Refine your search

The results of your search are listed below alongside the search terms you entered on the previous page. You can refine your search by amending any of the parameters in the form and resubmitting it.

Select all Deselect all Add selection to lightbox
Large Small
Thumbnails per page
Colombo is the largest city and former capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island, adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital.<br/><br/> Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins. It has a city population of 647,100 (2010). Due to its large harbour and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago. However it was only made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, and its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948.<br/><br/> In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Like many cities, Colombo's urban area extends well beyond the boundaries of a single local authority, encompassing other municipal and urban councils. The main city is home to a majority of Sri Lanka's corporate offices, restaurants and entertainment venues. Famous landmarks in Colombo include Galle Face Green, Viharamahadevi Park and the National Museum.
The Safavid artist Afzal al-Husayni, a student of Reza Abbasi, creates a striking composition in which the focus, in vibrant colors, is on two lovers, while the decorative background is obscured by golden foliage.<br/><br/> The woman is administering love burn marks on her lover's arm, which during the Safavid era were a sign of a lover’s sincerity and devotion.
The Gajapati Dynasty was established in Orissa by Kapilendra Deva in 1435, after the fall of the last Eastern Ganga king, Bhanudeva IV. The dynasty is also known as a Suryavamsi dynasty. In about 1450, Kapilendra Deva installed his eldest son, Hamira, as the governor of Rajamundry and Kondavidu. <br/><br/> During Kapilendra Deva's reign, Sarala Dasa, the Oriya poet, wrote the Oriya Mahabharata and his other works.
Homosexuality in China was traditionally widespread in the region. Historically, homosexual relationships were regarded as a normal facet of life, and the existence of homosexuality in China has been well documented since ancient times. Many early Chinese emperors are speculated to have had homosexual relationships, often accompanied by heterosexual ones. Opposition to homosexuality and the rise of homophobia did not become firmly established in China until the 19th and 20th centuries, through the Westernization efforts of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Homosexuality was banned in the People's Republic of China, until it was legalised in 1997.<br/><br/> Traditional terms for homosexuality included 'the passion of the cut sleeve' (断袖之癖, Mandarin, Pinyin: duànxiù zhī pǐ), and 'the bitten peach' (分桃 Pinyin: fēntáo). Other, less literary, terms have included 'male trend' (男風 Pinyin: nánfēng), 'allied brothers' (香火兄弟 Pinyin: xiānghuǒ xiōngdì), and 'the passion of Longyang' (龍陽癖 Pinyin: lóngyángpǐ), referencing a homoerotic anecdote about Lord Long Yang in the Warring States Period. The formal modern word for homosexuality/homosexual is tongxinglian (同性戀, Pinyin: tóngxìngliàn, literally same-sex relations/love) or tongxinglian zhe (同性戀者, Pinyin: tóngxìngliàn zhě, homosexual people). Instead of this formal word, 'tongzhi' (同志 Pinyin: tóngzhì), simply a head-rhyme word, is more commonly used in the gay community.
Suzuki Harunobu (鈴木 春信, 1724 – July 7, 1770) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints.<br/><br/> Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties (bijin, bijin-ga). Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images.<br/><br/> During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown.
Located about 7km northeast of Korla, the ancient strongpoint of Tiemenguan or 'Iron Gate' is set amid incredibly barren, harsh and crumbling mountains. It’s possible to understand the immense strategic significance of the ‘Iron Gate’ pass by climbing the 1,497 steps to the summit.<br/><br/> Here the tomb of the lovers Tzuhola and Tayir is set high above the narrow defile that once channelled the old Silk Road between two massive and impassable rocky outcrops. A small path winds by a stream, far below – nowadays all but unused, but for at least two millennia a narrow artery for men, good and camels passing between east and west.<br/><br/> Because of its strategic location controlling the Silk Road as it passed south of the Tian Shan and into the Tarim Basin, Tiemenguan was easily defended by garrison troops and almost impossible for merchants and other travellers to avoid.<br/><br/> For Uighurs the narrow pass is associated with tragedy in love. Long ago Tzuhola, a Uighur princess, fell in love with Tayir, a simple shepherd. Her father, the king, had intended the princess to marry a prince, and was greatly displeased. The two lovers fled into the mountains pursued by the king’s troops, who had orders to bring them back. They fell to their deaths near Tiemenguan and the king, who was heartbroken, ordered the building of a twin tomb so they could be together in the afterlife. A statue of the two lovers in flight on horseback has recently been erected near the tomb.
Located about 7km northeast of Korla, the ancient strongpoint of Tiemenguan or 'Iron Gate' is set amid incredibly barren, harsh and crumbling mountains. It’s possible to understand the immense strategic significance of the ‘Iron Gate’ pass by climbing the 1,497 steps to the summit.<br/><br/> Here the tomb of the lovers Tzuhola and Tayir is set high above the narrow defile that once channelled the old Silk Road between two massive and impassable rocky outcrops. A small path winds by a stream, far below – nowadays all but unused, but for at least two millennia a narrow artery for men, good and camels passing between east and west.<br/><br/> Because of its strategic location controlling the Silk Road as it passed south of the Tian Shan and into the Tarim Basin, Tiemenguan was easily defended by garrison troops and almost impossible for merchants and other travellers to avoid.<br/><br/> For Uighurs the narrow pass is associated with tragedy in love. Long ago Tzuhola, a Uighur princess, fell in love with Tayir, a simple shepherd. Her father, the king, had intended the princess to marry a prince, and was greatly displeased. The two lovers fled into the mountains pursued by the king’s troops, who had orders to bring them back. They fell to their deaths near Tiemenguan and the king, who was heartbroken, ordered the building of a twin tomb so they could be together in the afterlife. A statue of the two lovers in flight on horseback has recently been erected near the tomb.
From Eiri's 'Models of Calligraphy' published in 1801 a female-female love scene with one of the women (the younger one) wearing a harigata (artificial phallus) and holding a sea shell containing some kind of lubricant.
Suzuki Harunobu (鈴木 春信4, 1724 – July 7, 1770) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints.<br/><br/> Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties (bijin, bijin-ga). Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images.<br/><br/> During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown.
Suzuki Harunobu (鈴木 春信4, 1724 – July 7, 1770) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints.<br/><br/> Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties (bijin, bijin-ga). Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images.<br/><br/> During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown.
Bashohli (Basoli) is a town in the Kathua district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is situated on the right bank of the Ravi River at an altitude of 1876 ft. and was founded by Raja Bhupat Pal in 1635.<br/><br/> The town is famous for its paintings called Basohli Paintings. They are considered the first school of Pahari paintings, which by the mid-eighteenth century had evolved into the prolific Kangra school of painting.
Mughal painting is a particular style of Indian painting, generally confined to illustrations on the book and done in miniatures, which emerged, developed and took shape during the period of the Mughal Empire (16th-9th centuries).<br/><br/> Mughal paintings were a unique blend of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles. Because the Mughal kings wanted visual records of their deeds as hunters and conquerors, their artists accompanied them on military expeditions or missions of state, or recorded their prowess as animal slayers, or depicted them in the great dynastic ceremonies of marriages.<br/><br/> Akbar's reign (1556–1605) ushered a new era in Indian miniature painting. After he had consolidated his political power, he built a new capital at Fatehpur Sikri where he collected artists from India and Persia. He was the first morarch who established in India an atelier under the supervision of two Persian master artists, Mir Sayyed Ali and Abdus Samad. Earlier, both of them had served under the patronage of Humayun in Kabul and accompanied him to India when he regained his throne in 1555. More than a hundred painters were employed, most of whom were Hindus from Gujarat, Gwalior and Kashmir, who gave a birth to a new school of painting, popularly known as the Mughal School of miniature Paintings.
Bashohli (Basoli) is a town in the Kathua district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is situated on the right bank of the Ravi River at an altitude of 1876 ft. and was founded by Raja Bhupat Pal in 1635.<br/><br/> The town is famous for its paintings called Basohli Paintings. They are considered the first school of Pahari paintings, which by the mid-eighteenth century had evolved into the prolific Kangra school of painting.
Bashohli (Basoli) is a town in the Kathua district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is situated on the right bank of the Ravi River at an altitude of 1876 ft. and was founded by Raja Bhupat Pal in 1635.<br/><br/> The town is famous for its paintings called Basohli Paintings. They are considered the first school of Pahari paintings, which by the mid-eighteenth century had evolved into the prolific Kangra school of painting.
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art. The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, some of them from before 5500 BC. India's Buddhist literature is replete with examples of texts which describe palaces of kings and the aristocratic class embellished with paintings, but the paintings of the Ajanta Caves are the most significant of the few survivals.<br/><br/> Smaller scale painting in manuscripts was probably also practised in this period, though the earliest survivals are from the medieval period. Mughal painting represented a fusion of the Persian miniature with older Indian traditions, and from the 17th century its style was diffused across Indian princely courts of all religions, each developing a local style. Company paintings were made for British clients under the British raj, which from the 19th century also introduced art schools along Western lines, leading to modern Indian painting, which is increasingly returning to its Indian routes.<br/><br/> Indian paintings provide an aesthetic continuum that extends from the early civilization to the present day. From being essentially religious in purpose in the beginning, Indian painting has evolved over the years to become a fusion of various cultures and traditions.
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art. The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, some of them from before 5500 BC. India's Buddhist literature is replete with examples of texts which describe palaces of kings and the aristocratic class embellished with paintings, but the paintings of the Ajanta Caves are the most significant of the few survivals.<br/><br/> Smaller scale painting in manuscripts was probably also practised in this period, though the earliest survivals are from the medieval period. Mughal painting represented a fusion of the Persian miniature with older Indian traditions, and from the 17th century its style was diffused across Indian princely courts of all religions, each developing a local style. Company paintings were made for British clients under the British raj, which from the 19th century also introduced art schools along Western lines, leading to modern Indian painting, which is increasingly returning to its Indian routes.<br/><br/> Indian paintings provide an aesthetic continuum that extends from the early civilization to the present day. From being essentially religious in purpose in the beginning, Indian painting has evolved over the years to become a fusion of various cultures and traditions.
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art. The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, some of them from before 5500 BC. India's Buddhist literature is replete with examples of texts which describe palaces of kings and the aristocratic class embellished with paintings, but the paintings of the Ajanta Caves are the most significant of the few survivals.<br/><br/> Smaller scale painting in manuscripts was probably also practised in this period, though the earliest survivals are from the medieval period. Mughal painting represented a fusion of the Persian miniature with older Indian traditions, and from the 17th century its style was diffused across Indian princely courts of all religions, each developing a local style. Company paintings were made for British clients under the British raj, which from the 19th century also introduced art schools along Western lines, leading to modern Indian painting, which is increasingly returning to its Indian routes.<br/><br/> Indian paintings provide an aesthetic continuum that extends from the early civilization to the present day. From being essentially religious in purpose in the beginning, Indian painting has evolved over the years to become a fusion of various cultures and traditions.
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art. The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, some of them from before 5500 BC. India's Buddhist literature is replete with examples of texts which describe palaces of kings and the aristocratic class embellished with paintings, but the paintings of the Ajanta Caves are the most significant of the few survivals.<br/><br/> Smaller scale painting in manuscripts was probably also practised in this period, though the earliest survivals are from the medieval period. Mughal painting represented a fusion of the Persian miniature with older Indian traditions, and from the 17th century its style was diffused across Indian princely courts of all religions, each developing a local style. Company paintings were made for British clients under the British raj, which from the 19th century also introduced art schools along Western lines, leading to modern Indian painting, which is increasingly returning to its Indian routes.<br/><br/> Indian paintings provide an aesthetic continuum that extends from the early civilization to the present day. From being essentially religious in purpose in the beginning, Indian painting has evolved over the years to become a fusion of various cultures and traditions.
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art. The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, some of them from before 5500 BC. India's Buddhist literature is replete with examples of texts which describe palaces of kings and the aristocratic class embellished with paintings, but the paintings of the Ajanta Caves are the most significant of the few survivals.<br/><br/> Smaller scale painting in manuscripts was probably also practised in this period, though the earliest survivals are from the medieval period. Mughal painting represented a fusion of the Persian miniature with older Indian traditions, and from the 17th century its style was diffused across Indian princely courts of all religions, each developing a local style. Company paintings were made for British clients under the British raj, which from the 19th century also introduced art schools along Western lines, leading to modern Indian painting, which is increasingly returning to its Indian routes.<br/><br/> Indian paintings provide an aesthetic continuum that extends from the early civilization to the present day. From being essentially religious in purpose in the beginning, Indian painting has evolved over the years to become a fusion of various cultures and traditions.
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art. The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, some of them from before 5500 BC. India's Buddhist literature is replete with examples of texts which describe palaces of kings and the aristocratic class embellished with paintings, but the paintings of the Ajanta Caves are the most significant of the few survivals.<br/><br/> Smaller scale painting in manuscripts was probably also practised in this period, though the earliest survivals are from the medieval period. Mughal painting represented a fusion of the Persian miniature with older Indian traditions, and from the 17th century its style was diffused across Indian princely courts of all religions, each developing a local style. Company paintings were made for British clients under the British raj, which from the 19th century also introduced art schools along Western lines, leading to modern Indian painting, which is increasingly returning to its Indian routes.<br/><br/> Indian paintings provide an aesthetic continuum that extends from the early civilization to the present day. From being essentially religious in purpose in the beginning, Indian painting has evolved over the years to become a fusion of various cultures and traditions.
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art. The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, some of them from before 5500 BC. India's Buddhist literature is replete with examples of texts which describe palaces of kings and the aristocratic class embellished with paintings, but the paintings of the Ajanta Caves are the most significant of the few survivals.<br/><br/> Smaller scale painting in manuscripts was probably also practised in this period, though the earliest survivals are from the medieval period. Mughal painting represented a fusion of the Persian miniature with older Indian traditions, and from the 17th century its style was diffused across Indian princely courts of all religions, each developing a local style. Company paintings were made for British clients under the British raj, which from the 19th century also introduced art schools along Western lines, leading to modern Indian painting, which is increasingly returning to its Indian routes.<br/><br/> Indian paintings provide an aesthetic continuum that extends from the early civilization to the present day. From being essentially religious in purpose in the beginning, Indian painting has evolved over the years to become a fusion of various cultures and traditions.
The Gita Govinda is a work composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva, who was born in Kenduli Sasan near Puri in Orissa. It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis (female cow herders) of Vrindavana, and in particular one gopi named Radha. This work has been of great importance in the development of the bhakti traditions of Hinduism.<br/><br/> The Gita Govinda is organized into twelve chapters. Each chapter is further sub-divided into twenty four divisions called Prabandhas. The prabandhas contain couplets grouped into eights, called Ashtapadis. The text also elaborates the eight moods of Heroine, the Ashta Nayika in its verses, which over the years has been an inspiration for many compositions and choreographic works in Indian classical dance.
Homosexuality as a theme in traditional Chinese art is not common and almost always representative of male homosexualty (the 'Way of the Cut Sleeve' or the 'Bitten Peach'. Lesbians and Lesbianism as a theme is still more unusual, and this painting was probably done to titillate men. Today (21st century) Chinese lesbians usually call themselves lazi (lāzi) or lala (lālā). These two terms are abbreviations of the transliteration of the English term lesbian. These slang terms are also commonly used in Mainland China.
Iran: 'The Lovers'. Opaque watercolour painting by Riza Abbasi (c. 1565–1635), 1630. Riza Abbasi, Riza yi-Abbasi or Reza-e Abbasi, also Aqa Riza or Āqā Riżā Kāshānī was the leading Persian miniaturist of the Isfahan School during the later Safavid period, spending most of his career working for Shah Abbas I (r.1587-1629). He is considered to be the last great master of the Persian miniature, best known for his single miniatures for muraqqa or albums, especially single figures of beautiful youths.
Kitagawa Utamaro (ca. 1753 - October 31, 1806) was a Japanese printmaker and painter, who is considered one of the greatest artists of woodblock prints (ukiyo-e). He is known especially for his masterfully composed studies of women, known as bijinga. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects.
Often thought of as an Arabian version of Romeo and Juliet, Layla and Majnun is a classical story of star-crossed lovers based on the true story of a young man called Qays ibn al-Mulawwah from the northern Arabian Peninsula during the Umayyad era in the 7th century. In one version, he spent his youth together with Layla tending their flocks. In another version, upon seeing Layla he fell passionately in love with her. In both versions, however, he went mad when her father prevented him from marrying her. For that reason he came to be called Majnun, a synonym in Arabic for 'madman'.
Kitagawa Utamaro (ca. 1753 - October 31, 1806) was a Japanese printmaker and painter, who is considered one of the greatest artists of woodblock prints (ukiyo-e). He is known especially for his masterfully composed studies of women, known as bijinga. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects.
The Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India are 31 rock-cut cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE. The caves include paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of both Buddhist religious art (which depict the Jataka tales) as well as frescos which are reminiscent of the Sigiriya paintings in Sri Lanka.<br/><br/> The caves were built in two phases starting around 200 BCE, with the second group of caves built around 600 CE. Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The caves are located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, just outside the village of Ajinṭhā in Aurangabad district.
Kitagawa Utamaro (ca. 1753 - October 31, 1806) was a Japanese printmaker and painter, who is considered one of the greatest artists of woodblock prints (ukiyo-e). He is known especially for his masterfully composed studies of women, known as bijinga. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects.
Isurumuniya Vihara is a rock temple built during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa (r. 307 - 267 BC).<br/><br/> Anuradhapura is one of Sri Lanka's ancient capitals and famous for its well-preserved ruins. From the 4th century BC until the beginning of the 11th century AD it was the capital. During this period it remained one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia. The ancient city, considered sacred to the Buddhist world, is today surrounded by monasteries covering an area of over sixteen square miles (40 km²).
Suzuki Harunobu (鈴木 春信4, 1724 – July 7, 1770) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints.<br/><br/> Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties (bijin, bijin-ga). Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images.<br/><br/> During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown.
Bundi (Hindi – बूंदी) is a city and a municipality of 93,258 inhabitants (2011) in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell reservoirs known as baoris. It is the administrative headquarters of Bundi District.<br/><br/> Bundi Palace is situated on the hillside adjacent to the Taragarh Fort and is notable for its lavish traditional murals and frescoes. The Chitrashala (picture gallery) of the palace is open to the public.
Bundi (Hindi – बूंदी) is a city and a municipality of 93,258 inhabitants (2011) in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell reservoirs known as baoris. It is the administrative headquarters of Bundi District.<br/><br/> Bundi Palace is situated on the hillside adjacent to the Taragarh Fort and is notable for its lavish traditional murals and frescoes. The Chitrashala (picture gallery) of the palace is open to the public.
In the upper part of the painting an intermediary companion of Radha visits Krishna (blue) to tell him of Radha's longing for him and desire to be reunited. In the lower part of the painting a flask of rosewater is poured onto Radha to cool the burning pain of her separation from Krishna.<br/><br/> The text describes the scene and has been translated as: 'Hearing her moan with the burning pin of separation, I emptied a whole flask of rosewater onto her, but the flames of parting vaporised the rose water in mid air, and not a drop fell on her' (Radha's companion and internmediary reporting to Krishna).
Homosexuality as a theme in traditional Chinese art is not common and almost always representative of male homosexualty (the 'Way of the Cut Sleeve' or the 'Bitten Peach'. Lesbians and Lesbianism as a theme is still more unusual, and this painting was probably done to titillate men. Today (21st century) Chinese lesbians usually call themselves lazi (lāzi) or lala (lālā). These two terms are abbreviations of the transliteration of the English term lesbian. These slang terms are also commonly used in Mainland China.