garden scene album leaves
        • Zhao Zhiqian, Flowers Album
        • Portraits of Shi Wenying and Lady Guan
        • Imperial Workshop and Giuseppe Castiglione, The Qianlong Emperor as Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom
        • Landscape: tea sipping under willows
        • Ren Xiong, Self-Portrait
        • Hua Yan, Pheasant, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum
      • Ceramics and decorative arts
        • Lacquer box decorated with images of Spring and longevity
        • Zisha “Ru Ding” teapot, Yixing ware
        • Vase of bottle shape with “garlic” mouth
        • Européenerie on a Chinese Table Screen
      • “One Hundred Birds” hanging scroll
      • Summer chaofu (formal court dress) for a top-rank prince
      • The European Palaces of the Qianlong Emperor, Beijing
      • Chinese export silver, a 19th-century Torah case
      • Summer Palace in Beijing
      • Xunling, The Empress Dowager Cixi with foreign envoys’ wives
    • Modern China (1912–present)
      • Browse this content
      • Modern China, an introduction
      • Republic of China
        • Browse this content
        • Lang Jingshan and early Chinese photography
        • Wang Zhen, Buddhist Sage
        • Xu Beihong, Tian Heng and His Five Hundred Followers
        • Gao Jianfu, Flying in the Rain
        • Hu Yichuan, To the Front!
      • People’s Republic of China (1949–present)
        • Browse this content
        • Art in the Mao era and Cultural Revolution, an introduction
        • Dong Xiwen, The Founding of the Nation
        • Pan Tianshou, Red Lotus
        • Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan
        • Luo Zhongli, Father
        • Zhang Daqian, Panorama of Mount Lu
        • Ai Weiwei
          • Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds)
          • Remembering and the Politics of Dissent
          • Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn
        • Xu Bing
          • Book from the Sky
          • Monkeys Grasp for the Moon
        • Hai Bo, Untitled No. 36
        • An interview with Au Ho-nien
        • Xu Zhen – ‘Artists Change the Way People Think’
  • Japan
    • Browse this content
    • A beginner’s guide
      • A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Jomon to Heian periods
      • A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Kamakura to Azuchi-Momoyama periods
      • A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Edo period
      • A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Meiji to Reiwa periods
      • Japanese art: the formats of two-dimensional works
    • Jōmon period (c. 10,500–c. 300 B.C.E.)
      • Jōmon period, an introduction
      • Jōmon pottery
      • Deep bowl and Dogū
    • Yayoi period (300 B.C.E.–300 C.E.)
      • Yayoi period, an introduction
      • Dōtaku (ritual bells)
    • Kofun period (300–552)
      • Kofun period, an introduction
      • Haniwa Warrior
    • Asuka period (538–710)
      • Asuka period, an introduction
    • Nara period (710–794)
      • Nara period, an introduction
      • Tōdai-ji
      • The Shōsōin Repository and its treasure
    • Heian period (794–1185)
      • Heian period, an introduction
      • Illustrated scroll from the Tale of Genji
      • Fudō Myōō (Achala-vidyārāja)
    • Kamakura period (1185–1333)
      • Browse this content
      • Kamakura period, an introduction
      • Jizō Bosatsu
      • Prince Shōtoku at Age Two
      • Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace
    • Nanbokuchō (1333–1392) and Muromachi period (1392–1573)
      • Browse this content
      • Nanbokuchō and Muromachi periods, an introduction
      • Bamboo in the Four Seasons: painting and poetry in Japan
      • Ryōanji (Peaceful Dragon Temple)
      • Kichizan Minchō, Monju Bosatsu
      • Sessō Tōyō, Haboku-style landscape
      • Muromachi to Momoyama period Negoro ware ewer
    • Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573–1615)
      • Azuchi-Momoyama period, an introduction
      • Oribe Tea Bowl
    • Edo period (1615–1868)
      • Browse this content
      • Edo period, an introduction
      • A portrait of St. Francis Xavier and Christianity in Japan
      • Ogata Kōrin, Red and White Plum Blossoms
      • Hon’ami Kōetsu, Folding Screen mounted with poems
      • Utagawa Kunisada I, Visiting Komachi
      • Hokusai
        • Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)
        • Hokusai’s printed illustrated Books
        • Beyond The Great Wave — Hokusai at 90
      • Kabuki actor prints
      • Goto Teijo, Koto
    • Meiji period (1868–1912)
      • Meiji period, an introduction
    • 1912–present
      • Browse this content
      • Taishō period, an introduction
      • Shōwa period
      • Heisei period, an introduction
      • Mori Mariko, Pure Land
  • Korea
    • Browse this content
    • Royal palaces of Seoul
    • Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age
      • Bronze ritual object with farming scenes
      • Assemblage of Artifacts from the Daegok-ri Site, Hwasun
      • Gold belt buckle, Seokam-ri Tomb 9 (Pyongyang)
    • Three Kingdoms Period (57 B.C.E.–676 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Gold and jade crown (Silla)
        • Gold and jade crown
        • Gold crown and gold belt from the north mound of Hwangnamdaechong Tomb
      • Dangling pendants for gold crowns (Silla)
      • Bronze bowl with inscription for King Gwanggaeto the Great (Silla)
      • Horse-rider-shaped vessels (Silla)
      • Gold Earrings from the Double Burial in Bomun-dong, Gyeongju (Silla)
      • Dagger and gold scabbard from Gyerim-ro Tomb 14, Gyeongju
      • Gold necklace from Noseo-ri 215 Beonji Tomb, Gyeongju (Silla)
      • Mt. Bukhansan Monument for King Jinheung’s Inspection (Silla)
      • Gilt-bronze Buddha with inscription (Goguryeo)
      • Gilt-bronze pensive bodhisattva (National Treasure 78)
      • Gilt-bronze pensive bodhisattva (National Treasure 83)
      • Pensive bodhisattva
      • Crown ornaments from the Tomb of King Muryeong (Baekje)
      • Gilt-bronze Incense Burner (Baekje)
      • Eight Baekje tiles with various designs
      • Baekje stone Buddha and gilt-bronze bodhisattva from the temple site of Gunsu-ri, Buyeo
      • Pensive Bodhisattva on a rectangular pedestal
    • Unified Silla Period (668–935 C.E.)
      • Maitreya Bodhisattva and Amitabha Buddha from Gamsansa Temple
      • Gold Buddha statues from the stone pagoda on the site of Hwangboksa Temple
      • Stone casket and funerary urn of the Unified Silla period
      • Sarira reliquaries from east and west stone pagodas of Gameunsa Temple
      • East and west stone pagodas from the site of Galhangsa Temple
    • Goryeo dynasty (918 C.E.–1392 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Water-Moon Avalokiteśvara
      • Cast-iron Buddha
      • Ceramics
        • Korean Celadons of the Goryeo Dynasty
        • Kundika with Landscape Design
        • Celadon incense burner with lion cover and celadon incense burner with open work geometric design
        • Celadon dragon-shaped ewer and celadon turtle-shaped ewer
        • Celadon Melon-shaped Bottle
        • Maebyeong vases, an introduction
        • Maebyeong with cloud and crane design
        • Maebyeong with peony design
      • Bronze bell with inscription: “Cheonheungsa”
      • Ten-story Stone Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple
      • Stone bodhisattva from the site of Hansongsa Temple
      • Official Register from the late Goryeo period
      • Reliquary set offered by Yi Seonggye (King Taejo of the Joseon dynasty)
      • Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, and the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks
    • Joseon dynasty (1392–1897)
      • Browse this content
      • Painting and calligraphy
        • Inheritance Document of Yi Seonggye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty
        • Album of Poems on “Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers”
        • Bongsa Joseon Changhwa Sigwon: Poems Exchanged by Joseon Officials and Ming Envoys
        • Portrait of Sin Sukju
        • Four Preaching Buddhas
        • Sajeongjeon Edition of The Annotated Zizhi Tongjian
        • Yun Baek-ha, a calligraphic handscroll
        • Kim Hongdo, album of genre paintings
        • Yi Che-gwan, Portrait of a Confucian scholar
        • Yun Du-seo, Portrait of Sim Deukgyeong
        • Yi Myeonggi, Portrait of Kang Sehwang
        • Yi Myeonggi and Kim Hongdo, Portrait of Seo Jiksu
        • Portrait of Yi Chae
        • Kim Jeonghui’s calligraphy of Kim Yugeun’s Autobiography of Mukso
        • Chaekgeori-type screen
        • Dhratarastra, Guardian King of the East
        • Portrait of Yi Haeung, Regent Heungseon Daewongun
      • Ceramics and decorative arts
        • White porcelain ‘moon jar’
        • Buncheong Jar with cloud and dragon design
        • Blue-and-white Porcelain Jar with Plum, Bamboo, and Bird Design
      • Gujangbok, a ceremonial robe symbolizing the king’s prestige
      • Jeogui, the most formal ceremonial robe of the Joseon queens
      • Jeong Sanggi, Dongguk Daejido (“Complete Map of the Eastern Country”)
      • Cheonggu Gwanhaebang Chongdo, or “Map for the National Defense of Korea”
      • Kim Jeongho, woodblocks of Daedongnyeojido (“Territorial Map of the Great East”)
      • Architecture
        • Royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty
        • Changdeokgung Palace complex
        • Jongmyo Shrine
        • Hwaseong Fortress
    • c. 1897–1945
      • The creation of a Korean national flag, 1880s–1910s
      • Portrait of Choe Ikhyeon
      • An Jungsik, Spring Dawn at Mt. Baegak
      • An Junggeun, Calligraphy work of his final message
    • Postwar Korea (after 1945)
      • Song Su-Nam, Summer Trees
    • Conserving Korean lacquer
  • Central Asia
    • Kazakhstan
      • Petroglyphs, Tamgaly Gorge
  • Afghanistan
    • Browse this content
    • Crossroads of the ancient world
    • Bamiyan Buddhas
    • Silver dinar of the Alchon Huns
    • Dado Panel, Courtyard of the Royal Palace of Mas’ud III
  • The Himalayas
    • Nepal
      • Lost-wax metal casting
    • Tibet
      • Jowo Rinpoche, Jokhang Temple, Tibet
      • Sacred arts of Tibet
      • The making of a thangka painting
      • Tara (from Tibet)
      • Mahakala, Protector of the Tent
      • Saddle (gser sga)
  • South Asia
    • Browse this content
    • Beginner’s guide
      • Challenges, opportunities, and approaches for studying South Asian art
      • Geographic regions of South Asia
      • Understanding divine “blueness” in South Asia
      • Depictions of Devi
      • Representations of Krishna
      • Mudras in Buddhist art
    • Textiles from the Indian Subcontinent
      • Materials and making
        • Rooted in the soil of the earth: geographical origins of textile practices
        • The fundamental ingredients of textiles: natural fibers
        • Mastering color: natural dyes of the Indian subcontinent
        • Tools and processes: producing cloth
      • Forms and functions
        • Practice and perfection: textile traditions
        • Motifs and patterns: fundamentals of design vocabulary
        • Dress and diversity: costumes traditions of the Indian subcontinent
      • Communal ties
        • Secrets of the trade: inherited traditions
      • Threads of faith
        • Warding off the evil eye: talismanic textiles
      • Cloth as currency
        • Containers of confluence: imagery on painted and printed textiles
      • Exploits and revolts
        • From handmade to factory made: industry, trade and handcrafted traditions
        • Freedom Movement: textile practices and the making of a nation
      • Opulence and innovation
        • Imperial Splendour: Textiles and Royal Life
        • Expressions and experimentations: textiles in visual art
    • Prehistory to 500 B.C.E.
      • A brief history of the art of South Asia to 500 C.E.
      • North + West
        • Bhimbetka cave paintings
        • An Indus Seal
        • Indus Valley terracotta human figurines
        • Dancing Girl from Mohenjo-daro
        • The Priest-King sculpture from the Indus Valley Civilization
      • Deccan + the South
        • Deccan Megaliths
    • 500 B.C.E–600 C.E.
      • Browse this content
      • Yaksha and Yakshi
      • An Indian ivory statuette in Pompeii
      • Indo-Gangetic Plain
        • The Pillars of Ashoka
        • Lion Capital, Ashokan Pillar at Sarnath
        • The Didarganj Yakshi
        • Bodh Gaya: The Site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment
        • Bodh Gaya: center of the Buddhist world
        • Introduction to the stupa
        • Bharhut Stupa Relief Sculptures
        • Beliefs made visible: Buddhist art in South Asia
        • Jatakas: the many lives of Buddha as Bodhisattva
        • Beliefs made visible: Hindu art in South Asia
        • A Buddha from Mathura
        • Gandharan Sculpture
        • Head of the Buddha, Gandhara
        • The Gupta Period
        • The Caves of Ajanta — Vakataka dynasty
        • The Cave of Shiva at Elephanta
        • Images of enlightenment: aniconic vs. iconic depictions of the Buddha in India
    • 600–1200 C.E.
      • Browse this content
      • North + West
        • Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur
      • Deccan + the South
        • Browse this content
        • The Great Relief at Mamallapuram
        • Shore Temple, Mamallapuram
        • Durga Slays the Buffalo Demon at Mamallapuram
        • The multireligious caves at Ellora
        • Ellora caves
        • Sacred space and symbolic form at Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho (India)
        • Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi as the Goddess Parvati
        • Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja)
        • Three Hindu gods
        • Rajarajesvara temple, Tanjavur
        • Hoysaleshvara temple, Halebidu
      • Sri Lanka
        • Statue of Tara, consort of Avalokiteshvara
    • 1200–1500
      • North + West
        • Introduction to Islam
        • The Qutb complex and early Sultanate architecture
      • Sultanate art and architecture, an introduction
    • 1500–1857
      • Browse this content
      • Indian Artists and the British East India Company
      • Deccan + the South
        • Art and architecture of the Vijayanagara empire
        • The Meenakshi Temple at Madurai
        • Tipu’s Tiger
        • Christian art in India: Indo-Portuguese ivory statuettes
        • Goa stone and gold case
      • North + West
        • A page from the Mewar Ramayana
        • Three Aspects of the Absolute
        • The Taj Mahal
        • Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings
        • Illustration from the Akbarnama
        • Shah Jahan’s portrait, emeralds, and the exotic at the Mughal court
        • Exploring Color in Mughal Paintings
        • Humayun’s tomb
        • Krishna Holds Up Mount Govardhan
        • A Jain pilgrimage map of Shatrunjaya
        • Cashmere shawls
        • Conservation: Indian jama
    • 1857–present
      • Browse this content
      • Submerged, burned, and scattered: celebrating the destruction of objects in South Asia
      • Photographic views of nineteenth-century India, an introduction 
      • Recording and representing India: the East India Company’s landscape practices
      • Raja Ravi Varma, A Galaxy of Musicians
      • Amrita Sher-Gil, Self-Portrait as a Tahitian
      • North + West
        • Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai
      • Deccan + the South
        • Ganesha Jayanti, Lord of Beginnings
        • The making and worship of Ganesha statues in Maharashtra
        • Kathakali dance and masks
      • Indo-Gangetic Plain
        • Varanasi: sacred city
        • Painting in Mithila, an introduction
      • Contemporary
        • Rahul Jain
        • Waqas Khan
        • Noor Ali
        • The Artist Project: Zarina Hashmi
        • Zarina Hashmi – My Work is About Writing
        • The Artist Project: Shahzia Sikander
        • Inside Manish Arora’s Studio
        • The Artist Project: Nalini Malani
        • The Artist Project: Izhar Patkin
        • An interview with Sheba Chhachhi
        • An interview with Naeem Mohaiemen
        • An interview with Dayanita Singh
        • An interview with Sheela Gowda
        • The Singh Twins, EnTWINed
        • Jas Charanjiva on “Don’t Mess With Me”
        • An interview with Sunil Gupta
  • Southeast Asia
    • Browse this content
    • Cambodia
      • Browse this content
      • Angkor Wat
      • Angkor Thom, The Great City
      • The Bayon Temple
      • Figure of Shiva, Khmer Empire
      • The Looting of Cambodian Antiquities
      • The Scourge of Looting: Trafficking Antiquities, from Temple to Museum
      • Sotheby’s Returns Looted 10th Century Statue to Cambodia
    • Thailand
      • Browse this content
      • Ban Chiang, a prehistoric archaeological site 
      • Ayutthaya
      • Sukhothai
      • Sukhothai Walking Buddha
      • Thai Buddhist Monasteries
      • The Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand 
      • Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
      • The Emerald Buddha and pandemics
    • Vietnam
      • Đông Sơn Drums
      • Mỹ Sơn Hindu temple complex
      • The Đồng Dương Buddhist temple complex
      • Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Hanoi
    • Indonesia
      • Browse this content
      • Borobudur
      • Prambanan Temple compounds
      • Bronze figure of Buddha Vairocana (Java)
      • Sukuh, a mountain sanctuary
      • Sunyaragi, a Javanese pleasure garden
      • The Spirit of the Barong, Bali
      • Shadow puppet, Java

Art of Asia

  • Browse this content
  • A brief history of the cultures of Asia
  • Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, a beginner’s guide
    • Browse all content
    • Hinduism and Buddhism, an introduction
    • Hinduism
      • Discovering Sacred Texts: Hinduism
      • Sacred texts in Hinduism
      • Hindu deities
      • Hindu temples
      • Beliefs made visible: Hindu art in South Asia
    • Buddhism
      • Introduction to Buddhism
      • The historical Buddha
      • How to recognize the Buddha
      • The Buddha and Buddhist sacred texts
      • Introduction to the stupa
      • Buddhist monasteries
      • Bodhisattvas, an introduction
      • Buddhist meditation and chant
      • Maitreya
      • Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara: Guanyin
      • Seated Buddha
      • Four Buddhas at the American Museum of Natural History
      • Beliefs made visible: Buddhist art in South Asia
    • Jainism
      • An introduction to the Jain faith
      • Jain cosmology
    • Sikhism
      • Origins and development of Sikh faith: The Gurus
      • Sikh prayer and worship
      • Sikh sacred places
    • Zoroastrianism
      • An introduction to Zoroastrianism
  • Beginner’s guide to East Asia
    • Trade in East Asia
    • Cultural diversity in East Asia
    • Innovation in East Asia
  • China
    • Browse this content
    • A beginner’s guide
      • Imperial China, an introduction
      • Chinese landscape painting
      • Mountings of Chinese paintings: scrolls, fans, and leafs
      • Chinese calligraphy, an introduction
      • Chinese scholar-painters, an introduction
      • Chinese porcelain: decoration
      • Chinese porcelain: production and export
    • Neolithic
      • Browse this content
      • Neolithic period (c. 7000–1700 B.C.E.), an introduction
      • Chinese jade: an introduction
      • Jar (Hu)
      • Jade Cong
      • Working jade
    • Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 B.C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Shang dynasty, an introduction
      • Oracle Bone, Shang Dynasty
      • Tigers, dragons, and, monsters on a Shang Dynasty ewer
      • War and Sacrifice: The Tomb of Fu Hao
    • Zhou dynasty (c. 1050–221 B.C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Zhou Dynasty, an introduction
      • Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 B.C.E.)
        • Browse this content
        • Da Ke Ding
        • Square lidded ritual wine container (fangyi)
      • Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 B.C.E.)
        • Browse this content
        • Bell (bo) with birds and dragons
        • Ambition and luxury: Marquis Yi of the Zeng State
    • Qin dynasty (c. 221–206 B.C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Qin dynasty, an introduction
      • The Tomb of the First Emperor
      • The Terracotta Warriors
    • Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Han dynasty, an introduction
      • The search for immortality: The Tomb of Lady Dai
      • Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
      • Ladle
      • Mirror with game board design and animals of the four directions
      • Tomb model of a watchtower
      • Disk (bi) with knobs, feline, and dragon
    • Period of Division (220–589 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Period of Division, an introduction
      • Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 C.E.)
        • Browse this content
        • Yungang grottoes
        • Longmen caves, Luoyang
      • Northern Qi dynasty (550–577 C.E.)
        • Browse this content
        • Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)
        • Western Paradise of the Buddha Amitabha
        • Cosmic Buddha Vairochana with the Realms of Existence
        • Base of a funerary couch
      • The Wirkak (Shi Jun) Sarcophagus
      • Cultural exchange and integration, a Khotanese carpet on the Silk Road
    • Tang dynasty (618–907 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Tang dynasty, an introduction
      • A Tang silk brocade
      • Tang Yue ware
      • Tomb figures
        • An introduction to tomb figurines, Tang dynasty
        • Tomb figures of a man and woman on horseback
        • Tomb figure of a groom
        • Figure of a seated court lady
      • Chinese Buddhist cave shrines
      • Mogao caves, Dunhuang
        • Mogao caves at Dunhuang
        • Jataka tales at Dunhuang
        • Dunhuang Historical Art, Cave 323
        • A silk painting of sacred Buddhist images from Dunhuang
        • The paintings and manuscripts from cave 17 at Mogao (1 of 2)
        • The paintings and manuscripts from cave 17 at Mogao (2 of 2)
        • Hong Bian, the monk in the Library Cave (Cave 17), Mogao
        • Stencil for a five-figure Buddha group
        • Illustration to the Fumu enzhong jing, Dunhuang
        • Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak embroidery
      • Giant Buddha of Leshan
      • Attributed to Zhou Fang, Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair
      • Admonitions Scroll, attributed to Gu Kaizhi
      • Han Gan, Night-Shining White
      • Zither (qin) inscribed with the name “Dragon’s Moan”
    • Five Dynasties period (907–979 C.E.)
      • Gu Hongzhong, The Night Revels of Han Xizai, handscroll
    • Liao dynasty (907 C.E.–1125 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Murals in two Liao Dynasty tombs
      • Arhat (Luohan)
    • Song dynasty (960–1279 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Song dynasty, an introduction
      • Painting and calligraphy
        • Neo-Confucianism and Fan Kuan, Travelers by Streams and Mountains
        • Emperor Huizong, Auspicious Cranes, handscroll
        • Attributed to Zhang Zeduan, Along the River during Qingming Festival, handscroll
        • Gu Kaizhi, Nymph of the Luo River
        • Liang Kai
          • Poet Strolling by a Marshy Bank
          • Liang Kai (attributed), White Egret
      • Master of the (Fishing) Nets Garden
      • The art of salvation—Mt. Baoding, Dazu rock carvings
      • Ding ware bowl
      • Ceramic pillow
      • Guan ware long-necked vase
      • Bowl with “oil spot” glaze
    • Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Yuan dynasty, an introduction
      • Paintings and calligraphy
        • Zheng Sixiao, Ink Orchid
        • Zhao Mengfu, Autumn Colors on the Que and Hua Mountains, 1295
        • Huang Gongwang, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains
        • Ni Zan, A branch of bamboo
        • Xie Chufang, Fascination of Nature, handscroll
        • Wu Zhen, Fishermen, after Jing Hao
        • Attributed to Cheng Qi, Tilling Rice, after Lou Shou
        • Portrait of Chabi
        • Qian Xuan, Young nobleman on horseback, handscroll
        • Wang Mian, Plum Blossoms in Ink
      • Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo)
      • The David Vases
      • Caterina Vilioni’s tomb in Yangzhou
    • Ming dynasty (1368–1644 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Ming dynasty, an introduction
      • Tomb of the first Ming emperor
      • The Forbidden City
      • Temple of Heaven
      • Painting and calligraphy
        • Shen Zhou, A Spring Gathering
        • Shakyamuni, Laozi, and Confucius
        • Congyi, Cloudy Mountains
        • Wang Lü, Landscapes of Mount Hua (Huashan)
        • Wen Zhengming, Wintry Trees
        • Qiu Ying, Journey to Shu
        • Copy after Qiu Ying, Playing the Zither Beneath a Pine Tree
        • Palace Women and Children Celebrating the New Year
        • Eleven Dragons handscroll
        • Wang Wen, Poem in cursive script
      • Ceramics and decorative arts
        • A Ritual Ming dish
        • Li (tripod)-shaped cloisonné incense burner
        • Canteen
        • ‘Kraak’ bowl, from Jingdezhen
        • Brushrest with Arabic inscription
        • Miniature furniture and figurines in a Ming tomb
      • The Abduction of Helen Tapestry
      • Standing figure of Guanyin as Buddha
      • Ming banknote
    • Qing dynasty (1644–1912 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Qing dynasty, an introduction
      • Painting and calligraphy
        • Wang Shimin, Cloud Capped Mountains and Misty Riverside
        • Bada Shanren, Lotus and Ducks
        • Gong Xian, Eight Views of Landscape
        • Shitao, Returning Home
        • Wang Shishen, Garden scene album leaves
        • Zhao Zhiqian, Flowers Album
        • Portraits of Shi Wenying and Lady Guan
        • Imperial Workshop and Giuseppe Castiglione, The Qianlong Emperor as Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom
        • Landscape: tea sipping under willows
        • Ren Xiong, Self-Portrait
        • Hua Yan, Pheasant, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum
      • Ceramics and decorative arts
        • Lacquer box decorated with images of Spring and longevity
        • Zisha “Ru Ding” teapot, Yixing ware
        • Vase of bottle shape with “garlic” mouth
        • Européenerie on a Chinese Table Screen
      • “One Hundred Birds” hanging scroll
      • Summer chaofu (formal court dress) for a top-rank prince
      • The European Palaces of the Qianlong Emperor, Beijing
      • Chinese export silver, a 19th-century Torah case
      • Summer Palace in Beijing
      • Xunling, The Empress Dowager Cixi with foreign envoys’ wives
    • Modern China (1912–present)
      • Browse this content
      • Modern China, an introduction
      • Republic of China
        • Browse this content
        • Lang Jingshan and early Chinese photography
        • Wang Zhen, Buddhist Sage
        • Xu Beihong, Tian Heng and His Five Hundred Followers
        • Gao Jianfu, Flying in the Rain
        • Hu Yichuan, To the Front!
      • People’s Republic of China (1949–present)
        • Browse this content
        • Art in the Mao era and Cultural Revolution, an introduction
        • Dong Xiwen, The Founding of the Nation
        • Pan Tianshou, Red Lotus
        • Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan
        • Luo Zhongli, Father
        • Zhang Daqian, Panorama of Mount Lu
        • Ai Weiwei
          • Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds)
          • Remembering and the Politics of Dissent
          • Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn
        • Xu Bing
          • Book from the Sky
          • Monkeys Grasp for the Moon
        • Hai Bo, Untitled No. 36
        • An interview with Au Ho-nien
        • Xu Zhen – ‘Artists Change the Way People Think’
  • Japan
    • Browse this content
    • A beginner’s guide
      • A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Jomon to Heian periods
      • A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Kamakura to Azuchi-Momoyama periods
      • A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Edo period
      • A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Meiji to Reiwa periods
      • Japanese art: the formats of two-dimensional works
    • Jōmon period (c. 10,500–c. 300 B.C.E.)
      • Jōmon period, an introduction
      • Jōmon pottery
      • Deep bowl and Dogū
    • Yayoi period (300 B.C.E.–300 C.E.)
      • Yayoi period, an introduction
      • Dōtaku (ritual bells)
    • Kofun period (300–552)
      • Kofun period, an introduction
      • Haniwa Warrior
    • Asuka period (538–710)
      • Asuka period, an introduction
    • Nara period (710–794)
      • Nara period, an introduction
      • Tōdai-ji
      • The Shōsōin Repository and its treasure
    • Heian period (794–1185)
      • Heian period, an introduction
      • Illustrated scroll from the Tale of Genji
      • Fudō Myōō (Achala-vidyārāja)
    • Kamakura period (1185–1333)
      • Browse this content
      • Kamakura period, an introduction
      • Jizō Bosatsu
      • Prince Shōtoku at Age Two
      • Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace
    • Nanbokuchō (1333–1392) and Muromachi period (1392–1573)
      • Browse this content
      • Nanbokuchō and Muromachi periods, an introduction
      • Bamboo in the Four Seasons: painting and poetry in Japan
      • Ryōanji (Peaceful Dragon Temple)
      • Kichizan Minchō, Monju Bosatsu
      • Sessō Tōyō, Haboku-style landscape
      • Muromachi to Momoyama period Negoro ware ewer
    • Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573–1615)
      • Azuchi-Momoyama period, an introduction
      • Oribe Tea Bowl
    • Edo period (1615–1868)
      • Browse this content
      • Edo period, an introduction
      • A portrait of St. Francis Xavier and Christianity in Japan
      • Ogata Kōrin, Red and White Plum Blossoms
      • Hon’ami Kōetsu, Folding Screen mounted with poems
      • Utagawa Kunisada I, Visiting Komachi
      • Hokusai
        • Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)
        • Hokusai’s printed illustrated Books
        • Beyond The Great Wave — Hokusai at 90
      • Kabuki actor prints
      • Goto Teijo, Koto
    • Meiji period (1868–1912)
      • Meiji period, an introduction
    • 1912–present
      • Browse this content
      • Taishō period, an introduction
      • Shōwa period
      • Heisei period, an introduction
      • Mori Mariko, Pure Land
  • Korea
    • Browse this content
    • Royal palaces of Seoul
    • Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age
      • Bronze ritual object with farming scenes
      • Assemblage of Artifacts from the Daegok-ri Site, Hwasun
      • Gold belt buckle, Seokam-ri Tomb 9 (Pyongyang)
    • Three Kingdoms Period (57 B.C.E.–676 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Gold and jade crown (Silla)
        • Gold and jade crown
        • Gold crown and gold belt from the north mound of Hwangnamdaechong Tomb
      • Dangling pendants for gold crowns (Silla)
      • Bronze bowl with inscription for King Gwanggaeto the Great (Silla)
      • Horse-rider-shaped vessels (Silla)
      • Gold Earrings from the Double Burial in Bomun-dong, Gyeongju (Silla)
      • Dagger and gold scabbard from Gyerim-ro Tomb 14, Gyeongju
      • Gold necklace from Noseo-ri 215 Beonji Tomb, Gyeongju (Silla)
      • Mt. Bukhansan Monument for King Jinheung’s Inspection (Silla)
      • Gilt-bronze Buddha with inscription (Goguryeo)
      • Gilt-bronze pensive bodhisattva (National Treasure 78)
      • Gilt-bronze pensive bodhisattva (National Treasure 83)
      • Pensive bodhisattva
      • Crown ornaments from the Tomb of King Muryeong (Baekje)
      • Gilt-bronze Incense Burner (Baekje)
      • Eight Baekje tiles with various designs
      • Baekje stone Buddha and gilt-bronze bodhisattva from the temple site of Gunsu-ri, Buyeo
      • Pensive Bodhisattva on a rectangular pedestal
    • Unified Silla Period (668–935 C.E.)
      • Maitreya Bodhisattva and Amitabha Buddha from Gamsansa Temple
      • Gold Buddha statues from the stone pagoda on the site of Hwangboksa Temple
      • Stone casket and funerary urn of the Unified Silla period
      • Sarira reliquaries from east and west stone pagodas of Gameunsa Temple
      • East and west stone pagodas from the site of Galhangsa Temple
    • Goryeo dynasty (918 C.E.–1392 C.E.)
      • Browse this content
      • Water-Moon Avalokiteśvara
      • Cast-iron Buddha
      • Ceramics
        • Korean Celadons of the Goryeo Dynasty
        • Kundika with Landscape Design
        • Celadon incense burner with lion cover and celadon incense burner with open work geometric design
        • Celadon dragon-shaped ewer and celadon turtle-shaped ewer
        • Celadon Melon-shaped Bottle
        • Maebyeong vases, an introduction
        • Maebyeong with cloud and crane design
        • Maebyeong with peony design
      • Bronze bell with inscription: “Cheonheungsa”
      • Ten-story Stone Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple
      • Stone bodhisattva from the site of Hansongsa Temple
      • Official Register from the late Goryeo period
      • Reliquary set offered by Yi Seonggye (King Taejo of the Joseon dynasty)
      • Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, and the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks
    • Joseon dynasty (1392–1897)
      • Browse this content
      • Painting and calligraphy
        • Inheritance Document of Yi Seonggye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty
        • Album of Poems on “Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers”
        • Bongsa Joseon Changhwa Sigwon: Poems Exchanged by Joseon Officials and Ming Envoys
        • Portrait of Sin Sukju
        • Four Preaching Buddhas
        • Sajeongjeon Edition of The Annotated Zizhi Tongjian
        • Yun Baek-ha, a calligraphic handscroll
        • Kim Hongdo, album of genre paintings
        • Yi Che-gwan, Portrait of a Confucian scholar
        • Yun Du-seo, Portrait of Sim Deukgyeong
        • Yi Myeonggi, Portrait of Kang Sehwang
        • Yi Myeonggi and Kim Hongdo, Portrait of Seo Jiksu
        • Portrait of Yi Chae
        • Kim Jeonghui’s calligraphy of Kim Yugeun’s Autobiography of Mukso
        • Chaekgeori-type screen
        • Dhratarastra, Guardian King of the East
        • Portrait of Yi Haeung, Regent Heungseon Daewongun
      • Ceramics and decorative arts
        • White porcelain ‘moon jar’
        • Buncheong Jar with cloud and dragon design
        • Blue-and-white Porcelain Jar with Plum, Bamboo, and Bird Design
      • Gujangbok, a ceremonial robe symbolizing the king’s prestige
      • Jeogui, the most formal ceremonial robe of the Joseon queens
      • Jeong Sanggi, Dongguk Daejido (“Complete Map of the Eastern Country”)
      • Cheonggu Gwanhaebang Chongdo, or “Map for the National Defense of Korea”
      • Kim Jeongho, woodblocks of Daedongnyeojido (“Territorial Map of the Great East”)
      • Architecture
        • Royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty
        • Changdeokgung Palace complex
        • Jongmyo Shrine
        • Hwaseong Fortress
    • c. 1897–1945
      • The creation of a Korean national flag, 1880s–1910s
      • Portrait of Choe Ikhyeon
      • An Jungsik, Spring Dawn at Mt. Baegak
      • An Junggeun, Calligraphy work of his final message
    • Postwar Korea (after 1945)
      • Song Su-Nam, Summer Trees
    • Conserving Korean lacquer
  • Central Asia
    • Kazakhstan
      • Petroglyphs, Tamgaly Gorge
  • Afghanistan
    • Browse this content
    • Crossroads of the ancient world
    • Bamiyan Buddhas
    • Silver dinar of the Alchon Huns
    • Dado Panel, Courtyard of the Royal Palace of Mas’ud III
  • The Himalayas
    • Nepal
      • Lost-wax metal casting
    • Tibet
      • Jowo Rinpoche, Jokhang Temple, Tibet
      • Sacred arts of Tibet
      • The making of a thangka painting
      • Tara (from Tibet)
      • Mahakala, Protector of the Tent
      • Saddle (gser sga)
  • South Asia
    • Browse this content
    • Beginner’s guide
      • Challenges, opportunities, and approaches for studying South Asian art
      • Geographic regions of South Asia
      • Understanding divine “blueness” in South Asia
      • Depictions of Devi
      • Representations of Krishna
      • Mudras in Buddhist art
    • Textiles from the Indian Subcontinent
      • Materials and making
        • Rooted in the soil of the earth: geographical origins of textile practices
        • The fundamental ingredients of textiles: natural fibers
        • Mastering color: natural dyes of the Indian subcontinent
        • Tools and processes: producing cloth
      • Forms and functions
        • Practice and perfection: textile traditions
        • Motifs and patterns: fundamentals of design vocabulary
        • Dress and diversity: costumes traditions of the Indian subcontinent
      • Communal ties
        • Secrets of the trade: inherited traditions
      • Threads of faith
        • Warding off the evil eye: talismanic textiles
      • Cloth as currency
        • Containers of confluence: imagery on painted and printed textiles
      • Exploits and revolts
        • From handmade to factory made: industry, trade and handcrafted traditions
        • Freedom Movement: textile practices and the making of a nation
      • Opulence and innovation
        • Imperial Splendour: Textiles and Royal Life
        • Expressions and experimentations: textiles in visual art
    • Prehistory to 500 B.C.E.
      • A brief history of the art of South Asia to 500 C.E.
      • North + West
        • Bhimbetka cave paintings
        • An Indus Seal
        • Indus Valley terracotta human figurines
        • Dancing Girl from Mohenjo-daro
        • The Priest-King sculpture from the Indus Valley Civilization
      • Deccan + the South
        • Deccan Megaliths
    • 500 B.C.E–600 C.E.
      • Browse this content
      • Yaksha and Yakshi
      • An Indian ivory statuette in Pompeii
      • Indo-Gangetic Plain
        • The Pillars of Ashoka
        • Lion Capital, Ashokan Pillar at Sarnath
        • The Didarganj Yakshi
        • Bodh Gaya: The Site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment
        • Bodh Gaya: center of the Buddhist world
        • Introduction to the stupa
        • Bharhut Stupa Relief Sculptures
        • Beliefs made visible: Buddhist art in South Asia
        • Jatakas: the many lives of Buddha as Bodhisattva
        • Beliefs made visible: Hindu art in South Asia
        • A Buddha from Mathura
        • Gandharan Sculpture
        • Head of the Buddha, Gandhara
        • The Gupta Period
        • The Caves of Ajanta — Vakataka dynasty
        • The Cave of Shiva at Elephanta
        • Images of enlightenment: aniconic vs. iconic depictions of the Buddha in India
    • 600–1200 C.E.
      • Browse this content
      • North + West
        • Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur
      • Deccan + the South
        • Browse this content
        • The Great Relief at Mamallapuram
        • Shore Temple, Mamallapuram
        • Durga Slays the Buffalo Demon at Mamallapuram
        • The multireligious caves at Ellora
        • Ellora caves
        • Sacred space and symbolic form at Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho (India)
        • Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi as the Goddess Parvati
        • Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja)
        • Three Hindu gods
        • Rajarajesvara temple, Tanjavur
        • Hoysaleshvara temple, Halebidu
      • Sri Lanka
        • Statue of Tara, consort of Avalokiteshvara
    • 1200–1500
      • North + West
        • Introduction to Islam
        • The Qutb complex and early Sultanate architecture
      • Sultanate art and architecture, an introduction
    • 1500–1857
      • Browse this content
      • Indian Artists and the British East India Company
      • Deccan + the South
        • Art and architecture of the Vijayanagara empire
        • The Meenakshi Temple at Madurai
        • Tipu’s Tiger
        • Christian art in India: Indo-Portuguese ivory statuettes
        • Goa stone and gold case
      • North + West
        • A page from the Mewar Ramayana
        • Three Aspects of the Absolute
        • The Taj Mahal
        • Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings
        • Illustration from the Akbarnama
        • Shah Jahan’s portrait, emeralds, and the exotic at the Mughal court
        • Exploring Color in Mughal Paintings
        • Humayun’s tomb
        • Krishna Holds Up Mount Govardhan
        • A Jain pilgrimage map of Shatrunjaya
        • Cashmere shawls
        • Conservation: Indian jama
    • 1857–present
      • Browse this content
      • Submerged, burned, and scattered: celebrating the destruction of objects in South Asia
      • Photographic views of nineteenth-century India, an introduction 
      • Recording and representing India: the East India Company’s landscape practices
      • Raja Ravi Varma, A Galaxy of Musicians
      • Amrita Sher-Gil, Self-Portrait as a Tahitian
      • North + West
        • Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai
      • Deccan + the South
        • Ganesha Jayanti, Lord of Beginnings
        • The making and worship of Ganesha statues in Maharashtra
        • Kathakali dance and masks
      • Indo-Gangetic Plain
        • Varanasi: sacred city
        • Painting in Mithila, an introduction
      • Contemporary
        • Rahul Jain
        • Waqas Khan
        • Noor Ali
        • The Artist Project: Zarina Hashmi
        • Zarina Hashmi – My Work is About Writing
        • The Artist Project: Shahzia Sikander
        • Inside Manish Arora’s Studio
        • The Artist Project: Nalini Malani
        • The Artist Project: Izhar Patkin
        • An interview with Sheba Chhachhi
        • An interview with Naeem Mohaiemen
        • An interview with Dayanita Singh
        • An interview with Sheela Gowda
        • The Singh Twins, EnTWINed
        • Jas Charanjiva on “Don’t Mess With Me”
        • An interview with Sunil Gupta
  • Southeast Asia
    • Browse this content
    • Cambodia
      • Browse this content
      • Angkor Wat
      • Angkor Thom, The Great City
      • The Bayon Temple
      • Figure of Shiva, Khmer Empire
      • The Looting of Cambodian Antiquities
      • The Scourge of Looting: Trafficking Antiquities, from Temple to Museum
      • Sotheby’s Returns Looted 10th Century Statue to Cambodia
    • Thailand
      • Browse this content
      • Ban Chiang, a prehistoric archaeological site 
      • Ayutthaya
      • Sukhothai
      • Sukhothai Walking Buddha
      • Thai Buddhist Monasteries
      • The Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand 
      • Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
      • The Emerald Buddha and pandemics
    • Vietnam
      • Đông Sơn Drums
      • Mỹ Sơn Hindu temple complex
      • The Đồng Dương Buddhist temple complex
      • Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Hanoi
    • Indonesia
      • Browse this content
      • Borobudur
      • Prambanan Temple compounds
      • Bronze figure of Buddha Vairocana (Java)
      • Sukuh, a mountain sanctuary
      • Sunyaragi, a Javanese pleasure garden
      • The Spirit of the Barong, Bali
      • Shadow puppet, Java

Exploring Color in Mughal Paintings

by The J. Paul Getty Museum

This video accompanied the exhibition “Rembrandt and the Inspiration of India” (March 13, 2018 – June 24, 2018) at the Getty Museum. For more information visit: http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/…

Cite this page as: The J. Paul Getty Museum, "Exploring Color in Mughal Paintings," in Smarthistory, January 29, 2020, accessed October 2, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/color-mughal-paintings/.
Flickr Icon

Browse Smarthistory images for teaching & learning!

Sign up for our newsletter!

Receive occasional emails about new Smarthistory content.

Smarthistory is a nonprofit organization

At Smarthistory we believe art has the power to transform lives and to build understanding across cultures. We believe that the brilliant histories of art belong to everyone, no matter their background. Smarthistory’s free, award-winning digital content unlocks the expertise of hundreds of leading scholars, making the history of art accessible and engaging to more people, in more places, than any other publisher.

  • Donate
  • Contact Us
facebook icon
twitter icon
instagram icon
youtube icon
flickr icon
  • About Smarthistory
  • Smarthistory’s blog
  • Contribute an essay
  • Content editors and contributors

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License