“Venetian Goblet and cover with colored enamels and gilt” 1500AD
Art I Love: Blue Goblet
1500s
Head of Crowned Buddha
16th Century Thailand
“Over 1,000 Ancient Buddha Statues Uncovered in China”
“Over 1,000 Ancient Buddha Statues Uncovered in China”
by April Holloway via “Epoch Times“
“Archaeologists have discovered more than 1,000 ancient Buddha statues in three stone caves on a cliff-face in Yangqu County, in north China’s Shanxi Province, according to a report in China.org.cn. Although official dating has not yet been carried out, it is believed that the statues date back to the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming dynasty, was the ruling dynasty of China for 276 years (1368–1644 AD) following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming, described by some as “one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history”, was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Han Chinese. The creation of stone Buddha statues reached its peak during the period from the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), so it is rare to find stone Buddha statues from the Ming Dynasty.
According to traditional accounts, Buddhism was introduced in China during the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) after an emperor dreamed of a flying golden man thought to be the Buddha. Although the archaeological record confirms that Buddhism was introduced sometime during the Han dynasty, it did not flourish in China until the Six Dynasties period (220-589 AD). The year 67 CE saw Buddhism’s official introduction to China with the coming of the two monks Moton and Chufarlan.
The latest finding including stone statues carved into the cave walls and measuring 12 to 25 centimetres long, said Yang Jifu, director of the county’s cultural heritage tourism bureau. Yang said two of the caves had been restored in the Ming Dynasty, according to the record on two steles in the caves. . . . .”
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Coming Exhibition: “El Greco and Modern Painting”
“El Greco and Modern Painting””
Who: Museo Nacional del Prado
When: June 24, 2014 – Oct. 5, 2014 (Mon-Sun. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
Where:
Museo Nacional del Prado Calle Ruiz de Alarcón 23 Madrid, Spain 28014 Tel.
+34 91 330 2800
How Much: 14 € (reserve tickets online)
More Information: Here.
“On the occasion of the fourth centenary of the death of Domenico Theotocopuli, El Greco, the Museo del Prado is organizing the exhibition El Greco y la pintura moderna (El Greco and Modern Painting).
The exhibition will be one of the main commemorative events of the artist’s death and will show the deep influence that the rediscovery of El Greco had on the development of painting during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It will feature a selection of twenty five works by the Cretan master, which will be shown in relation to approximately seventy five paintings and drawings by modern artists, thus revealing the complexity and richness of their connections.”
I want one: Sundial Ring
A rare 16th century gold sundial and compass ring, possibly German, circa 1570. The hinged oval bezel designed as a seal and engraved with a coat of arms, opening to reveal a sundial and compass, on a plain gold hoop. . . .
The Cultured Muse 