Hand-held fans have been used by people across the Pacific Islands for hundreds of years to keep cool in the tropical climate. People give fans as gifts and use them as decorative items to display in their homes. Dancers frequently carry fans as accessories to […]
This Maya cylinder vase dates to the Late Classic Period of 550 to 830 CE. The straight-walled shape of this vessel indicates that it was likely used to drink cacao, or chocolate, beverages. These bitter drinks were made with cacao beans, water, and spices like […]
Changsha Ware is a style of Chinese pottery that had a major cultural and commercial impact on the medieval world. Produced from around 750 to 900 CE in kilns near the modern city of Changsha in Hunan Province, the pottery is best known for its […]
In keeping with Muslim standards of modesty, this Saudi Arabian dress has long sleeves and reaches to the floor. The dress was donated to the Lam Museum by an American collector who lived in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade in the 1960s and […]
Small glass bottles like this one are often referred to as tear bottles but are more properly known as unguentaria. They are found in ancient Roman and Greek tombs in large quantities. Many people believe the romantic notion that these bottles were used to hold […]
This early 20th century Bamana door lock is likely from the area surrounding Bamako, the capital of Mali, in the southwest part of the country. Traditionally, door locks like this one were used to protect houses and granaries. The lock mechanism works with metal pins […]