Asian Art

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Asian Art

• High School Advanced Art Unit

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Asian Cultures Covered

• Japanese
• Tibetan
• Chinese
• Indian
• Indonesian/Malaysian

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Japanese

• Screens
• Painted scrolls
• Woodblock prints
• Textile patterns

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Japanese Screens
Ama-no-Hashidate Edo period (16151868), first
quarter of 17th century Single six-panel screen
ink, color, and gold on paper John C. Weber
Collection
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Musashino at Sunset Edo period (16151868), 17th
century Single two-panel screen ink, color, and
gold on paper Peggy and Richard M. Danziger
Collection
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Scenes from the Tale of Genji Edo period
(16151868), late 17th century Pair of six-panel
screens ink, color, and gold on paper The Mary
and Jackson Burke Collection
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Tosa Mitsuoki (1617-91) Cherry Trees at
Yoshino Edo period (1615-1868), late
1650s-1660s? Pair of six-panel screens ink,
color, and gold on paper John C. Weber Collection
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Detail of Cherry Trees at Yoshino
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Painted Scrolls
Roaring Tiger (left) Mid-Showa period
(1940-1950) Colored inks on silk 15 3/4 x 44
1/4 Entire "kakejiku" (hanging scroll) is 21 x
73 1/2
Roaring Tiger (2) (right) Taisho to early-Showa
period (1910's-1930) Colored inks on light tan
silk 15 3/4 x 41 1/2 Entire "kakejiku"
(hanging scroll) is 21 x 72 1/2
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Pine Tree (left) Late-Meiji to early-Taisho
period (1890-1910's) Black, grey, green, soft red
sumi-ink and white "gofun" on light tan paper 11
3/4 x 51 1/2 Entire "kakejiku" (hanging scroll)
is 16 3/4 x 76
Kingfisher (right) Late Meiji to early-Showa
period (1900-1930's) Sumi-ink of 3 colors on
paper 12 x 47 3/4 Entire "kakejiku" (hanging
scroll) is 16 3/4 x 77
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Sun and Waves (left) Early to mid-Showa period
(1930-1940's) Grey, black, red, and blue sumi-ink
colors on light tan paper 12 3/4 x 51 Entire
"kakejiku" (hanging scroll) is 18 x 81 1/2
Snowy Herons in the Reeds (right) Late-Edo to
early-Meiji period (1840-1870) Sumi-ink, colored
inks, and "gofun-white" on silk 16 1/8 x
43 Entire "kakejiku" (hanging scroll) is 22 1/4
x 72 1/2
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Woodblock Prints
Shunsen A Standing Beauty (left) 1825 Woodblock
Print 29 3/4 x 9 3/4
Kunichika Five Kabuki Actors (above) 1868 Woodbloc
k Print - Triptych 14 x 27 1/2
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Eisen A Beauty and a Flowering Plum
(left) 1830s Woodblock Print 14 3/4 x 10
Shuncho A Lady at a Fish Market (right) early
1790's Woodblock Print 24 1/4 x 4 3/4
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Yoshitoshi Watanabe Naoki at Rajomon Gate,
1887 Woodblock Print - Diptych 29 x 10 1/4
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Textile Patterns
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Formal handwoven Silk Maru Obi Edo Era (1615 -
1867) Hand woven of the finest pure Gold and Silk
threads
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Fukuro Obi originally intended for both formal
and semi formal wear Meiji Era (1868-1912) Hand
woven of the finest Silk threads
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A Maru Obi, reversible The most formal and
expensive of the handwoven Obi. Mid Meiji Era
(1868-1912), circa 1880s Hand woven of the
finest pure Silk and Gold threads
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Maru Obi Taisho Era (1912 - 1925) Handwoven of
the finest quality Silk threads
Nagajuban or Under Kimono Showa Era, ca
1930s Brilliantly hand dyed and stenciled Silk
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Young Girl's Formal, Summer Kimono Late Meiji
Era (1868 - 1912) This stunning Kimono
represents the most intricate of the silk
gossamer weaves known as "Karami Ori." It is
called "Ro" and is distinguished by strips of
densely woven material separated by an open
weave hence, this rare gauze fabric creates a
strong, beautiful and cool "Summer Silk." The
design was created through the Rice Paste Resist
technique which required that each individual
color be applied separately, while all the
remaining colors must first be painted out in the
rice paste. This is an extraordinarily difficult,
time consuming, labor intensive artistic process
that often took months to accomplish. This
extraordinary Kimono is of the highest quality.
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Hand woven Silk Maru Obi (below) Meiji Era (1868
- 1911), prior to the turn of the Century Pure
Gold and Silk threads
Silk Maru Obi (above) Meiji Era (1868 - 1912),
circa 1880s Handwoven of the finest Silk with an
unmatchable sheen and artistry.
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Tibetan

• Mandala - The Tibetan mandala is a tool for
  gaining wisdom and compassion and generally is
  depicted as a tightly balanced, geometric
  composition wherein deities reside. The principal
  deity is housed in the center. The mandala serves
  as a tool for guiding individuals along the path
  to enlightenment. Monks meditate upon the
  mandala, imagining it as a three-dimensional
  palace. The deities who reside in the palace
  embody philosophical views and serve as role
  models. The mandala's purpose is to help
  transform ordinary minds into enlightened ones.

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Examples of Mandalas
Tibetan Mandala Animation
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Vajravarahi Abhibhava Mandala (phag-mo
mngon-'byung-gi dkyil-'khor) Central Tibet, 14th
century 62 x 52 cm
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Hevajra Mandala (dgyes-pa rdo-rje'i
dkyil-'khor) Central Tibet, 14th century 54 x
43.5 cm
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Chinese

• Hanging scrolls
• Hand scrolls
• Album leaf

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Hanging Scrolls
Kaigetsudo Doshin Courtesan (right) Hanging
scroll ink and opaque color on paper
Dao Ji (Shitao) Autumn Landscape
(left) 1701 Hanging scroll ink and color on paper
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Emperor Guan, Qing dynasty (16441911) ca.
1700 Hanging scroll ink, color, and gold on
silk 68 1/8 x 36 7/16
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Hand Scrolls
Wen Zhengming Bamboo, Orchids, Rock, and
Calligraphy c. 1530 Handscroll ink on paper
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Li Gonglin The Classic of Filial Piety Northern
Song dynasty (9601127), ca. 1085 Handscroll ink
on silk various dimensions
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Emperor Huizong, 10821135 Finches and
Bamboo Northern Song dynasty (9601127) Handscroll
ink and color on silk 11 x 18
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Album Leaf
Ma Yuan (ca. 1190-after 1225) Couplet inscribed
by Empress Yang (1162-1233) Apricot Blossoms
Leaning Against Clouds Song Dynasty Album leaf,
ink and color on silk 9 7/8" H x 9 15/16" W
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Ma Lin (ca.1180-after 1256) Emperor Lizong (Zhao
Yun, 1205-1264, r.1224-64) Scholar Reclining and
Watching Rising Clouds Song Dynasty Album leaf
originally mounted together as a round fan with
ink and light colors on silk 9 7/8" H x 9 13/16" W
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Indian

• Ceremonial masks
• Tribal masks

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Ceremonial masks
Chhau Dance Papier Mache Mask Devi Durga
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Cow Mask from Ramleela
The Kathakkali Dancer, wearing the Mask of
Kathakkali
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Mask depicting Hidimba for Purulia Chhau
Mask depicting Lord Shiva for Purulia Chhau
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Tribal masks
Middle Hills, Nepal Wood and fur
Mask with crooked nose Terai, Nepal, Wood and clay
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Magar Mask Middle Hills, Nepal Wood
Clown's mask Middle Hills, Nepal Wood
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Indonesian/Malaysian

• Batik - The word batik is thought to be derived
  from the word 'ambatik' which translated means 'a
  cloth with little dots'. The suffix 'tik' means
  little dot, drop, point or to make dots. Batik
  may also originate from the Javanese word
  'tritik' which describes a resist process for
  dying where the patterns are reserved on the
  textiles by tying and sewing areas prior to
  dying, similar to tie dye techniques. Another
  Javanese phase for the mystical experience of
  making batik is mbatik manah which means
  drawing a batik design on the heart.

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Indonesian Batik
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Kawung -
Kawung is another very old design consisting of
intersecting circles, known in Java since at
least the 13th century. This design has appeared
carved into the walls of many temples
throughout Java. For many years, this pattern was
reserved for the royal court of the Sultan of
Jogjakarta. The circles are sometimes embellished
inside with two or more small crosses or other
ornaments such as intersecting lines or dots. It
has been suggested that the ovals might represent
flora such as the fruit of the kapok (silk
cotton) tree or the aren (sugar palm).
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Ceplok -
Ceplok is a general name for a whole series of
geometric designs based on squares, rhombs,
circles, stars, etc. Although fundamentally
geometric, ceplok can also represent abstractions
and stylization of flowers, buds, seeds and even
animals. Variations in color intensity can create
illusions of depth. The Indonesian population is
largely Muslim, a religion that forbids the
portrayal of animal and human forms in a
realistic manner. To get around this prohibition,
the batik worker does not attempt to express this
matter in a realistic form. A single element of
the form is chosen and then that element is
repeated again and again in the pattern.
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Parang -
Parang was once used exclusively by the royal
courts of Central Java. It has several suggested
meanings such as 'rugged rock', 'knife pattern'
or 'broken blade'. The Parang design consists of
slanting rows of thick knife-like segments
running in parallel diagonal bands. Parang
usually alternated with narrower bands in a
darker contrasting color. These darker bands
contain another design element, a line of
lozenge-shaped motifs call mlinjon. There are
many variations of this basic striped pattern
with its elegant sweeping lines, with over forty
parang designs recorded. The most famous is the
'Parang Rusak' which in its most classical form
consisting of rows of softly folded parang.
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Malaysian Batik
Nusantara Series II, Fatimah Chik (left) 1982 204
x 72 cm
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Fatimah Rautin Ibrahim Womans Blouse Bright
green batik 1995
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