The work of art shown here, known as the Last Judgment of Hu-nefer, depicts the scribe Hu-nefer going through the process of transitioning from life into the afterlife. Specifically, it is contained in a "Book of the Dead" that was intended as a guide for the dead individual to successfully make it through the steps that would ensure a progression through the underworld Duat to becoming an Akh, or blessed spirit.

Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BD_Hunefer.jpg

A Book of the Dead, in which this work known as The Last Judgment of Hu-Nefer was contained, was made specifically for the individual with whom it was entombed. In this case, the scribe Hu-Nefer would have made his personal copy before his death to make sure he was well prepared to pass through the afterlife. Although not a pharaoh or even a member of the royal family, Hu-Nefer still could only produce a personal Book of the Dead due to being an important and well-educated member of society.

Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BD_Hunefer.jpg

This lamassu was placed outside the citadel of Sargon II. It dates back to 720-750 B.C.E. in what is today Khorsabad. These lamassus were placed at the gates as guardians and also bore the weight of the gates' arches. (Shamash and Hammurabi were figures in Babylonian history and myth, Tutankhamen was an Egyptian pharaoh, and Nimrud was another city in Assyria.)

Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_headed_winged_bull_profile.jpg

This lamassu is now found at the Louvre in Paris, France. The lamassus are set up to be between an archway, as they would have been set up in King Sargon II's citadel. Some of the other museums mentioned also have Assyrian art on display, but not necessarily lamassus such as this one.

Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_headed_winged_bull_profile.jpg

In the Quran, images of all kinds are proscribed, as they are too close to idolatry and attempting to act like God. As such, many Islamic artists focused on geometric shapes and calligraphy in their art. Over time, Islamic art began to be highly ornate and developed around these non-representational images.

Jahangir is shown as dominant because of his position in the painting-- superior to the artist and rulers from Turkey and England. He passes the Koran to an important Muslim Holy Man, Shaikh Husain, who takes it with reverence. His position at the center of the sun and moon, ringed in a halo of light, and seated atop an hourglass, which symbolizes time, emphasize his eternal importance.

Arabesques, which combine plants and geometric patterns in graceful designs, are a primary feature of Islamic art. Depictions of animals or people are forbidden in sacred buildings. A "lunette" is a semicircle at the end of a cross in early Christian art.

The work of art shown here, Bahram Gur fights the Karg, was originally placed in a lengthy illustrated manuscript of the Persian epic poem the Shahnama. Recounting and greatly embellishing the deeds and actions of the real Persian kings from ancient history to the present. This image depicts Bahram Gur, a Persian Sasanian King of the fifth century, fighting a legendary beast, the Karg, also known as a horned wolf, adding to his legend and depiction.

Work is in the public domain, image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Demotte_Shahname_002.jpg

The Quran, the Islamic holy book, made Muslim artists pursue calligraphy for two different but related reasons. Calligraphy was the easiest mode of transmission for the written Quran in the early years of the religion. Additionally, Quranic prohibitions on creating figurative art made many Muslim artists pursue the geometrical and literary art of calligraphy.

Kufic calligraphy, easily identifiably by its blockier style, was the first form of calligraphy used by Muslims to transcribe the Koran in the seventh through ninth centuries. Although hardly used today, it is the basis for modern Arabic calligraphy, including those used for the Shahadah, the key creed of Islam, and the Bismillah, the invocation of God's name, which are common themes of Arabic calligraphy. Kufic led to the development of more "cursive" styles of calligraphy like Hijazi and Diwani.