Portraits of the Asian Art Galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago

Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), gilt copper alloy, late 14th century, Yuan/early Ming dynasty, China 

Gonzaze Myō-ō, Nakabayashi Gennai, wood with polychromy, 1680 [Edo period], Japan 

Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China

Armored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China

Head of a Bodhisattva, stucco with traces of pigment, 4th/6th century, Pakistan or Afghanistan, Gandharan region

Vajrasattva Seated on Lotus Flower with Hands Grasping a Thunderbolt (Vajra) and Bell (Ghanta) with Thunderbolt Handle, gilt copper alloy, Tang dynasty, late 8th/early 9th century, China

Detail of saddle on "Camel with Rider," earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China

Plaque with Demonic Mask, Late Neolithic period, Longshan culture or Shang dynasty, 2nd millenium BCE

Pensive Bodhisattva, gray schist, 2nd/3rd century, Pakistan, Gandharan region

Head of a Buddhist Deity, Possibly Prajnaparamita, sandstone, Angkor period, 13th century, Cambodia

Shūkongōjin, wood with traces of polychromy, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan

Female Musician, earthenware with polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China

Armored Guardian (Wushiyong), earthenware with polychrome pigments and gilding, Tang dynasty, late 7th/early 8th century, China

Ding (tripod food caldron) with tao-tie design, bronze, Shang dynasty, 11th century BCE, China

"Running in Advance" Mask (Shinshōtoku), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], Japan

Equestrienne, earthenware with traces of polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, 2nd quarter of 8th century, China



Four-Armed Sarasvati, Goddess of Learning, Seated in Lotus Position (Padmasana), chloritic schist, Hoyasala period, 13th century; India, Karnataka, Mysore region

 Votive Plaque with God Vishnu; gilt bronze with ivory, semiprecious stones, crystal, and glass; c. 19th century; Nepal, Kathmandu Valley

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, sandstone, Angkor period, 12th/13th century, Cambodia

Fudō Myō-ō, wood with polychromy and gilt-bronze accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan

Groom, earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China

Demon Mask (Tsuina-men), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], Japan

 Entertainer (Tomb Figure), buff earthenware with pigment, Northern Dynasties, 6th century, China

Lakshmana, from Panel with Lakshmana and Hanuman, the Monkey God, terracotta, Gupta period, 4th/5th century; India, Uttar Pradesh

 Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China

Sōgyō Hachiman, wood with traces of white pigment, Heian period, 10th century, Japan 

 Seitaka Dōji, wood with traces of polychromy, 15th century [Muromachi period], Japan

 Snake Goddess Manasa, basalt, 11th century, Bangladesh or Eastern India

 Zenzai Dōji, wood with glass and polychromy and metal accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan

Twenty-Armed Dancing God Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles, buff sandstone, 11th century, India (Madhya Pradesh)

Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China

Bodhisattva, limestone with traces of polychromy, Tang dynasty, 8th century, China

 Armored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China 

Weight in the form of nested birds, gilt bronze, Tang dynasty (618-907), China

All photos by author.