I selected the Power Figure (Nkisi Nkondi) from The Brooklyn Museum’s Collections: Art of Africa. It was difficult to narrow the choice to only one. Each piece had so many eye catching elements. Each piece had its own story to tell and teach us about its history. The Nkisi Nkondi demanded my attention by the aggressive stature and glaring eyes. To fully appreciate this piece we need to learn its history. The Power Figure also known as Nkisi (in-KEE-see) Nkondi (in-CON-dee) came from the Kongo…
technical complexity of some of the most stunning terra-cotta and copper cast sculptures to ever be constructed. Chapter four serves as an analysis of the various body and facial marking seen in different figurines and their relation to different dynasties and their excavated…
Portrait of a Chief (Lefem), an African wood sculpture from 19th to early 20th century, is a portrayal of one of the ruler of Bangwa chiefdoms . In contrast, The Marble Statue of a Youthful Hercules, a Roman marble sculpture from A.D. 69 to 98, Flavian dynasty, depicts the Greek Mythology hero: Hercules . While the idealized man form is the subject of two sculptures, both sculptures contain concepts of the power and strength. However, the Roman sculpture reflects…
for higher education but for them to serve the men better, maintaining a patriarchal society. Instead of using the previous harsher and cruel laws and regulation against the civilians. The Han rulers modified some of the harsher aspects of the Zhao dynasty; Confucian ideals of government, out of favor during the Qin period, were adopted as the creed of the Han Empire, and Confucian scholars gained prominent status as the core of the civil…
out of the contradictions between Liu’s vision of himself as an educated man and potential government official and his actual situation (19).” He even “traced his ancestry back to Liu Zhiyuan, a tenth century emperor of the short-lived later Han dynasty (21).” The holder of a provincial degree, Liu watched with dismay as the countryside began to wither under the slow but relentless assault of modernization. Despite his constant belief he was qualified to hold government office, he never did, and…
Qin Shihuang, the ruler of the Qin Dynasty, is revered as the first emperor of China. His quest for immortality is well known and eventually led to his death from mercury poisoning. In 1977 his vast tomb was discovered near Xi’an and is today one of the most visited sites in China, for he…
lifestyle, esthetics and good taste. What one wore said where one stood in society and who one was to be. Styles change from dynasty to dynasty and the history is imprinted in the clothing. Depending on one’s political and economic status, the distinction between the different styles of clothing existed not only throughout the dynasties but many times through the dynasty itself. The Chinese resume the necessities of life within four words: clothing, food, habitation and transportation. Clothing…
Weeks prior to the procession, Sheng Xuanhuai’s family had engaged in a grueling lobbying campaign to seek a permit for the funeral cortege to go through Nanjing 南京 Road and other major streets in the International Settlement. On October 25, 1917, the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (Shanghai zong shanghui 上海總商會) filed a written request to the SMC at the behest of the Sheng family for the use of Nanjing Road for the procession. In the letter, Sheng was portrayed as a highly accomplished…
travels down the family line as they become successors. Moss Roberts notes this as one of the philosophy’s strongpoints in his afterword for his translation of Three Kingdoms: “It is a concept less active in times of stability, [because] changes of dynasty are relatively infrequent; they are the exception, not the rule.” He also talks of its strengths outside of times of crises, saying “it is always a useful reminder to the ruler of the penalty for misgovernment.” Not only does this philosophy…
Tehran, Iran: From Persia to Present Tehran wondrous, mysterious past gives the capital city a mystic fascination that makes anyone curious about it anxious to visit. From being part of the biblical Persian Empire to the unfortunate hostage siege of the United States Embassy in 1979, Tehran has a history that is as rich as any other capital on earth. The people of Tehran are friendly, polite, and are not representative of the governmental powers of Iran. Its architecture is unique for this city…