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Art of Asia

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A brief history of the cultures of Asia
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, a beginner's guide
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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
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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
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Neolithic period (c. 7000–1700 B.C.E.), an introduction
Chinese jade: an introduction
Jade Cong
Working jade
Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 B.C.E.)
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Shang dynasty, an introduction
Oracle Bone, Shang Dynasty
Tigers, dragons, and, monsters on a Shang Dynasty ewer
Lidded ritual ewer
War and Sacrifice: The Tomb of Fu Hao
Zhou Dynasty (c. 1050–221 B.C.E.)
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Zhou Dynasty, an introduction
Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 B.C.E.)
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Da Ke Ding
Square lidded ritual wine container (fangyi)
Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 B.C.E.)
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Bell (bo) with birds and dragons
Ambition and luxury: Marquis Yi of the Zeng State
Qin dynasty (c. 221–206 B.C.E.)
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Qin dynasty, an introduction
The Tomb of the First Emperor
The Terracotta Warriors
Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.)
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Han dynasty, an introduction
The search for immortality: The Tomb of Lady Dai
Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
Disk (bi) with knobs, feline, and dragon
Ladle
Period of Division (220–589 C.E.)
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Period of Division, an introduction
Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 C.E.)
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Yungang grottoes
Longmen caves, Luoyang
Northern Qi dynasty (550–577 C.E.)
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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.)
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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
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.)
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Murals in two Liao Dynasty tombs
Arhat (Luohan)
Song dynasty (960–1279 C.E.)
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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
Bodhisattva of Compassion Seated in Royal Ease at the Denver Art Museum
Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 C.E.)
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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)
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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.)
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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
Summer Palace in Beijing
Xunling, The Empress Dowager Cixi with foreign envoys’ wives
Modern China (1921–present)
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Modern China, an introduction
Republic of China
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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)
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Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan
Luo Zhongli, Father
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
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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
Fudō Myōō (Achala-vidyārāja)
Kamakura period (1185–1333)
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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)
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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
Hasegawa Tōhaku, Pine Trees
Edo period (1615–1868)
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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
Five Beautiful Women by Katsushika Hokusai
Kabuki actor prints
Goto Teijo, Koto
Meiji period (1868–1912)
Meiji period, an introduction
1912–present
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Taishō period, an introduction
Shōwa period
Heisei period, an introduction
Mori Mariko, Pure Land
Korea
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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.)
Gold and jade crown (Silla)
Bronze bowl with inscription for King Gwanggaeto the Great (Silla)
Horse-rider-shaped vessels (Silla)
Gilt-bronze Buddha with inscription (Goguryeo)
Pensive bodhisattva
Gilt-bronze Incense Burner (Baekje)
Goryeo dynasty (918 C.E.–1392 C.E.)
Water-Moon Avalokiteśvara
Cast-iron Buddha
Korean Celadons of the Goryeo Dynasty
Maebyong vases, an introduction
Maebyeong with cloud and crane design
Maebyeong with peony design
Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, and the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks
Joseon dynasty (1392–1897)
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Painting and calligraphy
Portrait of Sin Sukju
Four Preaching Buddhas
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 and Kim Hongdo, Portrait of Seo Jiksu
Kim Jeonghui’s calligraphy of Kim Yugeun’s Autobiography of Mukso
Chaekgeori-type screen
Dhratarastra, Guardian King of the East
Ceramics and decorative arts
White porcelain ‘moon jar’
Buncheong Jar with cloud and dragon design
Gujangbok, a ceremonial robe symbolizing the king’s prestige
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
An Jungsik, Spring Dawn at Mt. Baegak
Postwar Korea (after 1945)
Song Su-Nam, Summer Trees
Conserving Korean lacquer
Central Asia
Kazakhstan
Petroglyphs, Tamgaly Gorge
Afghanistan
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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
Tibet
Jowo Rinpoche, Jokhang Temple, Tibet
Sacred arts of Tibet
Tara (from Tibet)
Mahakala, Protector of the Tent
Saddle (gser sga)
South Asia
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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
The fundamental ingredients of textiles: natural fibers
Mastering color: natural dyes of the Indian subcontinent
Dress and diversity: costumes traditions of the Indian subcontinent
Secrets of the trade: inherited traditions
Warding off the evil eye: talismanic textiles
Containers of confluence: imagery on painted and printed textiles
From handmade to factory made: industry, trade and handcrafted traditions
Freedom Movement: textile practices and the making of a nation
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
Deccan + the South
Deccan Megaliths
500 B.C.E–600 C.E.
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Yaksha and Yakshi
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
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.
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North + West
Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur
Deccan and the South
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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
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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
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
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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 on the Impact of Empire
Jas Charanjiva on “Don’t Mess With Me”
An interview with Sunil Gupta
Southeast Asia
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Cambodia
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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
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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
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Hanoi
Indonesia
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Borobudur
Prambanan Temple compounds
Bronze figure of Buddha Vairocana (Java)
Sukuh, a mountain sanctuary
The Spirit of the Barong, Bali
Shadow puppet, Java

Discovering Sacred Texts: Hinduism

by The British Library

Additional resources:

The British Library’s Sacred Texts website

Cite this page as: The British Library, "Discovering Sacred Texts: Hinduism," in Smarthistory, April 13, 2020, accessed October 5, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/sacred-texts-hinduism/.

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Nasca feather tunic

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This tunic made of feathers is one of only a few intact examples of ancient Peruvian featherwork garments in existence today. Explore this piece further with Thomas Campbell, Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco—the de Young and Legion of Honor museums.

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