IntroductionThe Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that extended across Europeand Asia, linking powerful civilizations such as Rome and China. It flourished fromabout 1500 B.C. to A.D. 1500 and extended from China through central Asia to theMediterranean coast. Silk actually composed a small portion of the trade along theroute. Caravans going east brought gold, precious metals and gems, textiles, ivory, andcoral, while westbound caravans transported furs, ceramics, cinnamon bark, andrhubarb as well as bronze weapons. The long trip across the deserts of central Asiawas dangerous, but caravans could stop in oasis towns where they would take on freshmerchants, animals, and goods. In these cities traders also exchanged ideas and cus-toms including music, languages, and religions.

The Silk Road and Beyond: Travel, Trade, and Transformation is an exhibition of works from thepermanent collection of the Art Institute that show cross-cultural connections. Theexhibition includes an introduction to the process of making silk as well as to the pre-cious goods like silk, ceramics, and spices that were traded between Asia and Europe.In addition to the artworks on display in Galleries 140–142, the exhibition contin-ues throughout the museum, where nearly 150 artworks are highlighted. In this guideyou will go on a journey through time and across many countries as you discoverworks of art related to the Silk Road.

Before your visit• Contact the Teacher Resource Center

at (312) 443-3719 or trc@artic.edufor additional ideas about preparing your students for their visit and to check the gallery locations of the objects included in the self-guide.

• Divide your class in advance intogroups with at least one chaperone for every ten students. Chaperones must stay with their groups while in the museum.

• Provide your chaperones with copies of the self-guide and museum floor plan.

At the museum• For grades 5–6, we suggest the

teacher/chaperone lead the students through the galleries and facilitate the discussion and activities outlined in the self-guide.

• For grades 7–12, copies of the self-guide may be given to students, who can use it in small, chaperone-led groups.

• Remind students that food, drinks, large bags, and umbrellas are not allowed in the galleries.

• Remind students to look, not touch. Touching leaves oils and residues that may damage artworks.

• Make sure students bring notebooks to use as writing surfaces and to write or draw with pencils only.

• Remind students not to use cases, pedestals, or walls as writing surfaces.

• Consult a museum floor plan or museum staff for assistance in findingspecific galleries.

S E L F - G U I D E

Traveling the Silk Road and Beyondat the Art Institute

M I D D L E S C H O O L / H I G H S C H O O L

Written by Grace Murray, Teacher Programs CoordinatorProduced by the Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Museum Education, Student and Teacher Programs. ©2006

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Are you ready to go on a Silk Road Adventure?

Fill in the Silk Road Passport with information about yourself.Circle each of the objects that you see as you travel through the museum.

Name:

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth:

Date of Travel:

My Silk Road Passport

(draw your picture here)

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GALLERY 105

Camel and Rider. China; Tang dynasty (618–907),first half of the 8th century. Gift of Mrs.Bertha Palmer Thorne.

Riding on a CaravanCaravans of camels crisscrossed the SilkRoad, making it possible to trade goodsfrom China to the Mediterranean Sea andback again. This camel’s two humps indicatethat it is a Bactrian camel from present-dayAfghanistan. Bactrian camels can travel upto 30 miles a day, carry hundreds ofpounds, and go for more than a week with-out water. Camels are also known to have abad temper! Look at the angry expressionon this camel’s face as he stretches his longneck to complain.

This sculpture was created by Chineseartists during the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618–907) and is an example of a“spirit object,” made for burial in a tomb.During the Tang dynasty powerful membersof society were often buried with clayobjects depicting people, animals, and fan-tastic creatures because these figures werebelieved to protect the soul of the deceasedin the afterlife.

Look at the camel. What details do younotice? Does this animal look realistic toyou? How is it similar or different fromcamels you have seen in the zoo or in pho-tographs?

Look at the saddlebags on the camel’sback. What is unusual about them? Whatgoods might be carried in the bags?

Look at the man riding the camel. Whatis he doing at this moment? Based on theway the artist depicted him, what adjectiveswould you use to describe the rider?

!!a hole in the camel’s belly thatshows the sculpture is hollow?

!!another monster face in thisgallery like the one on the sad-dlebag?

!!other figures in this gallery thatlook like they may be going on ajourney on the Silk Road?

Can you find...

Look closely, because this decorative metal object isactually an ancient computer! This device, calledan astrolabe, has moving parts that allowyou to determine the exact position andtime of day. To use an astrolabe, themoveable arm on the back of thedevice is adjusted to find theheight of the sun in the skyduring the day or the locationof a particular star at night.Then the disks on the frontare moved to find the time ofday and latitude (distancenorth or south from theequator). The astrolabe’splates graphically show thepositions of the sun, the stars,the moon, and the planets atdifferent times of the year.

These calculations were especiallyimportant when traveling at sea oracross the desert. Islamic religious prac-tice, often described as the “five pillars ofIslam,” requires the faithful to pray five times aday in the direction of Mecca, in present-daySaudi Arabia. Using an astrolabe, an observant Muslimcould determine the correct time and orientation for prayers any-where in the world.

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GALLERY 131A

Astrolabe. Iran, 18th century. Gift of Mrs. Emily CraneChadbourne.

For more information about how astrolabes work, visit www.astrolabes.org.

What navigation aids or devices do people use today to find their way when traveling?

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Dish with Birds in a Garden. China; Yuandynasty, 14th century. Kate S. BuckinghamFund.

In the center of this blue-and-white dishis a bird perched on a gatepost, lookingback at its mate swooping around flow-ering trees and plants. This beautifuldish was made in China in the 1300swhen the country was ruled by theMongols, a nomadic people fromMongolia. Their vast empire stretchedwest across China, central Asia, and theMiddle East, including present-day Iran

and Iraq. The blue ore used to make theglaze for this dish was probably broughtto China from Iran (then called Persia)along the Silk Road, and the subjectmatter of birds in a garden is commonin Islamic art. This dish represents therich cultural exchange that took placebetween China and the Middle East dur-ing this period.

Look at the designs on this dish.What animals do you see? Whatpatterns can you find repeated? Aplate like this was designed to holda large amount of food. Sharingplatters of food among a group ofpeople is an Islamic custom. Arethere any holidays or other celebra-tions when your family uses a platethis large? If you were cooking afeast, what foods would you wantto display on this dish?

Can you find a plate in this galleryeven bigger than the Dish with Birdsin a Garden?

(Hint: It includes an image of a dragon.)

GALLERY 134

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The Buddha challenged existing beliefswhen he learned about sufferingaround him. Have you experienced anevent that changed you or led you to anew and better way of thinking? Writea few sentences below describing theexperience.

GALLERY 135

Buddha. India; Tamil Nadu, Nagapattinam. Choladynasty, 12th century. Restricted gift of Mr. and Mrs.Robert Andrew Brown.

This large granite sculpture represents the Buddha, the central fig-ure in the Buddhist faith. He sits in the traditional lotus pose

with his hands resting in a gesture of meditation, and hisposition and facial expression convey quiet spiritual

strength. Other features that identify this sculptureas a representation of the Buddha are the dot on

the sculpture’s forehead known as the urna,which represents his great wisdom, and thebump on the top of the head called the ushnisha, a symbol of his great knowledge andopenness. This sculpture was probably madefor an honored place in an Indianmonastery.

The man who came to be known as theBuddha (meaning “enlightened one”) was a

young prince born in northeastern India in thesixth century B.C. After seeing human suffering

around him, he renounced the privileged class hewas born into in favor of living a simple life.

Through meditation, the Buddha attained a state ofenlightenment, the end of the cycle of death and rebirth

and of all suffering. After his enlightenment at the age of 35,the Buddha traveled around India for the rest of his life teaching oth-

ers what he had learned. He developed a code of thoughts and actions to helpall beings reach this state of absolute peace.

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In this painting, a blue-and-whiteporcelain vase from China stands on atable covered by a Persian rug. Thiswork is a still life, meaning that itdepicts a group of inanimate objectsarranged by the artist. These objectsdisplay their owner’s worldliness andfamiliarity with eastern cultures.Although created in the 19th centuryby an American artist, the painting imi-tates Dutch paintings of the 17th cen-tury, like those of Jan Vermeer(1632–1675). The painter, CharlesGifford Dyer, was born in Chicago andtraveled to England, France, Germany,the Middle East, and Asia during hislifetime.

Keeping the Silk Road in mind, thinkabout where the objects in this paintingcame from. Which cultures are repre-sented? Can you find objects in thepainting that may have been made inEurope, Asia, and the Middle East?

Dyer’s painting depicts a collection ofobjects that tell a story about the per-sonality and interests of the personwho owns them. The contents of theroom act as evidence, giving clues aboutthe absent person. Who do you thinklives in this room? What do you seethat makes you think that? Write ashort description of the person here.

GALLERY 141until March2007, thenGALLERY 174

Charles Gifford Dyer. Seventeenth-Century Interior, 1877.

Gift of Henry W. King.

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GALLERY 61

Manufactured by Mathevon et Bouvard. Panel,1860/80. Restricted gift of the Antiquarian Society.

The Silk Road takes its name from theexpensive cloth that was transported bytraders and prized by cultures inEurope and Asia as a luxury item. Thefabric is woven from a strong proteinfiber made by caterpillars, who produceit naturally to build their cocoons. Silk-making began about 5,000 years ago inChina, when people discovered a way tocultivate silkworms, gather theircocoons, unwind the long strands offiber, and weave them into cloth.Although the Chinese kept this processsecret for thousands of years, knowl-

edge of silk production eventuallyspread to Japan and Europe.

This panel was made in France in the1800s. It is a combination of silk andother fabrics including linen and satin.France was the leading source for luxu-ry silks during the 19th century. Lookat the complex floral pattern and thecontrast in texture between the red(silk) and white (linen) sections of thefabric. If you had a piece of fabric likethis, what would you choose to makeout of it?

Look for other silk textilesthat may be on view in

Galleries 108 and 142during your visit.

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Coin showing Alexander the Great. Greek, 306–281 B.C.

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson.

GALLERY 155

This ancient Greek coin features a por-trait of Alexander the Great. TheMacedonian leader conquered land andformed a huge empire during the fourthcentury B.C. As Alexander marched fromGreece through Persia to India, conquer-ing territories as he went, he minted hisown coins, reminding conquered peoplesof his power. He is shown here as a herowith long, flowing hair and alert eyeslooking ahead. Alexander used the coinsto pay his soldiers, who spent them inforeign lands or took them home to theirfamilies, spreading Alexander’s imagearound the world.

Before coins were invented in the seventhcentury B.C., the Greek economy wasbased on barter, or the exchange of goodswithout money. Greeks bartered suchcommodities as grain, animals, and man-ufactured metal objects, including ironbars called obols. A handful of obols wascalled a drachma, which is why this coin iscalled a tetradrachm (4 drachmas). Bothbarter and exchange of many types ofcurrency were used for trade along theSilk Road.

This is a coin with a ruler’s por-trait on it. How do you thinkAlexander the Great wanted to beportrayed? Does this appear to be arealistic or idealized portrait?

Do you think the circulation ofthis coin would enhance his popu-larity? Explain why or why not.

How does a politician todayenhance his or her public image?

Imagine that you are the rulerof your own country. Design acoin that includes your portrait,and draw the front and back in thespaces below:

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Concluding Activity: Journey to a New Land

This journey through the Art Institutehas revealed how people traveled alongthe Silk Road, the types of goods theytraded, and some of the artistic styles,religious beliefs, and cultural traditionsthey exchanged. Travel, trade, and com-munication are much faster today thanwhen camel caravans crossed the Silk

Road. Imagine that you are going on ajourney to a destination along the SilkRoad today. Think about what you willpack, what mode of transport you willtake, what new foods you will taste, andwhat souvenirs you will bring back.Complete the postcard below by draw-ing a scene from your journey and writ-

ing a message to someone back home.Be sure to include one of the works ofart you saw on your Silk Road journeythrough the Art Institute. You maywant to answer the following questionsin your postcard:

Where have you been andwhere are you now?

What new things have youseen?

Who have you met?

What have you traded?

What will be the next stopon your journey?

front of postcard: draw the scene

back of postcard: write a message to someone back home

Create a Postcard