Traveling the Silk Road and Beyond at the Art Institute

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S E L F - G U I D E Traveling the Silk Road and Beyond at the Art Institute Before your visit Contact the Teacher Resource Center at (312) 443-3719 or trc@artic.

Divide your class in advance into groups with at least one chaperone for every ten students. Chaperones must stay with their groups while in the museum.

M I D D L E S C H O O L / H I G H S C H O O L Written by Grace Murray, Teacher Programs Coordinator Produced by the Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Museum Education, Student and Teacher

1 S E L F - G U I D E Traveling the Silk Road and Beyond at the Art Institute Before your visit Contact the Teacher Resource Center at (312) or trc@artic.edu for additional ideas about preparing your students for their visit and to check the gallery locations of the objects included in the self-guide. Divide your class in advance into groups with at least one chaperone for every ten students. Chaperones must stay with their groups while in the museum. Provide your chaperones with copies of the self-guide and museum floor plan. M I D D L E S C H O O L / H I G H S C H O O L Written by Grace Murray, Teacher Programs Coordinator Produced by the Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Museum Education, Student and Teacher Programs Introduction The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that extended across Europe and Asia, linking powerful civilizations such as Rome and China. It flourished from about 1500 B.C. to A.D and extended from China through central Asia to the Mediterranean coast. Silk actually composed a small portion of the trade along the route. Caravans going east brought gold, precious metals and gems, textiles, ivory, and coral, while westbound caravans transported furs, ceramics, cinnamon bark, and rhubarb as well as bronze weapons. The long trip across the deserts of central Asia was dangerous, but caravans could stop in oasis towns where they would take on fresh merchants, animals, and goods. In these cities traders also exchanged ideas and customs including music, languages, and religions. The Silk Road and Beyond: Travel, Trade, and Transformation is an exhibition of works from the permanent collection of the Art Institute that show cross-cultural connections. The exhibition includes an introduction to the process of making silk as well as to the precious goods like silk, ceramics, and spices that were traded between Asia and Europe. In addition to the artworks on display in Galleries , the exhibition continues throughout the museum, where nearly 150 artworks are highlighted. In this guide you will go on a journey through time and across many countries as you discover works of art related to the Silk Road. At the museum For grades 5 6, we suggest the teacher/chaperone lead the students through the galleries and facilitate the discussion and activities outlined in the self-guide. For grades 7 12, copies of the selfguide may be given to students, who can use it in small, chaperone-led groups. Remind students that food, drinks, large bags, and umbrellas are not allowed in the galleries. Remind students to look, not touch. Touching leaves oils and residues that may damage artworks. Make sure students bring notebooks to use as writing surfaces and to write or draw with pencils only. Remind students not to use cases, pedestals, or walls as writing surfaces. Consult a museum floor plan or museum staff for assistance in finding specific galleries. 1

2 Are you ready to go on a Silk Road Adventure? Fill in the Silk Road Passport with information about yourself. Circle each of the objects that you see as you travel through the museum. My Silk Road Passport (draw your picture here) Name: Date of Birth: Place of Birth: Date of Travel: 2

GALLERY 105 Camel and Rider. China; Tang dynasty (618 907), first half of the 8th century. Gift of Mrs. Bertha Palmer Thorne.

3 GALLERY 105 Camel and Rider. China; Tang dynasty ( ), first half of the 8th century. Gift of Mrs. Bertha Palmer Thorne. Riding on a Caravan Caravans of camels crisscrossed the Silk Road, making it possible to trade goods from China to the Mediterranean Sea and back again. This camel s two humps indicate that it is a Bactrian camel from present-day Afghanistan. Bactrian camels can travel up to 30 miles a day, carry hundreds of pounds, and go for more than a week without water. Camels are also known to have a bad temper! Look at the angry expression on this camel s face as he stretches his long neck to complain. This sculpture was created by Chinese artists during the Tang dynasty (A.D ) and is an example of a spirit object, made for burial in a tomb. During the Tang dynasty powerful members of society were often buried with clay objects depicting people, animals, and fantastic creatures because these figures were believed to protect the soul of the deceased in the afterlife. Look at the camel. What details do you notice? Does this animal look realistic to you? How is it similar or different from camels you have seen in the zoo or in photographs? Look at the saddlebags on the camel s back. What is unusual about them? What goods might be carried in the bags? Look at the man riding the camel. What is he doing at this moment? Based on the way the artist depicted him, what adjectives would you use to describe the rider? Can you find... a hole in the camel s belly that shows the sculpture is hollow? another monster face in this gallery like the one on the saddlebag? other figures in this gallery that look like they may be going on a journey on the Silk Road? 3

GALLERY 131A Astrolabe. Iran, 18th century. Gift of Mrs. Emily Crane Chadbourne. Look closely, because this decorative metal object is actually an ancient computer!

4 GALLERY 131A Astrolabe. Iran, 18th century. Gift of Mrs. Emily Crane Chadbourne. Look closely, because this decorative metal object is actually an ancient computer! This device, called an astrolabe, has moving parts that allow you to determine the exact position and time of day. To use an astrolabe, the moveable arm on the back of the device is adjusted to find the height of the sun in the sky during the day or the location of a particular star at night. Then the disks on the front are moved to find the time of day and latitude (distance north or south from the equator). The astrolabe s plates graphically show the positions of the sun, the stars, the moon, and the planets at different times of the year. These calculations were especially important when traveling at sea or across the desert. Islamic religious practice, often described as the five pillars of Islam, requires the faithful to pray five times a day in the direction of Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia. Using an astrolabe, an observant Muslim could determine the correct time and orientation for prayers anywhere in the world. For more information about how astrolabes work, visit What navigation aids or devices do people use today to find their way when traveling? 4

GALLERY 134 Dish with Birds in a Garden. China; Yuan dynasty, 14th century. Kate S. Buckingham Fund. Look at the designs on this dish. What animals do you see? What patterns can you find repeated?

Are there any holidays or other celebrations when your family uses a plate this large? If you were cooking a feast, what foods would you want to display on this dish?

5 GALLERY 134 Dish with Birds in a Garden. China; Yuan dynasty, 14th century. Kate S. Buckingham Fund. Look at the designs on this dish. What animals do you see? What patterns can you find repeated? A plate like this was designed to hold a large amount of food. Sharing platters of food among a group of people is an Islamic custom. Are there any holidays or other celebrations when your family uses a plate this large? If you were cooking a feast, what foods would you want to display on this dish? Can you find a plate in this gallery even bigger than the Dish with Birds in a Garden? (Hint: It includes an image of a dragon.) In the center of this blue-and-white dish is a bird perched on a gatepost, looking back at its mate swooping around flowering trees and plants. This beautiful dish was made in China in the 1300s when the country was ruled by the Mongols, a nomadic people from Mongolia. Their vast empire stretched west across China, central Asia, and the Middle East, including present-day Iran and Iraq. The blue ore used to make the glaze for this dish was probably brought to China from Iran (then called Persia) along the Silk Road, and the subject matter of birds in a garden is common in Islamic art. This dish represents the rich cultural exchange that took place between China and the Middle East during this period. 5

6 GALLERY 135 Buddha. India; Tamil Nadu, Nagapattinam. Chola dynasty, 12th century. Restricted gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Andrew Brown. This large granite sculpture represents the Buddha, the central figure in the Buddhist faith. He sits in the traditional lotus pose with his hands resting in a gesture of meditation, and his position and facial expression convey quiet spiritual strength. Other features that identify this sculpture as a representation of the Buddha are the dot on the sculpture s forehead known as the urna, which represents his great wisdom, and the bump on the top of the head called the ushnisha, a symbol of his great knowledge and openness. This sculpture was probably made for an honored place in an Indian monastery. The man who came to be known as the Buddha (meaning enlightened one ) was a young prince born in northeastern India in the sixth century B.C. After seeing human suffering around him, he renounced the privileged class he was born into in favor of living a simple life. Through meditation, the Buddha attained a state of enlightenment, the end of the cycle of death and rebirth and of all suffering. After his enlightenment at the age of 35, the Buddha traveled around India for the rest of his life teaching others what he had learned. He developed a code of thoughts and actions to help all beings reach this state of absolute peace. The Buddha challenged existing beliefs when he learned about suffering around him. Have you experienced an event that changed you or led you to a new and better way of thinking? Write a few sentences below describing the experience. 6

GALLERY 141 until March 2007, then GALLERY 174 In this painting, a blue-and-white porcelain vase from China stands on a table covered by a Persian rug.

7 GALLERY 141 until March 2007, then GALLERY 174 In this painting, a blue-and-white porcelain vase from China stands on a table covered by a Persian rug. This work is a still life, meaning that it depicts a group of inanimate objects arranged by the artist. These objects display their owner s worldliness and familiarity with eastern cultures. Although created in the 19th century by an American artist, the painting imitates Dutch paintings of the 17th century, like those of Jan Vermeer ( ). The painter, Charles Gifford Dyer, was born in Chicago and traveled to England, France, Germany, the Middle East, and Asia during his lifetime. Charles Gifford Dyer. Seventeenth-Century Interior, Gift of Henry W. King. Keeping the Silk Road in mind, think about where the objects in this painting came from. Which cultures are represented? Can you find objects in the painting that may have been made in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East? Dyer s painting depicts a collection of objects that tell a story about the personality and interests of the person who owns them. The contents of the room act as evidence, giving clues about the absent person. Who do you think lives in this room? What do you see that makes you think that? Write a short description of the person here. 7

8 GALLERY 61 Manufactured by Mathevon et Bouvard. Panel, 1860/80. Restricted gift of the Antiquarian Society. The Silk Road takes its name from the expensive cloth that was transported by traders and prized by cultures in Europe and Asia as a luxury item. The fabric is woven from a strong protein fiber made by caterpillars, who produce it naturally to build their cocoons. Silkmaking began about 5,000 years ago in China, when people discovered a way to cultivate silkworms, gather their cocoons, unwind the long strands of fiber, and weave them into cloth. Although the Chinese kept this process secret for thousands of years, knowledge of silk production eventually spread to Japan and Europe. This panel was made in France in the 1800s. It is a combination of silk and other fabrics including linen and satin. France was the leading source for luxury silks during the 19th century. Look at the complex floral pattern and the contrast in texture between the red (silk) and white (linen) sections of the fabric. If you had a piece of fabric like this, what would you choose to make out of it? Look for other silk textiles that may be on view in Galleries 108 and 142 during your visit. 8

GALLERY 155 Coin showing Alexander the Great. Greek, 306 281 B.C. Gift of Martin A. Ryerson. This ancient Greek coin features a portrait of Alexander the Great.

9 GALLERY 155 Coin showing Alexander the Great. Greek, B.C. Gift of Martin A. Ryerson. This ancient Greek coin features a portrait of Alexander the Great. The Macedonian leader conquered land and formed a huge empire during the fourth century B.C. As Alexander marched from Greece through Persia to India, conquering territories as he went, he minted his own coins, reminding conquered peoples of his power. He is shown here as a hero with long, flowing hair and alert eyes looking ahead. Alexander used the coins to pay his soldiers, who spent them in foreign lands or took them home to their families, spreading Alexander s image around the world. Before coins were invented in the seventh century B.C., the Greek economy was based on barter, or the exchange of goods without money. Greeks bartered such commodities as grain, animals, and manufactured metal objects, including iron bars called obols. A handful of obols was called a drachma, which is why this coin is called a tetradrachm (4 drachmas). Both barter and exchange of many types of currency were used for trade along the Silk Road. This is a coin with a ruler s por- How do you think Alexander the Great wanted to be portrayed? Does this appear to be a realistic or idealized portrait? trait on it. Do you think the circulation of this coin would enhance his popularity? Explain why or why not. How does a politician today enhance his or her public image? Imagine that you are the ruler Design a coin that includes your portrait, and draw the front and back in the spaces below: of your own country. 9

10 Concluding Activity: Journey to a New Land This journey through the Art Institute has revealed how people traveled along the Silk Road, the types of goods they traded, and some of the artistic styles, religious beliefs, and cultural traditions they exchanged. Travel, trade, and communication are much faster today than when camel caravans crossed the Silk Create a Postcard Road. Imagine that you are going on a journey to a destination along the Silk Road today. Think about what you will pack, what mode of transport you will take, what new foods you will taste, and what souvenirs you will bring back. Complete the postcard below by drawing a scene from your journey and writing a message to someone back home. Be sure to include one of the works of art you saw on your Silk Road journey through the Art Institute. You may want to answer the following questions in your postcard: Where have you been and where are you now? What new things have you seen? Who have you met? What have you traded? What will be the next stop on your journey? front of postcard: draw the scene back of postcard: write a message to someone back home 10

Camel and Rider. Poster Packet. China; Tang dynasty (a.d ), first half of the 8th century. Department of Museum Education

Camel and Rider. Poster Packet. China; Tang dynasty (a.d ), first half of the 8th century. Department of Museum Education Camel and Rider China; Tang dynasty (a.d. 618 907), first half of the 8th century Poster Packet Department of Museum Education Division of Student and Teacher Programs The Elizabeth Stone Robson Teacher