Collection Search

Head
Africa, Northern Nigeria, Nok culture
c. 500 B.C.–A.D. 500
c. 285 B.C.–A.D. 515
Terracotta
12 3/4 x 6 3/4 x 7 in. (32.4 x 17.2 x 17.8 cm)
AP 1996.04
This unadorned yet elegant head represents a strain of Nok art differentiated from the typically more energized Nok style, perhaps of a type produced in another area. Sculpted in the round, it is most likely broken at the neck from a full figure.

Tripod Vessel with Lid
Guatemala, Maya culture
Early Classic period (A.D. 250–600)
c. A.D. 400–500
Ceramic with stucco and polychrome pigments
H. 11 in. (27.9 cm); Diam. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
AP 1997.01
The art of the Maya is principally the art of the ruling elite. Vessels were made to honor and commemorate once-living rulers and to venerate their gods and ancestors; these objects, laden with power and symbolism, were then buried in tombs alongside their royal or noble owners.

Royal Belt Ornament
Possibly Guatemala, Maya culture
Early Classic period (A.D. 250–600)
c. A.D. 400–500
Pale gray-green jade
9 1/4 × 3 × 1/8 in. (23.5 × 7.6 × 0.3 cm)
AP 2004.05
This exquisitely decorated jade belt ornament originally formed part of a royal costume that included a belt assemblage consisting of three such pendants. One side represents a full-length profile portrait of a young Maya ruler richly attired in the regalia associated with enthronement.

Urn in the Form of Cociyo, God of Lightning and Rain
Urn in the Form of Cociyo, God of Lightning and Rain
Urn in the Form of Cociyo, God of Lightning and Rain
Mexico, Oaxaca, Monte Albán IIIa, Zapotec culture
Early Classic period (A.D. 250–600)
c. A.D. 400–500
Ceramic
28 1/2 x 21 x 18 in. (72.4 x 53.3 x 45.7 cm)
AP 1985.09
The primary capital of Zapotec culture was the ceremonial site of Monte Albán (in the modern state of Oaxaca), where the Zapotecs worshipped a complex pantheon of nature gods.

Haniwa Seated Man
Japan, Ibaraki prefecture, Kashima, Hokota site
Kofun period (248–646)
c. A.D. 500
Low-fired clay with cinnabar pigment
29 15/16 x 10 5/8 in. (76 x 27 cm)
AP 1972.02
Haniwa, which means “circle (or tube) of clay,” is the term given to large numbers of hollow clay cylinders that were placed in and around the bases of large earthen mounds covering Japanese royal tombs.

Vessel with a Mythological Frieze
Possibly Guatemala or Belize, Maya culture
Late Classic period (A.D. 600–900)
c. A.D. 550–950
Polychromed ceramic
H. 10 13/16 in. (27.5 cm); Diam. 5 5/16 in. (13.5 cm)
AP 2004.02
This tall vessel is skillfully painted with a unique mythological frieze depicting two renderings of the aged supreme deity Itzamna, the god of heaven and sun for the Yucatec Maya.

Jar in the Shape of a Stupa
China, Shaanxi, Shandong, or Henan province
Northern Qi period or Sui dynasty (550–577/581–618)
Late 6th or early 7th century
Earthenware with traces of painted polychrome pigment
19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
AP 1994.06 a,b,c
This unusual pottery jar illustrates the early assimilation of Buddhist motifs to the decoration of Chinese mortuary objects.

Standing Dignitary
Peru, South Coast, Wari culture
Middle Horizon, c. 7th–11th century A.D.
c. A.D. 600–1000
Wood with shell-and-stone inlay and silver
4 x 2 1/2 x 1 in. (10.2 x 6.4 x 2.6 cm)
AP 2002.04
This rare Wari freestanding figurine is composed of intricate and densely patterned inlays of mother-of-pearl, purple and orange spondylus shell, mussel shell, turquoise, pyrite, greenstone, lapis lazuli, and silver (for the headdress) on a wood matrix.

Smiling Girl Holding a Basket
Mexico, central Veracruz, Nopiloa style
Late Classic period (A.D. 600–900)
A.D. 600–750
Ceramic with white slip and traces of paint
7 9/16 x 6 1/8 x 3 3/4 in. (19.2 x 15.5 x 9.5 cm)
AP 1978.01
Among numerous regional variations, hollow modeled figures from the Veracruz area of the Gulf Coast are noted for their typical smiling facial expressions and the great care given to the slightest details of ornament and attire.

Standing Ruler
Guatemala, Maya culture
Late Classic period (A.D. 600–900)
c. A.D. 600–800
Ceramic with traces of paint
9 3/8 x 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. (23.8 x 9.9 x 9.8 cm)
AP 1984.03
The surviving works of Maya civilization range from the smallest objects to great edifices. Among the small-scale artworks of the Maya are many exquisite ceramic figurines only a few inches high.

Standing Buddha Shakyamuni
Nepal
Licchavi period (400-750)
7th century
Gilded copper
19 3/4 x 8 x 3 3/8 in. (50.2 x 20.3 x 8.6 cm)
AP 1979.01
This slim, richly gilded figure represents the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, Sage of the Shakya clan.

Flask
Japan
Asuka period (552–645)
7th century A.D.
High-fired clay (Sue ware)
12 3/8 x 10 3/8 x 7 1/4 in. (31.4 x 26.3 x 18.4 cm)
AP 1983.01
This flask exemplifies a type of ceramic vessel produced in the sixth and seventh centuries in Japan for ritual use or for placement in tombs as offerings.

Amphora-Shaped Vase
China, probably Hebei province
Tang dynasty (618–907)
7th or 8th century A.D.
Stoneware with transparent glaze
H. 14 7/8 in. (37.8 cm); Diam. 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm)
AP 1969.16
The amphora shape of this vase, modeled after Hellenistic prototypes, has been translated into Chinese idiom by the use of a single color glaze and the substitution of dragon handles for the ordinary loop variety.

Court Lady
China, probably Shaanxi province
Tang dynasty (618–907)
First half of the 8th century
Gray earthenware with painted polychrome decoration
16 5/16 x 7 1/16 x 6 3/8 in. (41.5 x 18 x 16.2 cm)
AP 2001.01
One of the most engaging and distinctive groups of Tang funerary sculpture is the one representing ladies of the court. This animated and charming example stands in a gracefully swayed pose, her petite hands held in a conversational gesture in front of her swelling form.

Earth Spirit
China, probably Shaanxi province
Tang dynasty (618–907)
First half of the 8th century
Gray earthenware with painted polychrome decoration
31 1/8 x 7 9/16 x 11 1/4 in. (79.1 x 19.2 x 28.5 cm)
AP 2001.02
The inclusion of fantastic animal guardians as part of the retinue of tomb figures began in the Northern Wei dynasty (A.D. 386–534) and continued into the Tang dynasty.

Harihara
Cambodia, Kompong Cham, style of Prasat Andet
Pre-Angkor period (550–802)
c. 675–700
Stone
45 1/2 x 20 7/8 x 11 in. (115.6 x 53 x 28 cm)
AP 1988.01
The Khmer kingdom controlled Cambodia as well as large areas of Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos from the sixth to the fifteenth centuries.