Miller Heiman Yellow Sheet
Everardo Frost
Staff weapons, popularly called polearms, were the most typical infantry weapons until well into the 16th-century. Most staff weapons evolved from agricultural or everyday tools modified for military use and simply fastened to long wooden staves. All polearms require the use of both hands and were used exclusively on foot, except for the long spear called a lance, which was used from horseback. Staff weapons were used by commoners and professional soldiers in battle, by knights in armored sporting combats, and by bodyguards of royalty. Like many other arms, staff weapons assumed a primarily ceremonial role by the mid-17th century.
This delicate figure is remarkable for the subtle modeling of the body beneath the pleated skirt, the careful details in the carving of the fingernails, and the distinctive inlaid nipples of ebony (see details). Wooden sculptures of the deceased, like this one, were placed in various locations within tombs and in varying numbers, depending on the traditions that were popular during different Old Kingdom dynasties.
A flaming dragon with golden scales and a silver underbelly is depicted at the lower right of this decorative silk hanging. A phoenix with multicolored outstretched wings and streaming plumage is shown at the upper left. The undulating and cresting waves at the bottom are striped in hues of blue-gray, green-gray, and beige. Auspicious clouds in shades of red, green, blue, and brown appear against a light brown background.
The large black circle and horizontal red stripes on this cylindrical vessel represent a hard rubber ball bouncing down the steps of a Maya ball court. The ballplayers gape at the ball while various spectators gesture towards it, avidly watch, gossip, or play instruments in the stands. This sense of dynamic spectacle is unusual in representations of the ballgame. The ballgame story on this vessel unfolds in sections as the viewer examines the scene, guided by the diagonal placement of the figures. The hieroglyphs seen throughout are loosely rendered, as though the scribe emulated the speed of the game.
This light-filled interior was photographed in one of the oldest churches in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, begun in the early 13th century and expanded over time. Instead of attempting to take in the breadth of space in the main part of a church, Candida Hfer dwelled on the arrangements of a side chapel. The space is spare and peopled only by suggestion, with two benches placed against the wall, yet is full of the echoes of history. One can discern many layers of addition and alteration: gravestones on the floor; a uniquely shaped spiral staircase in the corner; and modern lighting fixture hanging next to an older chandelier. The niches on the far wall were stripped of sculptural ornamentation during the 16th-century transition of the sanctuary from a Catholic to a Calvinist church and now stand empty.
In this atmospheric nocturnal scene, Maximilien Luce painted the fishing port of Camaret in Brittany in the far west of France. The artist emphasizes a sense of geometric structure by repeating the diagonal lines of the boats while using a palette of blues and violets to offset the intense yellow of the moon. Luce turned to Pointillism as a technique in 1887 and became a prominent figure in this group of neo-Impressionists who meticulously built up their canvases with thousands of dots and flecks of paint.
La Farge was an important painter, muralist, and decorator who shifted his interests to the artistic possibilities of glass. His innovation lies in the way he exploited the characteristics of glass itself, manipulating, casting, and layering it to create myriad hues, textures, and depth, eliminating the traditional need for painted details.
From 1816 to 1817, New Yorker Cornelia Ann Burling sewed these flowers, clipped from British factory-printed chintz, on the white ground of this large, carefully-made quilt. Called chintz appliqu or broderie perse, they were highly fashionable in the United States during the early 19th-century, surpassed in popularity by patchwork quilts only in the 1840s.
The principal material for this robe is a pale lavender silk satin damask with roundels containing orchids, chrysanthemums, and other flowers. The wide borders accentuating the sleeves, neck, side, and hem are black silk satin embroidered with floral and butterfly motifs using silk floss of many colors. Each sleeve is also embellished by an additional decorative band made from white silk satin and embroidered with multicolored silk floss. The narrower bands of blue silk edging are also decorated with floral and butterfly motifs. Informal robes of this kind were worn at the late Qing court by imperial concubines and senior ladies-in-waiting.
Sunlight bursts over distant hills as a blue sky dispels gathering storm clouds. The hut at top left indicates a human presence within this vast landscape. Caspar David Friedrich based this scene on the Riesengebirge, a mountain range on the present-day border of the Czech Republic and Poland. Friedrich hiked in this area in 1810, nearly 25 years before he painted this work. Elements of the landscape held strong symbolism for Friedrich and his audience. The fir tree represented life and vitality; the dead tree, mortality; and the illuminated hills, an aspiration toward the promise of eternity.
This garment, created by a Peranakan (Javanese-Chinese) workshop on the north coast of Java, is a tubular skirt that has been unstitched and opened. Made from very high-quality cotton, it has extremely fine hand-drawn floral bouquets surrounded by duck-like birds. In the kepala (head) panel at the left, the bouquet is set against diagonal bands of alternating colors while the bouquets in the badan (body) section are positioned against a background of fine scrolling tendrils, tiny dots and leaves, and small swimming fish. The colors come from synthetic dyes. At the upper left of the cloth are adjoining cartouches that identify the workshop and its location.
At the center of this cushion cover is a yellow, stylized cross. Around this cross is a larger, highly decorated cross on a cream background enclosed by an octagon with a cream border of S-shaped motifs. The outermost border of this textile is also on a cream background and features a scrolling floral pattern. Just inside this outer border, hexagonal, decorated sections occupy the four inner corners with irregular oblongs between them.
All of these angular and hooked patterns and geometric forms originated in woven carpet designs. Until the 19th century, the eastern Caucasus region (present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, northern Iran, southern Russia, and eastern Turkey) was dominated by Persia (present-day Iran). So Persian artistic influence is apparent in many textiles from the Caucasus area, including carpets and cushion covers such as this example. Cushions, placed on the floor for seating, were an essential part of homes in the Caucasus. Embroidery is one of several techniques used to make these colorful textiles.
Appearing defiant with a thick protruding tongue, this tiki head was attached to the bow of a waka tete, or fishing canoe. Its aggressive face would have pointed outward, parting the sea with its powerful force. The curved and spiral patterns around the mouth likely represent moko, intricate tattoos that communicate personal history as well as tribal status. The eyes of the head were once inlaid with iridescent shells.
The intricately decorated back of this circular mirror indicates both its practical and symbolic functions. Bronze mirrors like this were expensive, prized possessions associated with concepts such as good luck, harmony, and protection. This is indicated by the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac seen in the outer ring, and in the depiction of lions and birds among blooming flowers. The work itself was held by a cord strung through the central knob. The front was once highly reflective.
This unlined outer robe (chōken) was worn for dancing by a male Nō actor performing a female role. The large sleeves are joined only slightly to the body of the garment, allowing the dancer to move freely during the performance. The robe is made of silk gauze delicately patterned with gold butterflies and weeping cherries.
In Midwestern cities like Cincinnati, Ohio, where this table was made, and St. Louis, Missouri, many women practiced woodcarving, china painting, and other decorative arts. A table carved by Julia Hall Rice, possibly this example, was included in the influential exhibition of decorative arts by Cincinnati women at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876.
Kaylene Whiskey loves American music and movies. In this painting she imagines female celebrities visiting her remote desert community of Indulkana, South Australia. Painted in comic-strip style with speech and thought bubbles, the women, or kungkas, address the viewer. Here, a giant Princess Leia offers the nicotine-rich plant mingkulpa, while one version of Cat Woman declares her hunger for tjala, the Aboriginal delicacy honey ants. Wonder Woman announces a kungka party in America. Combining powerful women with Indigenous Australian cultures, Whiskey playfully celebrates sisterhood and invites everyone to have fun.
With his waist slightly twisted and his right arm raised upwards, this monumental figure appears to be in the process of taking a step forward. The sculpture depicts St. Christopher, who according to legend was a man of great size who dedicated his life to ferrying people over a river. One day, a young boy asked to be taken across on his shoulders, but became heavier as Christopher waded through the water. Upon reaching the other side, the child revealed himself to be Christ, telling Christopher he had carried the weight of the world. The right knee and left foot of Christ are seen at the shoulders of the sculpture.
As a result of this story, Christopher was considered a patron saint of travelers. Viewing his image was also thought to protect against an unexpected death. Works like this were often displayed at the doorways to churches to provide spiritual defense to worshippers as they exited.
c80f0f1006