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Hybrid figure with human body and feline head. Hohlenstein-Stadel cave, Germany, ~40,000 BCE

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Fairly accurate proportions for a human figure. Static - no movement/pose

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paleolithic - Hybrid figure with a human body and feline head

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Statues from Abu Temple, Tell Asmar, Iraq ~2700 BCE

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Group of praying statues. Most are wearing the clothes of a soldier/warrior. Proportions are squat and exaggerated leg length

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Stele inscribed with the Law Code of Hammurabi. ~1760 BCE

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Scale of hierarchy implies that Hammurabi is on the same level as the Gods (though still smaller)

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Gate of the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin, Iraq. ~742 BCE

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Representative of the Kings godly authority. Symmetry used as a sacred doorway

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Palette of King Narmer, Hierakonpolis ~3150 BCE

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Hierarchy of scale. The registers and direction the characters face imply a story.

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Set I's Campaigns, Temple of Amun-Ra Karnak, Thebes. ~1280 BCE

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The circle and bird above the main figure on his chariot could imply the blessings/power of their sun god being given to him.

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Grandstand Fresco, Knossos, Crete. ~1500 BCE

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Mixing of profile & frontal perspectives. (Heads profile, torsos frontal)

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The Lioness Gate, Mycenae, Greece. ~1250 BCE

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Very balanced. The Lions ascending a central pillar are very accurate to natural proportions

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Dipylon Vase, Dipylon Cemetery Athens. ~750 BCE

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Decorative geometry on majority. Depicted is most likely a funeral (central & hierarchy)

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Kritios Boy - Akropolis Museum, Athens  ~480BCE

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Idealistic proportions - Asymmetry of pose & head direction

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Pythokritos - Nike of Samothrace - ~190 BCE

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Dynamic pose - energy, angles, flowing lines no longer just an upright figure.

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Tomb of Hunting and Fishing, Tarquinia. ~530 BCE

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Hierarchy of Scale - Representational animals & humans purely in profile.

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Locoon Citta del Vaticano, Rome. ~1st Century CE

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Hierarchy of Scale. Dynamic poses. Naturalist but idealisitc.

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Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius. Plazzo dei Conservatori, Rome. ~170 CE

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Contrapposto. Propagandistic - large figure (emperor) bringing a peaceful gesture.

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Constantinian relief - Arch of Constantine. ~312 CE

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Figures are in 3/4 or frontal perspective. Circular Architecture to draw focus and emphasize importance.

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Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus. Museo Storico del Capitolo di San Pietro, Rome. 359CE

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Near full 3d carvings (very deep). Writing along the top and top central stone. A little short proportionally.

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Emperor Justinian and His Attendants - San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy. 547 CE

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Iconography of the Halo- Divinity and Kingship & Color and positioning Hierarchy.

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Tara Brooch - Bettystown, County Meath, Ireland. ~8th century CE

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Negative space to accentuate the intricacy of the work. Use - Clothing Accessory (Brooch)

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St. Matthew from the Gospel Book of Archbishop Ebbo of Reims - ~816 CE

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Impressionist - Emotional. flattened perspective

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Christ and Apostles, priory of Berze-la-Ville, France. Early 12th century.

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Hierarchy of Scale - Iconography. Emphasis on arcs and circles.

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Cathedral of Notre-Dame - West facade, Paris

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Inlaid doorways. Circular architecture to signify divinity.

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Annunciation and Visitation - West portal of Notre-dame, Reims. ~1230-65 CE

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Repitition of pose. Realistic, proportional. Contrapasto

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Guillaume de Machaut. The enchanted Garden, from Le Dit du Lion. 1350-55 CE

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Representational. No horizon. Decorated background, and outside of painting

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Jesus Teaching in the Temple and Hunting Scene - Queen Mary Psalter - 1310-20 CE

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Central Hierarchy. Contained figures on the sides. Iconography of halos

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Hierarchy of scale. Iconography. Contained figures in sides.

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Goat in Thicket, Royal Cemetery of UR, Muqaiyir, Iraq ~2600 BCE (One of a pair)

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Gold leaf covers specific parts of the Goat's body as well as the entirety of the tree. The Goat represents the god Tammuz and the flowers represent Inanna. Balancing a bowl between the horns and leaves could hold an offering. Most likely about fertility of both plants and animals.

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Queen of the Night relief, Iraq, 1800-1750 BCE

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Holding two 'rod and ring' symbols, symbolic of divinity and justice. She is standing on the backs of the lions, and her wings are pointed downward, potentially illustrating that she is the Goddess of the underworld.

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Partial reconstruction of Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs, West Pediment of Temple of Zeus Olympia, 460 BCE

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Fully displaying the experimentation of dynamic posing and realistic modeling of the Classical Greek era. Depicting a mythical scene of centaurs and the God Apollo.

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Differentiation of color meaning specific animals. Scale seems appropriate and adds depth. Simplistic and only outlined (painted in for detail) but perfectly captures the shape language of the animals.

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Lion Hunt Relief - North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh, ~645 BCE

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A very shallow relief work, this depicts the power and strength of the king and his army. Profile poses and overlapping to imply multiplicity of people/chariots/horses.

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Step pyramid and funerary complex of King Djoser, Saqqara. ~2681-2662 BCE

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Large complexes are built to support the construction of increasingly larger funerary step pyramids. Showing their early advancement of construction technique, they implemented the use of arches and columns much earlier than most other societies.

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Kneeling Figure of King Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri, 1473-1458 BCE

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Interestingly, this statue is of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. Being that kingship was a male role, she wears the regalia of a male king, including the false beard. She is also depicted physically as male. Typical proportions for Egyptian sculpture, squared knees, and undefined ankles.

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Flotilla Fresco, Akrotiri, Thera, 1600-1500 BCE

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This fresco shows the integration and importance of the river harbor for this city. It shows the comings and goings of many ships and people. It skews the city on the left to be a frontal view, but behind it it shows the surrounding river and mountains in broken perspective.

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Three Deities, Mycenae, Greece, 1400-1300 BCE

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This intimate and tender moment counters the Mycenean themes of domination in warfare. It is debated whether this depicts 3 Goddesses, or a familial situation. High detail on the dress of the women, and similar jewelry and robes are worn by the child. A rare piece in which the figures are not static but appear to lean on eachother.

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The flat chests and small arms are contrasted by the thick legs and rounded hindquarters of both figures. The headwear points to this being a combat between figures. Was probably a votive figure.

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Battle of Issos, copy from Pompeii of Hellenistic Painting, Naples, 315 BCE

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Distinct horizon line and overlapping forms to create depth. Hierarchy of scale to signify the important characters of the battle. A few profile faces, but mostly appropriately 3/4 perspective.

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The work on the face is reminiscent of the Oriental period of Greek sculpture, the proportions are well defined and muscle groups are defined, the drapery is not at the level of classical Greece and the hair is more reminiscent of Babylonian/Assyrian statues. The contrapposto pose however, was much more contemporary.

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Mosaic work that was inspired by artwork of the contemporary Egyptians. This shows several buildings and life along the Nile in differing perspectives. Extreme amount of detail work within each section. the only profile work is for background characters and to imply depth. Slight use of atmospheric perspective.

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Second Style wall painting, Villa of Publius Fannius Svnistor, Boscoreale, Pompeii, ~50 BCE

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Interior wall decoration, gives the illusion of more space and looking outward to the scene. Foreground of architectural features and columns distinguishing different frames. Columns in the background go to a vanishing point.

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Basilica of Maxentius (Constantine), Rome, 307 CE

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By this time in the Rome, they had not only mastered the construction of large works via use of the arch, but these had shifted from public works to vanity "triumphal" constructions as the state of the Empire lost the need for the support of the public from the days of the Republic.

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Painted ceiling, Catacom of Santissimi Pietro e Marcellino, Rome, Italy, ~350CE

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Early Christian art becomes highly symbolic and becomes relational to numbers, specific features associated with specific individuals. The 4 figures between the circles represent the 4 Evangelists, being Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The separation and telling of multiple stories on one façade becomes very popular.

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Continuing the practice of separating reliefs in zones separated by depictions of architecture. Iconography of prayer pose, wielding Christ's power, simplification of depiction of cloth from origins as Roman empire.

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Symbol of St. Matthew, Book of Durrow, 660-680 CE

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Continuing from the early Christian artwork, they continue to frame and accentuate the borders and rely more on patterns and reduce their characters to more iconographic representations.

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Emphasis on luxury and grandeur, made for nobles of the time. Frontal Christ on the cross. Accentuation of the borders and fringes.

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Lintel of west portal, Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines, France. 1020 CE

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Less depth than previous relief sculptures. No longer proportional. Heirarchy of scale. Use of registers for text. Use of arcs and circles to denote Christ.

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Ambulatory of abbey church of Saint-Denis ~1140 CE

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The loss of concrete for the gothic era brought the reintroduction of aisles and needed a continued use of Greek Corinthian columns. However this did not prevent them from building tall using the strengths of arches and supporting curves. Prominent use of windows to bring in natural light. Pointed arches, and quadripartite vaulted ceilings denote its status as gothic.

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Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Remis ~1163-1345 CE.

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French Gothic Cathedrals have their basilica pushed toward one side, with the towers sitting on top of the parts aside the nave. The Notre Dame was quickly recognized as one of the top 3 most important buildings in Paris. Inlaid pointed archways toward the doors denote entering a holy place. Sculpture and relief sculpture are built to fill space.

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Return to a classical approach to sculpture, proportion and gesture. Drapery to show form with lots of folds. Gold to denote purity and divinity. Stands upon a base depicting several bible stories within different cells with the distinct blue and gold of gothic artwork.

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Crucificion, and, the Virgin and John the Evangelist, Naumburg catherdral, Germany, 1255

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The quatrefoil in the center depicts a ruler, either God or Jesus looking upon the Crucifiction. The figures on the side are Mary and John. They are surrounded by an architectural frame and are in a raised akin to an altar's placement. There are also figures on the left and right side above jesus, in which it llooks like there are people with weapons.

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Nicola Pisano, Pulpit from the baptistry, Pisa, 1260 CE

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Italy's gothic period maintained many classical elements, including a variable amount of depth in their reliefs. However they started depicting multiple stories in the same cell. The proportion is well done but unrelated from story to story. Pose of the largest figure is akin to Etruscan sarcophagus sculpture.

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Arnhem Land's Mount Borradaile, ~40,000-28,000 BCE

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Similar to the early mid-east cultures, the first signs of art within the Aboriginal outback were paintings of animals, handprints, and abstracted human forms. This connection of art from tens of thousands of miles away is astounding.

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Wandjina Pictographs, Wunnamura Gorge, Kimberley, Australia, ~40,000-28,000 BCE

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Pictographs of what could be Gulingi - cloud and rain spirits. They are depicted somewhat humanlike. Exagerated eyes, and the inclusion of the shoulders is interesting.