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Balinese masks (tapel in Balinese, topeng in Java), are said to have existed since the 10th century and often are danced in sacred Hindu stories with important moral, ethical, historical and philosophical ideas, This is especially true as many come from ancient Hindu texts like ancient epics the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Babad Dalem, the…
In Bali, Indonesia, Hindu villages have a sacred collection of woodcarvings in the form of Balinese masks (topeng) danced as offerings to the gods with a gamelan percussion orchestra. Balinese dance masks are endowed with magic (tenget) ), especially. the 2 central to Balinese mythology, culture and their past of animism: Rangda and Barong. Barong…
The rare antique tribal silver amulet depicts the Hindu Gods Ganesh and his consort Parvati. Ganesh removes obstacles, brings fortune, wears a crown and joyfully holds up his trunk. His large elephant head and ears symbolize knowledge through listening and reflection and his four arms symbolize the four aspects of Hinduism, the four Vedas (ancient…
This antique hard wood mold was hung it in a kitchen, the center of activity of the Chinese home. Virtually all homes had a confection-mold to prepare sweetmeats made by placing pastry dough with various fillings in the mold and turning it over on a sheet to be baked. Many were used to make mooncakes…
This image from Guandong wears typical Taoist priest or shaman attire – an undergarment crossed at the neck, an overcoat clasped at the waist and a double-winged high hat centered with an image of a taotie. The taotie is a mystical animal sometimes on the hat of Taoist priests or shamans as a guardian or…
Stone reliefs or mold made earthenware brick tiles were made for ancestor worship and to decorate doors and the walls of tombs, temples and other structures from the Han Dynasty onwards. As China expanded its trade along the Silk Roads in the Song dynasty, foreign artistic influences began to be seen in the expanded use…
The Song dynasty (960–1279CE) is considered the most culturally brilliant era in later imperial Chinese history. A massive expansion produced government and public buildings and tombs with walls decorated with earthenware unglazed mold made brick tiles. Some were purely decorative and others were wishes for happiness and comfort in live and deceased people’s afterlife called mingqi. With…
Banquet scenes and feasts have been part of Chinese art and culture for millennia. They include celebrations of important rituals and social events, both public and private. These can be religious or social rituals, funerary practices performed by families filling their obligations of filial piety, family fêtes, scenes of scholarly gatherings, casual feasts for couples and…
This lovely 20th century Thai bronze statue is Guanyin, Goddess of Infinite Mercy and Compassion who hears the cries of the oppressed. She sits in meditation (dhyana mudra) hands in the lap holding her sacred vase containing amitra the sacred dew of compassion, healing and immortality that represents humanities’ tears and her the never ending…
A belief in Hinduism is that the light and heat produced by an oil lamp and incense burner aid devotees to access the divine and to focus their attention and awareness on the images of the deities (murti) and their positive powers. Using them with fellow devotees in combination with the arati ritual (moving a…
This human figure is an honored Dayak effigy called a hampatong, the name used for both ancestor and protective human and mythical animal figures made from Borneo ‘iron wood’. The Dayak people are indigenous to Borneo (Kalimantan), Indonesia, the world’s 3rd largest island with 4.6 million members comprised of over 200 ethnic subgroups. Residing in…
This paper stencil is a Japanese katagami, (“pattern paper”) used to decorate Japanese textiles with attractive meaningful designs. Ise katagami is an exacting craft using paper stencils to print designs on textiles on long bolts of silk, cotton or other cloth or on garments, especially kimonos. Layers of traditional handmade mulberry paper are fused using…
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