Ancient Art
The Honolulu Museum of Art’s collection of ancient art features works dating from the Neolithic era (c. 10,0000–2000 BCE) to the 6th century. Approximately 880 objects from the early cultures of Asia, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and North and South America represent how styles, subjects, and techniques developed in the ancient world. Highlights include a 5th- to 6th-century Roman floor mosaic, a marble Cycladic figure dating from the 3rd millennium BCE, and an 8th-century BCE Olmec mask.
Highlights from the collection
Animals Hunting
Roman, 450–520 CE. Mosaic of stone tesserae. Purchased, 1937 (4672)
Caption
Male Tomb Figure
Egyptian, Old Kingdom, end of 5th–6th dynasty, 2350–2170 BCE. Limestone with traces of polychrome. Purchase, 1930 (2896)
Male Torso
Roman, 1st century CE. Marble. Gift of Anna Rice Cooke, 1932 (3603)
Female Figure
Cycladic, 2500–2400 BCE. Marble with traces of polychrome. Purchase, Frank C. Atherton Memorial Fund, 1976 (4386.1)
Amphora (Wine Container) with Lid
c. 525 BCE. Terracotta (black-figure). Gift of Anna Rice Cooke, 1932 (3588)
Vessel
Chinese, Early Shang dynasty, c. 1600 BCE–c. 1046 BCE. Bronze. Acquired through exchange and a gift of Miss Daphne Damon in memory of Mrs. Damon Gadd, 1969 (3607.1)
Naqada Beaker
Egyptian, 4000–3000 BCE. Terracotta with ash reduction. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Terence Barrow, 1981 (4976.1)
Glass Bottle or Pitcher
Roman, c. 200 BCE. Glass. Gift of Anna Rice Cooke, 1963 (3172.1)
Dog with Human Mask
Colima, central west Mexico, c. 1st century BCE–3rd century. Molded and hand-built ceramic with burnished red slip. Purchase, Academy Volunteers Fund, 1973 (4173.1)
Anthropomorphic Effigy Vessel
Guanacaste-Nicoya culture, Costa Rica/Nicaragua, c. 200–1100. Hand-built earthenware with orange-red, black, and white slip decoration. Purchase, 1975 (4291.1)
Kneeling Figure
Nok culture, Nigeria, 5th century BC–4th century CE. Hand-built and carved terra cotta. Gift of Frances Damon Holt in memory of John Dominis Holt, 1996 (8348.1)
Standing Female Figure
Jama Coaque culture, Manabi Province, Ecuador,1st–5th century. Hand-built ceramic with traces of pigments. Purchase, 1973 (4185.1)
Mask
Olmec culture, Arroyo Pesquero, Veracruz, Mexico, c. 8th century BCE. Calcified carved jadeite with traces of cinnabar. Purchase, 1973 (4175.1)
