Africa
Kono altar
second quarter of 20th century
Bamana
Mali
Wood, cloth, soil, beeswax, animal blood, unidentified materials
2012.65
The key element of the shrine of the Kono association of the Bamana people was a portable altar, often zoomorphic in shape, called a boli. Its awesome power derived from the manner in which it was made: animal bones and horns, vegetable matter, woven cloth, pieces of metal, and a wide range of other substances and materials were packed around a wooden framework sheltering a cotton doll. Over time, the boli was ritualistically covered with beeswax, animal blood, millet porridge, and earth from termite mounds—accumulated layers that not only gave the boli its distinctively cracked appearance but also large quantities of potentially harmful vital energy.
Tusk
Edo
Nigeria
1775-1777
18th century
Ivory
56.33
The kings (obas) of the Benin Kingdom and the high-ranking chiefs who served them displayed ivory tusks on altars to honor their ancestors. This tusk was commissioned by Ekeneza in 1775, the year he became ezomo, or military commander, under King Akengbuda (r. 1750–1804). The size of the tusk and complexity of the images, meant to be read from bottom to top, rival altar tusks created for an oba. The intricate carvings that cover the entire surface of the tusk were accomplished by several members of the royal ivory-carvers’ guild, who used small tools to chip, smooth, and scrape away ivory. Motifs include deified kings, courtly women, and important commanders from the past; Portuguese soldiers, identified by their skirts, long hair, and beards; and leopards, elephants, reptiles, and mudfish—all symbolic animals in Benin imagery.
Alaskan
Woman's chopping knife (Ulu)
Woman's chopping knife (Ulu)
c. 1920-1930
Nuniwarmiut (Cup'ik)
Walrus ivory, metal
92.110.1
Armor
Armor
c. 1520
Germany
Steel, leather, copper alloy (composite; early 20th century restorations)
23.54
A suit of armor says a lot about the state of warfare and fashion at the time of its creation. As arms makers devised increasingly deadly weapons like the mace and the crossbow, armorers produced armor equal to the latest threat, yet also stylish. In the 1500s, military strategy emphasized the cavalry charge with lance, followed by hand-to-hand combat with sword and shield.
A lance rest installed on the breastplate kept the lance from sliding backward and helped diffuse the shock if the lance hit home. The rounded shape of the breastplate and helmet caused blows from a sword or lance to glance off. The breastplate’s belted form and the ropelike edges of breastplate and gauntlets followed contemporary men’s fashion, showing the owner to be a man of taste and means.
Half armor
c. 1570–1580
Italy
Steel, leather, cloth
2001.111a-j
Infantry soldiers, who valued full mobility over leg protection, commonly wore half armors of this type. An elaborately etched armor such as this was probably commissioned by an officer to display his social rank and status. The etching technique involves applying a resist agent such as wax or varnish to the polished steel, then dipping it in acid to etch away the unprotected background. Originally developed to decorate armor, etching was later adapted for printmaking. The decorative scheme combines military, Christian, and classical themes. Bands of stylized military trophies of arms form a background for medallions framing classical heroes and biblical characters. The breastplate medallion features the biblical heroine Judith, who saved her city from the Assyrians by seducing their general, Holofernes. When Holofernes fell into a drunken stupor Judith cut off his head and displayed it at the city gate. The Assyrians awoke confused and leaderless and were easily defeated by Judith's people.
Assyrian
Winged Genius
c. 883–859 BCE
Assyrian
Limestone
41.9
This panel was taken from the remains of the Northwest imperial palace at Nimrud, the capital of the Assyrian empire, now located in modern Iraq. The walls of the palace, constructed by Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE), were decorated with stone panels carved in low relief, narrating his hunting and military exploits.
This genius, or demi-god, was part of a grouping of winged creatures facing a stylized tree, a scene repeated numerous times in the palace. They appear to be performing fertility rites associated with the date palm, a tree held sacred by the Assyrians because it provides food, drink, wood and shelter. The cuneiform text which covers the surface is part of a standard inscription that extols the victories and greatness of Ashurnasirpal and describes the building of his palace.
Traces remain of the bright colors with which the panel was painted, increasing its visual impact.
The palace at Nimrud was excavated between 1845 and 1851 CE by Sir Austin H. Layard working on behalf of the British Museum. This panel was among a number of palace sculptures acquired at that time for private and public collections in the United States, making them the first examples of ancient Mesopotamian art to reach the Western world.
Egypt
Coffin of Lady Tashat
945-712 BCE
Egypt
Polychromed wood
16.417
This coffin and cartonnage (mummy case) were created for Lady Tashat, the daughter of the provincial governor Djehutyhotep (pronounced "je-hooti-HO-tep" meaning "doorkeeper of the gold-house of Amen"). The coffin and cartonnage take the form of mummies with idealizedfaces, huge floral collars, and chest ornaments in the form of a winged sun disk. While the coffin exterior has only a single line of inscription down the center of the lid and another around the rim of the box, the cartonnage exterior is covered with painted scenes arranged in horizontal registers, like a tomb or temple wall. The inscriptions are prayers to the gods for offerings of food and clothing in the afterlife, while the paintings are full of complex religious motifs focusing on divine protection of the deceased and resurrection in the afterlife.
Meet Tashat
A shy smile, smooth cheeks, and full eyebrows—she’s a teenager all right, confirming the story told by the hieroglyphics on her wooden coffin: that she was between 15 and 19 years old when she died. And she probably looked much like this, since an accurately carved and painted portrait on her coffin would have helped her spirit, or ka, reunite with her body after death.
Lady of the House
Though just a teenager, Tashat was a married woman—a “lady of the house,” according to these hieroglyphics. They also identify her as the daughter of the Doorkeeper of the Gold-House of Amon, an important temple in Thebes. His stature as supervisor of the temple’s treasury entitled her to a noble burial.
Light-Hearted
A light-hearted person wasn’t just a metaphor for ancient Egyptians, who believed that bad deeds weighed heavily on the heart while a light heart meant a righteous earthly life and the right to immortality. Mummies like Tashat were embalmed with the heart intact, to be weighed in the underworld against the feather of Maat, the goddess of truth. In this painted likeness of Tashat, Maat appears in the center of her collar, the feather of judgment worn around her neck.
Osiris
The green-skinned god of the underworld, wrapped in the red robe of a male mummy, was nothing to be afraid of—no devil or grim reaper. As god of the underworld, Osiris’s presence on coffins assured friends and family members that the dead would be welcomed into his kingdom.
Organ Jars
Like most mummies, Tashat was her own organ donor. Her heart is still in her chest, but the rest of her internal organs were removed, dried, and stored in special jars—each protected by its own deity—for use by her spirit, or ka, in the afterlife.
From left to right:
Jackal-headed Duamtef protects the stomach
Hawk-headed Qebehsenuf protects the intestines
Dog-headed Hapy protects the lungs
Human-headed Imset protects the liver
The Case of the Missing Spine
Most internal organs were removed from the body, but a mummy typically retained its skeleton. Tashat, however, is missing her spine. This would have presented some problems for her in the afterlife. The backbone was an important symbol of stability in ancient Egypt, painted on coffins in the form seen here as the djed. Djed-shaped amulets often placed near the spine of a mummy ensured that it would regain the use of its spine in the afterlife. Unfortunately, Tashat had to do without it.
Eye of Horus
Horus was a good son, offering his left eye in exchange for restoring his father, Osiris, to eternal rule over the underworld. The “eye of Horus,” called udjat, is now a familiar symbol of protection and sacrifice and is painted on Tashat’s wrappings, or cartonnage. Like Horus, Tashat must offer Osiris her physical body in exchange for her spiritual life.
Mummy Detail
Remember the curse of the mummy? According to legend, any person who disturbs a mummy is cursed with bad luck, illness, or even death. Hell-bent on revenge, the bandaged, moaning corpse will walk to the ends of the earth to enact its spooky justice.
Here we see the wrapped, walking mummy of Tashat. But instead of seeking revenge, she seeks immortality. On her way to meet Osiris, she is supported by the jackal-headed god Anubis, not to be confused with the jackal-headed Duamtef who protects a canopic jar containing the dead’s stomach.
Inside the Coffin
Incredible images and inscriptions once decorated the inside of Tashat’s coffin, ancient artwork now hidden by a thick black substance. No, it’s (probably) not cursed. During mummification, Tashat’s body and wrappings may have been painted with a clear liquid, like resin, to prevent water damage. The resin was likely mixed with pitch (a sticky brown substance) for extra protection. Over time, the pitch seeped through the wrappings into the wooden coffin.
False door
Ancient Egyptian
Limestone
about 2400 BCE
25th-24th century BCE
52.22
A false door, built into the west wall of the tomb chapel, was the focal point of the cult of the deceased in ancient Egypt. This was the interface between the world of the living and the world of the dead, where visitors came to say prayers and deposit offerings for the spirit of the deceased, whose soul could pass through the door. The inscriptions on this door commemorate the priest Iryenakhet (year-ee-en-AH-ket), who is depicted seven times. The central niche is framed by two door jambs and a lintel in a composition ruled by symmetry. The normal direction of Egyptian writing was from right to left, with the hieroglyphs facing right, but here the hieroglyphs on the right jamb face left (as do the figures), toward the niche.
Striding figure
300-30 BCE
3rd-1st century BCE
Ancient Egypt
Granodiorite
58.14
The unknown subject of this sculpture is shown in the traditional striding pose for men—left foot forward, arms at the sides, fist clenched—that was already 3000 years old when this statue was made. The softened musculature and curving contours allow us to date it to the Ptolemaic Dynasty (300–30 BCE), when Egypt was ruled by the descendants of Alexander the Great’s general Ptolemy, though the hieroglyphic inscription by the extended left leg mentions the Roman Emperor Commodus (reigned 180–192 CE). By the time of Commodus’s reign, Egypt was part of the Roman Empire, and he wished to represent himself to his Egyptian subjects in a manner they recognized—even if it meant usurping the
statue of another person from another time.
Indian
Cape
c. 1850
possibly Meskwaki (Sac and Fox)
United States
Feathers, cotton
2008.64
This cape is an example of the frequent and enduring exchange with other cultures, both Native and non-Native, that in part shapes Native art. At the start of the 1800s, Native peoples experienced countless changes to their way of life. This feathered cape combines European-style clothing with Native needs and aesthetics. It resembles a pelerine, a type of shoulder cape worn by women in Europe and the United States, yet feathered capes were used as regalia in Native American communities before European settlement.
Headdress
late 19th-early 20th century
Tsistsistas (Cheyenne) or Lakȟóta
Bald eagle and other feathers, wool, buffalo hide, cowhide, horsehair, beads, pigments
2015.6
A Tsistsistas or Lakȟóta artist created this headdress, which symbolizes power, leadership, and generosity. Jack L. Garcia, who donated the headdress to Mia in the same spirit of Lakȟóta generosity, was a great-grandson of two Oglála Lakȟóta leaders: Śuŋgmánitu Háŋska (Long Wolf) and Čhetáŋ Lúta (Red Hawk). In 1874, the United States government discovered gold in the Black Hills and broke its treaty with the Lakȟóta, initiating hostilities. Both of Garcia’s forebears fought against and defeated General George Custer and his army in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. At the installation of this headdress, a Lakȟóta medicine man blessed the object with Garcia’s family in attendance.
Persia (Iran)
Dagger
900-400 BCE
Persia (Iran)
76.73.6
South American
Ear Spool
c. 1150-1450
Chimu
Peru
Gold alloy
43.4.1
Chimu authorities broadcast their power and status by sporting luxurious attire like feather work, ornate headdresses, and precious jewelry. Only the most elite authority would have worn these gold ear spools. While gold was not valued as currency, its symbolic connection to the sun gave it powerful spiritual currency—especially when fashioned into intricate jewelry. Many ancient Andean societies, including the Chimu, believed their ruler was a living representative of the gods.
These ear spools would have been worn in a leader’s impressively distended earlobes. They depict a ruler being carried on a litter by two well-dressed monkey-attendants. He wears a large feather headdress and carries a qero (ceremonial cup) in his left hand and a feather fan in his right. Examples of the type of cup and fan he holds are displayed in this case. The rich imagery on these ear spools reflects the authority and nobility of the individual for whom they were made.
Yoke
c. 600-900
Nopiloa (Veracruz)
Mexico
41.72
Deflection off a player's midsection was one of the primary techniques of the Mesoamerican ballgame, during which the player's hands were used only at the beginning to put the ball into play. Because the rubber ball itself could injure or kill, significant resources were invested in equipment to protect against broken bones and damaged internal organs. Yokes made of perishable materials such as quilted cotton and wood have been preserved only in their depictions in paintings and sculptures. Stone yokes like this one were probably ceremonial representations, worn at opening and closing ceremonies, awarded as trophies, and placed in tombs.
The imagery on this particularly finely carved example hints at the complex, multi-layered symbolism and religious beliefs embodied by the ballgame. At the closed end of the yoke is a human face peering out through the jaws of a supernatural creature that combines reptile, amphibian, and feline characteristics and lives at the entrance to the underworld. At the open ends of the yoke are carved human heads that may represent the Hero Twins, ballplayers central to the creation story of the Maya and other Mesoamerican cultures.
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