The Han Dynasty brick relief illustrates a salt-mining scene
Southwest China’s Sichuan province has boasted abundant well salt resources for more than 2,000 years. An Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 CE) brick relief illustrates the salt-mining scene of the time.The crowded compositions of digging wells, drawing and transporting salt water, boiling salt, and carrying firewood are depicted vividly, reflecting the advanced manufacturing technology of ancient Sichuan.
Armenian designers showcase their collections during Milan Fashion Week
Armenian designers have recently showcased their collections during Milan Fashion Week. One of them- promising designer Vahan Khachatryan, presented his “Renaissance” collection.Inspired by the medieval art of Greater Armenia, it was dedicated to the fantastic ability of the Armenian people to rise, blossom, and create despite any disaster. Tapestries with paintings by the medieval Armenian illuminator Toros Roslin were commissioned in Spain and used for the collection to make dresses, coats, jackets, and bags. Other employed materials are silk satins, printed silk chiffon and satin, silk lurex double-face chiffon, and metal mesh—all to replicate the colors and textures of medieval
The legend associated with the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Its history dates back over 3,000 years.The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night. On this day, the Chinese believe that the Moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of Autumn.Lanterns of all sizes and shapes are carried and displayed – symbolic beacons that light people's path to prosperity and good fortune. Mooncakes, a rich pastry typically
Woman-shaped salt vessels as one of the signifiers of Armenian folk culture
Since ancient times, Armenians have attributed various magical and auspicious qualities to salt. Across different settlements of Armenia, that holy seasoning was stored and served in unique, woman-shaped salt cellars. Those anthropomorphic small-sized pots have become one of the signifiers of the Armenian culture and were linked with the ideas of fertility and life cycle. Even in rural areas nowadays, such dishes are displayed in the house's most important corner.In pre-Christian Armenia, the woman-shaped or female-formed salt cellars were associated with worshiping the beloved goddess Anahit, the deity of fertility, healing, wisdom, and water in Armenian mythology. Some of them
Well-preserved, lavishly painted, and gold-adorned marble warriors from China
Two pieces of painted white marble reliefs, dating back to the Five Dynasties (907-960), depict two august warriors safeguarding the tomb of Wang Chuzhi in North China’s Hebei province. They’re wearing armor and holding swords, with a dragon and a phoenix on their heads and an ox and deer crouching beneath their feet. What makes them unique is that both of them have been lavishly painted. Having parts of their armor applied with gold pigment suggests the tomb owner’s eminent status. Having been stolen from the tomb of Wang Chuzhi, a high-ranking military officer, in Quyang county, Hebei province, in 1994,
