Grade 9-12 Gallery 250

Whether you’re at the museum, in the classroom, or at home, plan on spending time with 8–10 artworks. Many of these questions are designed to prompt close looking and critical thinking. Read each artwork’s label or website content to find answers to these fact-based questions. To view zoomable images of each artwork and read related content, take a closer look on Mia’s Collections site or click on the supplied links below

Question Prompts

• • What do you suppose this vessel was used for?
• • What suggests this to you? What goddess is represented on the vessel?
• • What animals do you see?

Question Prompts

• • What two words would you choose to best describe this Roman god?
• • What aspects look most realistic? How do you think the artist made them look that way?
• • What is a fresco?
• • What natural disaster happened in Pompeii?

Question Prompts

• • What do you consider most artistic about these tiles?
• • What part of a mosque did these ceramic tiles probably decorate?
• • What do you wonder about these tiles?

Question Prompts

• • What are hieroglyphs? How were they used?
• • What would you like to know about this artwork?
• • This tomb was made for a priest named Iryenakhet (pronounced ‘year-ee-en-AH-ket’). His name is written on the door seven times. Find them all!
• • What other hieroglyphs do you recognize?

Question Prompts

• • What about this horse and rider shows they are powerful?
• • How do historians know this is authentic?
• • What do you suppose the artist needed to think about before beginning to carve this sculpture from a single piece of wood?

Question Prompts

• • Who are the most important people on this carved tusk? How can you tell?
• • What kinds of animals do you see?
• • What purpose does the tusk serve?
• • Find the Portuguese soldier. How did the artist show he was a foreigner?

Question Prompts

• • Describe this woman.
• • What can you learn about her from the online label?
• • What seems typically Roman about this sculpture?
• • What seems typically Greek?

Question Prompts

• • What did you first notice about this bronze vessel?
• • How was it used?
• • What details do you find particularly interesting? Why?
• • Compare this to the Jar in Gallery 205. Which do you like better? Why?

Question Prompts

• • Which aspects of the horse seem most realistic to you?
• • Why do you say so?
• • How does the artist show how important horses were to the Chinese people at that time?
• • Why did the Chinese so admire Western horses?

Question Prompts

• • Be sure to look at the top and the surface of this jar. How would you describe the decorations?
• • Why is this jar associated with fire?
• • Compare this artwork to the Shengding in Gallery 214.
• • Which do you like better? Why?

Question Prompts

• • How are these two figures alike?
• • How are these two figures different?
• • What was the purpose of these sculptures?
• • Do you find them intimidating? Why or why not?

Question Prompts

• • What do these paintings suggest about this couple’s relationship?
• • What message do you think the couple wanted the artist to communicate?
• • What, if anything, surprises you about this pair?

Question Prompts

• • What is going on in this image? What do you see that makes you say that?
• • How does the artist appeal to your emotions?
• • Why might someone ask an artist to include his or her portrait in a religious scene like this one?

Question Prompts

• • How long do you think it took the artist to carve this scene hundreds of years ago?
• • Why do you suppose it was worth it to the artist to invest so much time in making it?
• • Look closely to see traces of color still on the ivory. How was this artwork used?