Once painted and gilded, this panel was part of a larger frieze bearing commemorative Kufic inscriptions.
Location: Brooklyn Museum
Although this vessel depicts a royal Inka couple, it was produced after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.
Keru Vessel
Japanese objects came through Mexico on their way to Spain, and had a lasting impact on the arts of the New World.
Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and ...
Long before the advent of cell phones and social media, the Luba had invented their own handheld memory device.
Lukasa (Memory Board) (Luba peoples)
The Mende initiation rite for young women is the only known masquerade tradition where the mask-wearers are female.
Bundu / Sowei Helmet Mask (Mende peoples)
The austere display of this powerful object masks the complexity of its original context.
Elephant Mask (Bamileke Peoples)
These figures look calm and contemplative, but also display real strength and vitality in their muscular forms.
Female Reliquary Guardian Figure (Fang peoples)—video
The king did not sit for this portrait; in fact, the artist carved it without directly observing his subject.
Ndop Portrait of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul ...
Johnson’s moving painting of a family fleeing slavery places the courage of African-Americans center stage.
Eastman Johnson, A Ride for Liberty — ...
Coachella style has perpetuated stereotypes—but war bonnets have important cultural and spiritual significance.
Feathered war bonnet
Genealogical Inka portraits like these were banned by the Spanish who feared they would inspire uprisings.
Fourteen portraits of the Inka Kings
Joseph plays a bit part in earlier depictions but has an important supporting role in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Cusco School Artist, Saint Joseph and the ...
This nearly 2000-year-old old textile survives thanks to the arid environment of southern Peru where it was buried.
The Paracas Textile
Why is there a ghoulish skeleton on the reverse of this almost life-size sculpture?
Huastec: Life-Death Figure
Two famous lovers meet in this miniature—as do Persian and European painting traditions.
Khusraw Discovers Shirin Bathing
The different motifs on this bowl—some Persian, others adapted from ancient Greece—relate to Safavid-era practices.
Divination Bowl with Inscriptions and Zodiac Signs
Though made in Iznik, an Ottoman center for ceramic arts, this jug blends Chinese and Iranian design elements.
Iznik ewer
This basketball-sized example of Ottoman ceramics may represent the orb of heaven or the gardens of paradise.
Spherical Hanging Ornament (Iznik)
The Islamic world turned writing into an art, but it’s the decoration, not the script, that sets these folios apart.
Mamluk Qur’an
Once painted and gilded, this panel was part of a larger frieze bearing commemorative Kufic inscriptions.