Albrecht Durer was the greatest and most innovative printmaker of the Renaissance. A native of Nuremberg, Germany, he had established an international reputation by the beginning of the 16th Century with the publication of three woodcut series,…
Bocio are power objects (bo) that represent deceased human beings (chio). A bocio is not a spirit, but a kind of decoy meant to trick death by acting as a substitute for a real person. Formerly, the Fon people of Dahomey (now Benin) placed bocio…
This figure represents "Mami Wata," the pidgin English term for "Mother of Water," a water spirit who has enjoyed a wide following in Central Africa, West Africa, and regions of the African Diaspora. It was carved by an Ibibio artist living in…
After Ravana kidnaps Sita, Rama journeys to rescue his wife. On the way, he meets Hanuman, who becomes his faithful servant. In this scene, Rama, Lakshmana, and Hanuman rest in the forest on a leaf mat in a moment of quiet devotion that contrasts…
It could be said that the Ramayana begins with a failure:
Rama should be king, but his rightful claim to the throne is denied.
Here king Dasharatha, having joyously resolved on the succession of his eldest son Rama, has sent the charioteer Sumantra…
In this engraving Durer introduced the values of the Italian Renaissance to northern Europe. The print was much admired in his time and was to be a model for other artists for generations. In 1494-95 as a precocious young artist Durer traveled from…