The Metropolitan Museum of Art is doing some renovation works; so what better excuse for its Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art to loan 10 artifacts from its collection to the department des Antiquités Orientales du Louvre for a temporary exhibition that will run until the end of September? Great equally for children and adults: this is small & fascinating exhibition!
The objects that came across the Ocean, cover a period of around 5000 years and the Louvre has put them close to similar objects in its collection. In a very French way, they have called it “Dialogues d’antiquites orientales”. Instead of putting them all in one room, the Louvre has decided to do something much cleverer: they have distributed the objects between room 236 and 308 of the Ground floor of the Richelieu and Sully wings (they had done something very similar last year). This is a very sleek way to incentivize the visitors to survey the whole Near Eastern collection (and in a chronological order to boot); but more importantly, it is a way to provide precious context for each of the artifacts by pairing them with one or more objects from the permanent collection. It covers an area that goes approximately from present day Iran to Siria.
Some of the objects from the Met are exquisite. We have chosen five of them.
The silver auroch is kneeling on his tight robe and holding a cup in its hands. Although aurochs are now extinct, they were a common motif of the time (the Louvre has an older version). The one from the Met is from around 3300 B.C. In the Proto-Elamite art, also known as Susa III, it was common to show scenes from everyday life, but conducted by animals. It is believed that this piece was used during ritual to make noises. Whatever its purpose, it is superb and THATMuse favourite piece from the exhibition.
A head of natural size made of copper from about the 22nd century B.C. Because it is not common to recover bronze pieces of this size and quality from over 4000 years ago, this is the artifact that the Louvre chose to promote the exhibition. There is a bit of debate where this important official’s head is coming from. But the most likely possibilities are from either Tello in Mesopotamia or from Western Iran.
This ceremonial axe interlaces three almost fantastical animals in a lethal combat. On one side, a winged dragon with the body of a lion. On the other, a giant boar. In the middle, a muscular human with a two-headed eagle for a noggin. The axes were a symbol status and are found in the tombs of soldiers buried 2000 years ago. In that time, they believed in a Great Goddess that guaranteed fertility and fecundity. The half-human, half-animal genie in the middle is one of her acolytes and controls the natural forces that destroy the vegetation and checks the water, represented in this axe by the dragon/lion and the boar.
This curved vase with an animal at the end, is called a rhyton and the Louvre has many, especially Greek in the Galerie Campana (these are mainly in ceramic). But unlike most of these that were made for the common people, this rhyton, crafted for kings, is in silver. The cat-looking animal is a caracal, common in the Middle East and Central Asia. The vine grape on top is the obvious symbol of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and debauchery. Alexander the Great had conquered the Persian empire 200 years earlier, on 330 B.C., and the Seleucid Empire that followed him were heavily influenced by Greek art and traditions (something similar happened in Egypt, another of the territories conquered by the Great Greek), including the realistic treatment of the body, as this caracal shows.
Diplomatic gifts are nothing new: ancient cultures used to give them to tighten relationship with foreign kings or ambassadors while also transmitting the idea of their splendour and power. The Sassanids (they dynasty that followed the Seleucids and that were the last Iranian empire before the Muslim conquest) are no different. This silver plate showing a king hunting a deer is from around 400 AD. The king can be identified by the crown. His name was Yazdgird I, and he ruled at the beginning of the 5th century.
Come, bring your kids, and enjoy this exhibition: it is small, crowds-free and THATMuse found if fascinating!
Gusoku: Japanese Samurai Armor
Samurai
The samurai were a military class of strong warriors starting in premodern Japan. They held themselves to high standards of self-discipline and live according to the ethic code of bushido, living “the way of the warrior”. The term samurai was originally used to identify the warriors who were aristocrats, the bushi. Using a wide range of weapons, the samurai needed strong armor in order to protect their bodies. Their main weapon of choice and used as their symbol was the sword. Other weapons included bows and arrows, spears, and guns.
Strongly inspired by Confucian practice, the main concepts include deep loyalty and respect, especially to one’s master. Their deep pride and stoicism was exemplified in their refined behavior while at imperial court. Honor and respect were quite prevalent and harsh, to the point that as opposed to dying dishonorably or by defeat, there was an institutionalized ritual suicide of disembowelment, called seppuku.
Gusoku
With most battles being carried out by calvary with a bow or sword, flexible armor was a must. The flexible armor “Ō-yoroi” or “Great Harness” was developed. The cuirass, or the armor piece that covers the torso, consisted of multiple smaller plates to allow for movement and flexibility. There are two shoulder pieces that fall down to protect any exposed underarm. There would be a lot of exposure when fighting with arms being raised. Then there is a skirt made from the same linked plates that protect both the lower abdomen and thighs. The armor protecting the arms consisted of both mail and solid plates. This allows for the protection to be defensive but suitable for great movements.
Helmets were solid iron plates, not the ones used for the body as it would be more flimsy. Traditionally, the helmets have a pointed shape called ‘shii-nari’, or acorn-shaped. Besides the main iron piece that covers the skull, there are flaps hanging from the top. These are made to protect the neck from injury. The neck guard is called a shikoro. Shikoros are often made of multiple covered plates, normally silk or various leathers.
Samurai Gusokus on Display
Above is a set of ceremonial Gushoku armor but made into a stand. This set comes form the Edo period, one of the most prominent and the height of the samurai. Took place in the 18th century.
This set is quite unique as it is a revival of earlier styles present during the Edo period. But, the overall construction is that of classical 16th century Gushoku. During this time, as you can see, the armor was covered in cloth as it was based off of classical armor. The shape is typical with being boxy in order to allow for the most protection.
Periods of Armor
There are three different periods of gusoku armor: ancient, classical, and modern.
Ancient armor is classified as the armor that was worn up until the 10th century. Unfortunately, not much ancient armor has been preserved. But it is known that there was continental Chinese and Korean influence in the armor.
Classical armor, worn between the 10th and 15th centuries, were considered to be Japan’s ideas and creations brought to life. This is the period in which Japanese armor got its distinct figure and look of the classic gusoku, with the flexible multi-plated protection.
Lastly, there is the modern period of armor. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, this era is the one with most variety in the design of the gusoku. This is when different designs and materials were used most often. This included an increased use of leather and silk coverings.
Like this blog? Check out many more just like it here. Join us on one of our treasure hunts to discover cool objects just like these ones and many more. Participate in hunts at the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the British Museum, the Louvre, the Orsay, and on the streets!
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