The Islamic law forbids the artist to draw a living being, since it is a function exclusively reserved for God.
This restriction was not observed in some regions, for example, the Mughal Empire. And today it is hardly followed. But back then, when it all started, it was strictly observed and this gave rise to a new style of art in itself. Defined by ribbon-like flowing letters of Arabic, intricate work with stones, natural colours and marbles, the traditional Islamic art beats every cultural...

“Wenshu, Bodhisattva of Wisdom, at a Writing Table” (China, 1354, glue tempera on mud and straw wall, Cincinnati Art Museum) is a large wall mural which depicts the Bodhisattva Manjusri (Ch. Wenshu, 文殊) sitting at a writing table with a calligraphy brush in hand, poised to write...

The “Shiva Nataraja” statue (South India, 16th-17th c., bronze, 1940.1079) was gifted to the Cincinnati Art Museum in memory of Elsie Homes Warrington by George Warrington. It stands 33 13/16 in. tall, 23 ¼ in. wide and 12 in. deep.[1] The piece features many of the iconographic motifs associated with the god, such as...