The two pieces I chose from the Met was the statue of Young Hercules and the Buddha of the Future. Although Hercules is Roman and the Buddha is from Pakistan you can see similarities in the build. For one their stance is incredibly similar. Although covered by a robe you can tell that the Buddha’s legs are in the same stance as Hercules’. This shows a roman influence. Both of their faces are relatively neutral, showing no emotion. Overall the statues both have a large amount of detail, for Hercules it is shown in the details of his body and hair and with the Buddha we see it in his robe and also his hair.

Beyond that there are obviously differences that reflect the culture they were created in. The Buddha wears a robe that covers his body. He is wearing a large amount of jewelry and his hair is in an intricate knot on the top of his head. With Hercules he is wearing nothing, the only thing that is on his body is the Nimean lion’s body.

I thought both statues were pretty interesting and even more so when comparing their similarities.

-Julianne Patrina

The piece I chose from the Rubin is the hand drum (damani). It was used for rituals and was depicted in many of the paintings that we saw. The hand drum had two sides which symbolized the oneness of two aspects enlightenment. The drumming was the sound of “bliss of realizing the true nature of reality.” I chose the drum because of the intricate details that were carved into it. You can see skeletons and people surrounded by incredibly detailed patterns. What makes it more interesting is that this drum specifically is made from bone. I think it’s interesting how there is a large amount of skeleton looking people carved into the drum but how it is used to respect deities and to give offerings to them. Overall what drew me to this piece was the incredible detail put into such a small object.

-Julianne Patrina