Asian Art

Design

The Art of Jewels: Spinel, The Ruby Impersonator

The spinel, also known as the balas ruby, was first derived from the historic region of Badakshan in Central Asia. These beautiful gemstones usually...

Maya M. Tola 30 December 2023

Design

Turquoise: Art, Culture, and Myth of a Gemstone

The bright blue-green Turquoise has been valued and revered for centuries by all the cultures around the world that had access to it. Several...

Nadine Waldmann 30 December 2023

Hiroshige, Kinryuzan Temple, Asakusa (Asakusa Kinryuzan), No. 99 from One Hundred Famous View of Edo, 1856, Brooklyn Museum of Arts, New York, NY, USA. Detail. Asian Art

Hiroshige’s Winter Views of Edo

One of the most famous woodblock printers of the late Edo period in Japan, Utagawa Hiroshige, produced a series of a hundred views showing Edo city...

Magda Michalska 22 December 2023

Animals

Practical, Erotic and Magical: The Miniature World of Netsuke

Originating in 17th-century Japan during the Edo Period, Netsuke (pronounced nets-keh) are toggles that attach pouches to the traditional robes,...

Nadine Waldmann 16 December 2023

Architecture

Seven Beautiful Mosques Around the World

Let’s take a virtual journey to seven exceptional mosques around the world, each a magnificent architectural masterpiece.  Role of...

Maya M. Tola 11 December 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Venerable Celestial Bodhiruma

Imperial Chinese art has a long history stretching through many dynasties and many centuries. Many social, political, and economic factors have...

James W Singer 8 December 2023

Art History 101

The Art of Mandala – An Artistic Road Towards Enlightenment

The art of the mandala is like a secret language of the soul. It represents both a map of the cosmos and the soul’s progress through meditation...

Marina Kochetkova 8 December 2023

Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, ca 1766-1833, lacquered gilt wood, Vietnam, Musée Guimet, Paris, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara

Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara was donated to the Musée Guimet in Paris, France, in 1889 by French archeologist Gustave Dumoutier. It represents the...

James W Singer 7 December 2023

Asian Art

Late Mughal Atelier: An Art Historical Journey Through Two Masterpieces by Fayzullah

Fayzullah was a renowned artist of the royal Mughal atelier in the late 18th century, during the reign of Alamgir II. Two of his masterpieces,...

Maya M. Tola, 7 December 2023

Striding Lion, 604-562 BCE, glazed clay bricks, Processional Way, Babylon, Iraq, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Striding Lion from the Ishtar Gate

Striding Lion is a masterpiece of Mesopotamian art with monumental size and composition. It symbolizes the strength of King Nebuchadnezzar II and the...

James W Singer 5 December 2023

Sculpture

A Great Mystery: Sanxingdui Masks

Who doesn’t love a mystery? Especially an art history mystery. Made by a previously unknown Chinese kingdom, the 3,000-year-old bronze...

Nadine Waldmann 30 November 2023

Contemporary Art

5 Japanese Contemporary Artists You Have to Know

Japanese artistic tradition spans centuries and has a far-reaching influence. Today, the artistic scene in Japan is more dynamic than ever, and these...

Carlotta Mazzoli 27 November 2023