Traditional Asian Religious Art

A vibrant collection of traditional Asian artworks depicting Hindu and Buddhist themes, featuring mystical scenes, colorful figures, and rich cultural narratives.

Cowherd women seek the God Krishna in the forest, 1520-1540, 7 x 9 1/4 in. (17.78 x 23.5 cm) (sheet), Opaque watercolors on paper, India, 16th century, This painting comes from the first illustrated series of the Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Story of the Blessed One), a text composed in the 800s-1000s ce that chronicles the life story of Lord Krishna. Here, the artist inventively translates verse to image, with two registers of lovesick gopis (cowherd wives) chasing the call of Krishnas flute in a fantastical moonlit forest. The bold use of color, exaggerated gestures, and bristling costumes marks the crystallization of a pre-Mughal style. Inherited from earlier traditions, this visual language would influence the Indian court painting to follow.
Cowherd women seek the God Krishna in the forest, 1520-1540, 7 x 9 1/4 in. (17.78 x 23.5 cm) (sheet), Opaque watercolors on paper, India, 16th century, This painting comes from the first illustrated series of the Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Story of the Blessed One), a text composed in the 800s-1000s ce that chronicles the life story of Lord Krishna. Here, the artist inventively translates verse to image, with two registers of lovesick gopis (cowherd wives) chasing the call of Krishnas flute in a fantastical moonlit forest. The bold use of color, exaggerated gestures, and bristling costumes marks the crystallization of a pre-Mughal style. Inherited from earlier traditions, this visual language would influence the Indian court painting to follow.
158 assets in this story
6145-30359819
Rank Badge with Qilin for Military Official (FirstRank)
6145-51835138
Bound Manuscript of the Khamsa of Nizami Nizami. Bound Manuscript of the Khamsa of Nizami, late 16th century. Ink, opaque watercolor, pasteboard, leather, gold on paper, 8 1/4 x 13 3/8 in. (21 x 34 cm). Arts of the Islamic World late 16th century
6176-66909140
Marco Polo travelling, circa 1324
1848-53629909
Voronet Monastery, Voroneț, Suceava County, Romania, Europe
1899-18717429
The Ramayana is a story as old as time and - at least in the Indian subcontinent and across much of Southeast Asia - of unparalleled popularity. More than two thousand three hundred years ago the scholar-poet Valmiki sat down to write his definitive epic of love and war. The poem Valmiki composed is styled the Ramayana, or 'Romance of Rama' in Sanskrit. In its present form, the Sanskrit version consists of some 24,000 couplets divided into seven books. The Reamker is the Khmer version of this epic and has an important influence on Cambodian dance, literature, art and drama.
1848-55439916
300 year- old ceiling paintings murals frescoes in Uma Maheswarar temple in Konerirajapuram near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia
4409-10031
CAPILLA DE LAS RELIQUIAS - RETABLO DE ALABASTRO CON ESCENAS DE LA VIDA DEL APOSTOL SANTIAGO - DONADO POR JOHN GOODYEAR EN 1456. Location: CATEDRAL-INTERIOR. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA. A CORUÑA. SPAIN. Apóstol Santiago el Mayor.
6145-29794405
Episodes from Krishna's Life: Folio from a Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of Lord Vishnu) ca. 1700 India (Madhya Pradesh, Malwa) The top register shows Krishna and Balarama on their way to combat evil; on the bottom, the brothers kill two of Kamsa's demonic soldiers.. Episodes from Krishna's Life: Folio from a Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of Lord Vishnu) 37929
1746-30017589
Francisco D'antonio Annunciation nativity and ornamental friezes from the 'Book of Hours of the Blessed Virgin' 1458. Florence, Italy.
1899-18788762
Wat Hang Dong is a typical example of traditional Lan Na temple architecture. The old viharn at this temple is a little more elaborate than its counterpart at nearby Wat Ton Kwen, but is essentially similar in shape, style and appearance. Also dark and intimate, with a low, sweeping, three-tiered roof, the viharn shelters a collection of Buddha images, at least two of which to the right and left of the main Buddha image are distinctively Lao in style and yet somehow strangely primitive. The old viharn at Wat Hang Dong has now been beautifully restored, and a new ubosot has also been added just a few metres to the northwest. This newer structure follows quite faithfully the traditional Lan Na design (the sum of some windows are perhaps over-elaborate and seem to show significant traces of Burmese influence), but overall the new ubosot at Wat Hang Dong both mirrors and complements the old viharn.
1746-30020980
According to palace records, Lady Hyegyeong, King Jeongjo's mother, was so pleased to be presented with a screen of such magnificent scale and stunning precision that she rewarded each of the seven artists who participated in its production. The artists were Choe Deuk-hyeon, Kim Deuk-sin, Yi Myeong-gyu, Jang Han-jong (1768 - 1815), Yun Seok-keun, Heo Sik (1762 - ) and Yi In-mun. From the time of Joseon dynasty (1392 - 1910)
6145-29262433
Battle between Sikhs and English. Coloured transfer lithograph.
1899-18853360
Durga (Hindustani pronunciation: d?u?rga?; Sanskrit: ??????); meaning 'the inaccessible' or 'the invincible') is a popular fierce form of the Hindu Goddess or Devi. She is depicted with multiple (variously, up to ten) arms, carrying various weapons and riding a ferocious lion or tiger. She is often pictured as battling or slaying demons, particularly Mahishasura, the buffalo demon. For the Goddess-worshipping Shaktas, Durga is sometimes equated with Mahadevi, the Supreme Goddess. Her triumph as Mahishasura Mardini, Slayer of the buffalo Demon is a central episode of the scripture Devi Mahatmya. Her victory is celebrated annually in the festivals of Navaratri and Durga Puja.
1899-71138
Icon in Saint Dimitrios orthodox church, Life of Saint Dimitrios
4266-21641492
Ilya Muromets Quarrels with Prince Vladimir (Casket), Muratov, Vycheslav Sergeyevich (*1948)
1746-19669844
A feast for Nebamun. An entire wall of the tomb-chapel showed a feast in honour of Nebamun. Naked serving girls and servants wait on his friends and relatives. Married guests sit in pairs on fine chars, while the young women turn and talk to each other. This erotic scene of relaxation and wealth is something for Nebamun to enjoy for all eternity. The richly dressed guests are entertained by dancers and musicians, who sit on the ground playing and clapping. Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, around 1350 BC
1606-173624
Myanmar (Burma), Sagaing State, Hpo Win Mounts, Po Win Daung, the Queen caves, wall paintings showing the itinerary of Buddha to the purification, the red ceiling is representative of the end of the 17th century
1788-32956
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in Buba, Turkey 16th Century.
1746-30020994
According to palace records, Lady Hyegyeong, King Jeongjo's mother, was so pleased to be presented with a screen of such magnificent scale and stunning precision that she rewarded each of the seven artists who participated in its production. The artists were Choe Deuk-hyeon, Kim Deuk-sin, Yi Myeong-gyu, Jang Han-jong (1768 - 1815), Yun Seok-keun, Heo Sik (1762 - ) and Yi In-mun. From the time of Joseon Dynasty (1392 - 1910)
1899-18718270
The national Persian epic, the 'Shahnameh', meaning 'The King's Chronicles', is a poetic opus written around 1000 CE by Ferdowsi. Regarded as the national folktale of Greater Persia, the Shahnameh consists of some 60,000 verses and tells the mythical and historical past of (Greater) Iran from the creation of the world up until the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century.
4409-17502904
Chinese Court Ladies and Children. Artist: In the Style of Kano Eitoku (Japanese, 1543-1590). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 65 1/4 x 146 1/4 in. (165.8 x 371.5 cm). Date: 17th century.This screen depicts the interior and court garden of a Chinese palace with groups of Chinese ladies, children, and servants enjoying their courtly life. The theme of Chinese court ladies was favored by high-ranking daimyo families and was exclusively depicted by academic painters of the Kano school. Formerly attached incorrectly to two panels with Chinese ladies that were painted by another artist, the paintings were later detached and remounted as a six-panel screen. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
1899-18717432
The Ramayana is a story as old as time and - at least in the Indian subcontinent and across much of Southeast Asia - of unparalleled popularity. More than two thousand three hundred years ago the scholar-poet Valmiki sat down to write his definitive epic of love and war. The poem Valmiki composed is styled the Ramayana, or 'Romance of Rama' in Sanskrit. In its present form, the Sanskrit version consists of some 24,000 couplets divided into seven books. The Reamker is the Khmer version of this epic and has an important influence on Cambodian dance, literature, art and drama.
1746-19676874
Maharao Ram Singhs Wedding Day 1851
6145-54680130
Krishna, Balarama, and the Cowherders: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of Lord Vishnu) India (Orissa) 1800-1825 Krishna and Balarama, at the lower right, join the other gopas (cowherders) in the fields of Vrindavan.
6145-48828163
Door holders wear gifts in the palace, the interior of the Turkish palace in Constantinople. Sheet 6 of the picture sequence about the customs of the Turks of Zacharias Wehhe, 1581-1582 (copy of a contemporary. Originals from Constantinople). Ink, water and top colors, z. T. silver and gold habit; 36 x 168 cm. Dresden: Slub mscr.dresd.j.2.a
1848-52046258
Fresco, banquet with dancing girls, Shah Abbas I receives Vali Nadr Muhammad Khan, Emir of Bukhara in Turkistan, 1611, Chehel Sotoun, Forty Pillars Palace, Isfahan, Iran, Asia
1788-14764
Mexico, Chiapas, Bonampak, reproduction of Bonampak frescos, detail with musicians
6145-29796580
Funeral Ritual in a Garden, Tomb of Minnakht A.D. 1921; original ca. 1479-1425 B.C. Twentieth Century; original New Kingdom Charles K. Wilkinson This facsimile painting copies a section of wall painting in the tomb of Minnakht (TT 87) in western Thebes. The scene depicts a garden surrounding a building with a large pool in front of it. In the lowest register, two men stand in front of small offering tables. Each man pours a libation with one hand and holds a brazier with buring incense in the other. The facsimile was painted at the tomb in 1921 by Charles K. Wilkinson, a member of the Graphic Section of the Museum's Egyptian Expedition.. Funeral Ritual in a Garden, Tomb of Minnakht 544601
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Five poses of Krishna making love, from a Bhagavata Purana, circa 1600, Indian and Southeast Asian Art
4266-27598
The Nativity of Christ by Russian icon / State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow / Russian icon painting / Second Half of the 17th cen. / Russia, Moscow School / Tempera on panel / Bible /
4266-19386
Saint George and the Dragon by Russian icon / Private Collection/ ca. 1600/ Russia, Novgorod School/ Tempera on panel/ Russian icon painting/ 118x84/ Bible
1899-18788115
The Jamia al-tawarikh, ('Compendium of Chronicles') or Universal History is an Iranian work of literature and history written by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani at the start of the 14th century.
7062-70062176
Buddhist mural, Trongsa Dzong, Bhutan
1848-54743366
Buddhist wall paintings for religious instruction, Wewurukannala Vihara Temple, Dikwella, Sri Lanka, Asia, PublicGround, Asia
1899-18711391
Emperor Xuande, 5th ruler of the Ming Dynasty (r. 1425-1435). Personal Name: Zhu Zhani, Zhū Zhānjī. Posthumous Name: Zhangdi, Zhāngdì. Temple Name: Xuanzong, Xuānzōng. Reign Name: Ming Xuandei, Ming Xuāndé. The Xuande Emperor was Emperor of China (Ming Dynasty) between 1425-1435. His era name means 'Proclamation of Virtue'. The Xuande Emperor ruled over a remarkably peaceful time with no significant external or internal problems. Later historians have considered his reign to be the Ming dynasty's golden age.
1899-18852737
The Serat Selarasa is perhaps the earliest finely-illustrated Javanese manuscript extant. The manuscript is dated 1804, and according to a note in the text was once owned by the wife of a Dutch East India Company official in Surabaya. In this image Prince Selarasa kneels before a holy man, Kiai Nur Sayid, who has stayed in one place for so long, neither eating nor drinking but smelling flowers and praying to God, that a vine has grown up around his body.
1788-33604
Garabet and Esugan offer a manuscript of the Gospel, Illuminated page, Armenia.
4292-20423
Thailand, Bangkok,interior decoration
7155-70375468
Raja Dian Singh with his hawk on horseback, 1830. INDIA.
6145-29280873
Episodes in the nursery-rhyme "Sing a song of sixpence.": the king is served with a pie of blackbirds, the queen holds a honeycomb, and a maid has her nose pecked off by a blackbird. Colour process print after G.S..
1848-50681458
Scene from the Life of Buddha, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangoon, Myanmar, Yangoon, Myanmar, Asia
4292-40382
Celestial deities, detail of mural paintings in the Buddhaisawan Chapel, Bangkok,Thailand.
6145-29779162
Ka'ba Tile ca. 1720-30 Osman Ibn Mehmed Turkish This rectangular tile depicts a stylized view of Mecca, with the black-shrouded Kaba in the center of the Masjid al-Haram and other buildings within and around the holy sanctuary. It is part of a larger material corpus related to the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca and sites in its vicinity, which each pious Muslim should perform once in his or her life. Such Ka’ba tiles were a favored theme in Ottoman tile workshops. This one is painted in the traditional color palette used in seventeenth century Iznik tiles. However the bird’s-eye view, inspired by the European pictorial tradition, is a characteristic of later examples made at Tekfur Sarayi in Istanbul, a less well-known Ottoman ceramic workshop.. Ka'ba Tile 457791
1899-18792651
The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty. About 20 million people died, mainly civilians, in one of the deadliest military conflicts in history. Hong established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with its capital at Nanjing. The Kingdom's army controlled large parts of southern China, at its height containing about 30 million people. The rebels attempted social reforms believing in shared 'property in common' and the replacement of Confucianism, Buddhism and Chinese folk religion with a form of Christianity. The Taiping troops were nicknamed 'Longhairs' (simplified Chinese: 毛; traditional Chinese: 長毛; pinyin: Chángmáo) by the Qing government. The Taiping areas were besieged by Qing forces throughout most of the rebellion. The Qing government crushed the rebellion wit
1848-54947291
Crib collection, Nativity Scene made of paper by Wenzel Fieger from Trebitsch in Moravia, gouache on cardboard from circa 1890, Bavarian National Museum, Munich, Bavaria, Germany, Europe
1899-18713106
Early mural in Vardhamāna temple - Scenes from the life of Vardhamāna, Abhisheka. Vijayanagara Period.
4409-17418515
Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana Manuscript (Life of Krishna). Culture: Nepal (Kathmandu Valley). Dimensions: 12 7/32 x 18 5/8 in. (31.1 x 47.3 cm). Date: ca. 1775. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
6145-29293084
Golden Temple, Amritsar. Coloured transfer lithograph.
2102-574
War of Abyssinia-Detail Primitive Art
6176-66100009
The caption for this 1910 image reads: "Tribal chiefs -ceiling painting in the Sala del tribunal at the Alhambra."This place is called Hall of the Kings (Sala de los Reyes) because of a painting on the central dome, which will be later explained. It was also called Justice Hall (Sala de la Justicia) and Court (Tribunal) from the 18th century. The paintings are on three ellipse-shaped wooden domes and covered by leather. The middle painting (shown here) represents the first ten kings of the Nasrid dynasty (except for the usurpers Ismail I and Mohammed VI, the Red one (el Bermejo). Constructed o
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Hindu temples situated on the bank of a river , Temples, Coastlines, Boats, Rivers
6145-51833709
Krishna Carried Across the River Indian. Krishna Carried Across the River, first half 19th century. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, sheet: 10 5/8 x 7 5/16 in. (27.0 x 18.6 cm). In the story of the god Krishnas life on earth, he is born to a royal family but must be taken from the palace immediately in order to hide him from an evil uncle. This unusual painting shows the circumstances of this departure. In the dark of night, while everyone in the palace is asleep (a small gazebo at right stands in for the palace), Krishnas father carries him across the river Yamuna to the rural community where Krishna will be raised. The father is barely visible here at the center, holding the baby above his head while the giant serpent Vasuki stands above them, offering protection. A lion on the opposite bank of the river might represent the dangers facing them at night, as does the monkey at the upper right and the bolt of lightning. In the upper left is a temple with Krishna enthroned at the
6188-64622309
Painting on Wall Madhubani Bihar India Asia Copyright: xRajeshxVora/DinodiaxPhotox
6145-44067308
Ring Race of Christian II ("Rinklenen ...") to Fastnacht 1607
6145-52358928
Imeres. Fresques de l'eglise de Ghelathi.. Gagarin, Grigorii Grigorevich, kniaz (1810-1893). Prints, Illustrations. 1847. General Research Division. Caucasus
1848-53683935
Ramakien, restored murals on the Phra Rabieng Tour, Buddhist monks, novices in the Wat Phra Kaeo Temple, Royal Palace, Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand, Asia
1848-50683728
Dance of the Dervishes in the Kawaranserai Sarihan, Cappadocia, Turkey, Cappadocia, Turkey, Asia
1848-489006
Picture in the Assembly Hall of the Chinese from Guangzhou, Hue, Vietnam, Southeast Asia