Art History Animalia

For #WorldOctopusDay 🐙:

#Octopus Form Box

Japan, late 19th century

Hirado Mikawachi ware, porcelain with blue & brown glazes

6 3/4 x 6 3/4 x 4 1/2 in. (17.15 x 17.15 x 11.43 cm)

LACMA M.2002.147.2a-b https://collections.lacma.org/node/206463

For #WorldElephantDay 🐘:

Bejewelled Elephant Bangkok, Thailand, c.1950 Sculpture, ivory with gemstones set in gilt silver 6 x 7 3/4 x 3 in. (15.24 x 19.69 x 7.62 cm) LACMA AC1995.108.1

#Baturday 🦇:

Vessel with Bat Heads

Maya: Guatemala, Alta Verapaz, Cobán or vicinity, 650–850 CE

Slip-painted ceramic

6 × 7 × 7 in. (15.24 × 17.78 × 17.78 cm)

LACMA M.90.168.18

#Baturday :

Bat on Roof Tile by Hōraku (Japan, active early to mid-19th c.) netsuke - wood with inlays 1 5/16 x 1 5/16 x 1 3/16 in. (3.4 x 3.4 x 3.0 cm) LACMA AC1998.249.3

#FrogFriday:

Frog on Toadstool

Japan, mid-19th c.

Hirado ware; porcelain with blue & brown glazes

1 9/16 x 1 7/16 x 1 in. (3.9 x 3.7 x 2.6 cm)

LACMA M.87.263.60

#FishFriday:

Plate with Emblematic Pairs of Fish (mahi-ye maratib)

India, Uttar Pradesh, Awadh, Lucknow, c. 1880

Bidri-ware (zarbuland technique)

D: 6 3/4 in. (17.15 cm); H: 1/2 in. (1.27 cm)

LACMA M.2001.100

“The primary decoration on this bidri ware plate is a pair of fish arranged head-to-head with their curved bodies forming a circle. Known as the mahi-ye maratib (Fish of Dignity), it was an insignia of exalted rank that the Mughal emperors and earlier Middle Eastern rulers bestowed upon their subordinate chieftains in recognition of valorous military service. In 1720 it was awarded by the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah (r. 1719–48) to Saadat Khan, the Governor of Akbarabad (Agra), who soon became the Governor of Lucknow from 1722 to 1739. The fish emblem subsequently served as the dynastic leitmotif of the Lucknow court and was frequently displayed on its decorative arts and palatial architecture. It was represented in state processions as a fish and two gilt globes carried on a standard. A heraldic form consisting of a pair of honorific mermaids bearing a crown and flanking a shield was used as the personal coat of arms of King Wajid Ali Shah (r. 1847–56). Bidri ware is made from a predominately zinc-based alloy, along with smaller amounts of lead, copper, and/or tin. The ornamentation of bidri ware from the Deccan and eastern India typically features inlaid silver sheet or wire designs, which are rendered flush and burnished. Lucknow bidri ware is distinctive in that it is often executed in bold relief (zarbuland technique), in which the inlaid metals are allowed to remain protruding slightly above the surface and are then adorned with sheet overlay and incised motifs.”

Japanese #Netsuke for #WorldRatDay:

1. Cluster of Rats, late 19th-20th c.

Ivory w/ inlays, D 1 1/2 in. (4.0 cm)

LACMA https://collections.lacma.org/node/189655

2. Group of Rats Nestled in an Abalone Shell, late 19th c.

Ivory, horn, H 7/8 in (2.2 cm) x W 1 5/8 in (4.1 cm)

Metropolitan Museum of Art https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/59658

#TwoForTuesday:

Joined Frogs

Mexico, Colima, 200 BCE–500 CE

Slip-painted ceramic with incised decoration

6 x 3 3/4 x 5 1/2 in. (15.24 x 9.53 x 13.97 cm)

LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art M.86.296.166

For #WorldElephantDay 🐘:

Pair of Earrings in the Form of Dancing Elephants India, Deccan, 19th c. Gold inlaid with rubies & sapphires 1 1/2 × 1 1/2 × 1/2 in. (3.81 × 3.81 × 1.27 cm) each LACMA M.86.49a-b

Curator notes:

“These charming earrings in the form of dancing or frolicking elephants are made of gold inlaid with rubies and sapphires. They are close in design shape to the more common type of pendant earrings made in the form of a makara (mythical aquatic animal), which also feature a similar upturned snout and curved lower body. Makara earrings have an ancient heritage in South Asia, where they adorn images of Buddhist and Hindu deities, most notably Shiva and Vishnu. Various additional animals and symbolic objects were used to embellish and distinguish earrings, including lions, serpents, jewels, conchs, and sacred books. Earrings in the form of joyous elephants may also draw their inspiration from paintings of the same subject, such as representations of elephants sporting during the summer month of Jyeshtha (May-June in the Hindu lunisolar calendar). For a particularly apt illustration, see a mid-18th century painting from Bundi now in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai (55.97).”

For #InternationalTigerDay 🐅 on #Caturday:

tiger nestuke x 2 from Los Angeles County Museum of Art

1. Tiger Licking Its Paw Alternate Title: 虎 Japan, 18th century Ivory with staining, sumi 1 3/4 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/8 in. (4.4 x 3.8 x 2.8 cm) LACMA AC1998.249.125

2. Tiger and Cub Alternate Title: 親子虎 Tomotada (Japan, active before 1781) Japan, 18th century Ivory with staining, sumi, inlays 1 9/16 x 1 3/8 x 1 1/16 in. (4.0 x 3.5 x 2.7 cm) LACMA M.90.186.9

An army of frogs for #FrogFriday!

Netsuke: Frogs on Lotus Leaf (Hasu no ha ni kaeru)

by Seimin (Japan, active mid - to late 19th century)

Ivory with staining, sumi

1 x 1 5/16 x 15/16 in. (2.6 x 3.3 x 2.4 cm)

LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art M.91.250.125

For#WorldFireflyDay:

Shiokawa Bunrin (1808-77) Fireflies at River's Edge Japan, Edo-Meiji periods, 19th c. Hanging scroll, ink & color on silk LACMA collection - on display at “The Life of Animals in Japanese Art” exhibition at National Gallery of Art DC in 2019

It’s #WorldTurtleDay, on a #TurtleTuesday + #TwoForTuesday! Check out this gorgeous pair of nearly 2000-year-old cast gold repoussé turtle earrings:

Pair of Earrings with Tortoises Pakistan, Taxila region (?), 1st-2nd century repoussé and cast gold 2 1/4 x 1/2 x 3/8 in. (5.72 x 1.27 x .95 cm) Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

More for #WorldPangolinDay: #DYK the name pangolin comes from the Malay word "pengguling" meaning "something that rolls up" (they curl up into a ball when threatened, protected by their scaly armor)

Squat Jar in the Form of a Pangolin Cambodia, Khmer, c. 1000-1200 Modeled stoneware, applied & incised decoration, brown glaze 3.75 x 4.75 in. / 9.53 x 12.07 cm LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Pair of Bracelets with Peacocks India, Rajasthan, Jaipur or Delhi, c. 1900 enameled and partially gilded silver inlaid with emeralds, rubies, glass, and silicate minerals; paint 3 1/2 x 3 3/8 x 5/8 in. (8.89 x 8.57 x 1.59 cm) LACMA