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Nagas are powerful folk art serpents similar to dragons who live in the underworld or in waters, move through the earth as if it were water or fly through the heavens. Often described as a half-serpent, half-human, these semi-divine mythical animals have a past in animism and were object of rituals, worship and devotion as a…
A hsun ok is a graceful, lidded lacquer vessel used in Theravada Buddhism in Burma/Myanmar by devotees to carry offerings for monks to monasteries or temples to “make merit” toward Buddhist enlightenment. Filled with items such as rice, fruit, boiled eggs, and other gifts, they are traditionally carried by women who place them in altars…
Nandi is among the most frequent Hindu deities worshiped in public places, temples, homes, or on a home altar throughout India. As one of Hinduism’s mythical animals, Nandi is Shiva’s vahana, (his mount that transports him), attendant and leader of his attendants and guardian of all four-footed animals. A recumbent image of Nandi on a…
In India, as other Asian countries, Hindu children were given votive objects and carvings as dolls representing murti (deities), legendary heroes, and myths to entertain, educate, and reinforce pride in their heritage and religion. This Indian folk-art carving is a Devi, the Sanskrit word for goddess meaning heavenly, divine, and a thing of excellence. Carved…
These carvings of the Taoist-Deities Tudi Gong and his wife Tudi Po are from rural Southern China where they were frequently depicted together as house-gods on a home altar or local temple for farmers to pray to for abundant harvests and success in selling their products. Although Tudi Gong is a low ranking deity, he…
The term Coptic Cross refers to several variants in Christian art associated with the Coptic Orthodox Church in Africa. Coptic crosses from the Orthodox Church of Alexandria were a foundation for Ethiopian Cross design and symbolism. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church historically assimilated pre-Christian symbols and imparted its own meanings to them. A Christian cross with…
Each Coptic cross is one of several variants of a Christian cross associated with the Coptic Orthodox Church in Africa. African metalwork crosses of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria were a foundation for Ethiopian Cross designs and symbolism. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church historically assimilated into their art pre-Christian cross symbols and imparted its own…
No other region has produced the quantity, quality and diversity as the Christian crosses from the Ethiopian Highlands in Africa, an area renowned for its unique African art and metalwork. The uniqueness of Ethiopian Crosses reflects influences of many ancient civilizations: Coptic, Celtic, Egyptian, Byzantine, Greek, and Roman. Ethiopia was the second country to make…
Peacocks have a long and glorious history in India. They are part of Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata and the Rigveda, India’s oldest sacred Sanskrit text. A Sanskrit verse claims “The gorgeous peacock is the glory of God.” Peacocks are intertwined with many Hindu deities: they are the vehicles (vahana) of Kartikeya the…
A hsun ok is a spiritual vessel used in Theravada Buddhism by families to carry food and other offerings to monks in monasteries or temples and, in the past, to members of the royal family. These spiritual acts are to gain merit: good deeds that improve one’s life and inner self and attract other positive…
This exceptional polychrome mask (topeng in Java, tapel in Bali) of Jatayu blends Balinese ethnic and folk-art with Hindu cultural traditions. Indonesia was part of the larger Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293-1527), is now a Muslim majority but Bali remains mostly Hindu. Balinese masks are often made from a single piece of local pulai wood whose…
While most families have had prints or paper-cuts of the Kitchen-God with or without his wife above their stove, carved wood images with a lacquer coating tended to be owned by wealthier families. The Kitchen God is syncretic as a Taoist, Popular Religion and Buddhist tutelary deity who protects the home and its inhabitants, observes…
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