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serpentine

Mature Harappan

Indus Valley

2600-1900 BCE

“Metropolitan museum of art” New York

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327234

“Figure of a bull” is a small stylized serpentine figure. When I first came across this picture it reminded me of a children’s toy, if you look at the bulls head its horns are broken off. It’s likely from the objects age but it could potentially have been done intentionally. understanding that bulls are sacred and important in Indus, Valley culture made me think it was possibly a figure for religious or ceremonial purposes, We will truly never know if the bull was used for rituals or playtime. the craftsmanship of the figure still shows through despite its age, I think it’s a testament to the crafters efforts and shows the small bull was likely a cherished object

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stucco

3rd/4th century

Gandhara

201 CE- 400 CE

Art institute of Chicago

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/151095/head-of-buddha

when I viewed this image I noticed the curly hair of the buddha was not portrayed with snail shell curls but with a more formal depiction, which leads me to believe this sculpture is also a Greco-Roman style sculpture. it's unfortunate that we only get to view part of the sculpture due to its current state id like to believe there was likely more detail included in the body of the sculpture which could give clues to which buddha this statue represents.

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i envisioned the bamiyan buddhas in their golden era and i tried to imagine myself in the place of a traveler tired from their journey, and what it must have felt like to come across such a monument. as described in the video it used to be completely painted and was referred as a jewel or an oasis, to imagine that level of gradur and then to hear about how it was torn down by extremist was really devastating. despite attempts to erase the bamiyan from history it was nice to hear that it wasn't a simple thing to destroy, the craftsmanship and quality of the work really shows through, for it to be as old as it is and still surviving despite efforts against it. i really enjoyed the locals perspective in terms of the rebuilding of the bamiyan buddhas, it really resonated with me that some townspeople believed the sculpture should not be rebuilt as a testaments for the survival of their community and the traditions they continue to honor.

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Bronze

Western Zhou dynasty

china

late 9th-early 8th century BCE

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/44322

when first coming across this piece the handles of the vessel really caught my eye, they seem really delicate which make me think they are more for decoration rather then functionally. this specific type of container seems to be a fangly which is a wine vessel used for rituals. the vessel seems to be lacking any obvious taotie embellishments but when i look closer at the handle's of the vessel there is possibly some anthropomorphic imagery, it reminded me of an elephant.

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Earthenware

Japanese

Jomon

Japan

1000-800 BCE

Minneapolis institute of art

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/124688/figurine-of-a-female-japan

my first thoughts on this sculpture were, why make the eyes in such large proportion while also keeping the eyes closed. while the style might seem odd in modern times, it also helps me to identify the object because of its unique proportions and style known as "dogu" which is a specific style from the jomon period in japan. this figure was likely a fertility dogu which can be interpreted from its wide female proportions.

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Earthenware with green lead glaze

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220)

china

1st early 3rd century

the Metropolitan Museum of Art

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/44322

the first thing i noticed about this piece was all the little animal! it reminds me of a toy farm set. for this object Childs play was not the intended use, this is a mingqi or a spirit vessel. often times mingqi is used to create a surrogate world for spirit that pass on, some examples of this include figure's of musicians, or armys of terracotta warriors. this specific mingqi represents a farm with animals but also a woman and her child, we don't know who the mingqi is intended for but the mother and child could represent a family for the deceased. the farm itself could be a means of wealth and livestock for food