This websites answers the question, "What is a Symbol?" Click on the sculptures for a description of the symbols in each work.

This websites provides a detailed article about symbolism in art.

Personal ornamentation and engraved designs are the earliest evidence of art in Africa and are inextricably tied up with the development of human cognition. View pictures and read about prehistoric art in Africa.

Some of the oldest known art may hint at the beginning of language development, while later examples portray narratives with human and animal figures. What does the oldest known art in the world tell us about the people who created it?...

In Anglo-Saxon art there is always more than meets the eye. The dense animal patterns that cover many Anglo-Saxon objects are not just pretty decoration; they have multi-layered symbolic meanings and tell stories. View examples of their...

Along with hieroglyphics, obelisks and geometric patterns, cats feature prominently in ancient Egyptian art, reflecting the animal's unique status among the people who dwelled along the Nile River. The animals were initially adopted as...

The Lakshmana temple was the first of several temples built by the Chandella kings in their newly-created capital of Khajuraho. View some of the sculpted friezes contained within this temple.

Provided by Arizona State University, this website is a comprehensive thematic, inquiry-based art education resource. Includes two interdisciplinary units of lessons.

PBS profiles the exhibit at the Denver Art Museum about how design is relevant in our society. There are interviews, images, and video--enough for developing your own lesson plan.

This fierce-looking king is a symbolic protector of the Buddha's sacred law and also a fighter of evil spirits. His right foot is raised to stamp upon the head of a demon (now missing). His armor consists of tunic, trousers, chest and...

This bowl was used for the tea ceremony. Learn when and how the Japanese people began to drink tea, what the dragon symbolizes, and who the artist is.

The vajra (Tibetan: Dorjie) and bell (Sanskrit: ghanta; Tibetan: drilbu) are the most important ritual objects of Tibetan Buddhism. Most every lama has a pair and knows how to use them. They represent "method" (vajra) and "wisdom"...

The earliest surviving representations of the Buddha date from hundreds of years after his death, so they are not portraits in the usual sense. Buddha images vary greatly from place to place and period to period, but they almost always...

The pinnacle of Yayoi Kusama's success is the art installation "Narcissus Garden" where she staged stage 1,500 mass-produced plastic silver globes on the lawn outside the Italian Pavilion. View pictures and read the symbolism behind...

"The Valley of Mexico from the Hillside of Santa Isabel" by Velasco represents an important period in the development of Mexico's national identity and an important chapter in the history of Mexican art. Velasco's landscapes became...

The Augustus of Primaporta is one of the ways that the ancients used art for propagandistic purposes. View pictures of the statue and read about the symbolism it contains in this article.

This fierce-looking king is a symbolic protector of the Buddha's sacred law and also a fighter of evil spirits. View a picture of this statue and read a short description.

There are many Hindu deities, some with great and others with limited powers. Most Hindus focus their devotion primarily on one of these, whom they regard as supreme. The greatest deities have complex natures and are shown in art in a...

Penden Lhamo is one of the more wrathful female deities of Buddhism. Among her many roles, she is the special protector of the city of Lhasa, the Gelukpa Order, and the Dalai Lamas of Tibet. She was invited to Tibet in around the...

Balinese stories are continually told and retold. The Kayonan is the first and last puppet seen in the Balinese wayang shadow theater. As it dances, it symbolizes the living tradition of storytelling that deeply explains and entertains,...

Owning a pistol was a symbol of a samurai's power, rank, and wealth in Edo, Japan. They were often decorated with the samurai's family crest. View pictures and read descriptions of these weapons.

There is significant debate concerning the development of the Buddha image--where it first occurred, why, and when. Broadly speaking, the image of the Buddha emerged during the first few centuries C.E. in two major centers of Indian art...

In the sacred architecture of the Roman and Byzantine empires, domes were viewed as symbols of heaven. Correggio merged this symbolism with the Renaissance's fascination for three-dimensional illusion. He transformed the dome of the...

A site by Tulku Thondup explaining the significance of Buddhist art in Tibet. This is an excerpt from a talk given at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1990. The basis is how the Buddhist devotees in Tibet use religious objects as tools...