Ceremonial Porcupine Tunic
The Kaka people create intriguing and dramatic tunics, completely covered in porcupine quills, front and back. Porcupine tunics from the Kaka people are quite rare because of their…
Journal
Peoples, deities and the objects they made: notes on the cultures behind the collection.
Myth of Garuda
Garuda was able to fly faster than any bird even at his birth. Garuda preys relentlessly on serpents and has even become a symbol against the illnesses caused…
The Best Offense Is A Good Defense – African Shields
African shields may seem an antiquated form of defense but they were far more than just functional objects. To the Maasai they were objects of prestige and rank,…
Q&A with Artist Mark Westervelt
Mark Westervelt is a contemporary artist who works predominantly with dried paint. At first he glued dried up paint chips to his canvas to add texture. Later, when…
Appreciating Buddhist Art: Part One – Siddhartha Gautama
When looking at Buddhist art it is easy to become confused with the many Buddha statues. Not all of them are depictions of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.…
A Suit of Hearts – Ganjifa Playing Cards
Ganjifa are hand painted cards from India that are made from exquisite materials such as inlaid ivory and tortoise shells. They are as much an art as a…
Now You See It, Now You Don’t – The Disappearance of Chinese Antique Furniture
During China’s Cultural Revolution, thousands of antique furniture were seized and confiscated for representing the ‘bourgeois.’ In Tibet, most artworks were destroyed and the only ones to survive…
Printing In Progress… – History of Woodblock Printing
Printing has a long history as both a practical tool and an art form, from textile to text printing; woodblock printing to lithography. Perhaps most famous in woodblock…
No Signature Necessary! – Chicha Bowls
Chicha is a fermented alcoholic drink that has been brewed for hundreds of years in South America, oftentimes serving ritual purposes. Ancient bowls called quero were used during…
Beauty Beyond the Eye of the Beholder – Punu Mukudj Masks
The distinct white mukudj masks from the Punu people of Gabon represent an ideal feminine beauty of both physical and spiritual perfection. Every element of the mask holds…