The Great Treasures: The Goldsmith's Art from Ancient Egypt to the 20th Century

Rating:
Summary: A truly captivating book.
Review: I have now spent many hours with this book with the hope of giving you more details. This book has captivated me. Instead of giving you the table of contents I will tell you a story about a woman I met in Miami Florida twenty-five years ago. She was an artist with some sinister connections and she placed a small solid gold Elephant in my had, it was about the size of my computer mouse but its weight drew my had to the floor at #8211; I was out classed I surely could not have afforded her or her Elephant. This magic book evoked that story I love dealing with these items and meeting people who share my interest in them. In each of the great civilizations ( From the time of the Pharaohs to the present had,, artists working with working with gold and other precious metals have created objects of eternal beauty, beauty so rich and well defined that it sets the standards for each succeeding age across the chasms of time for centuries and even millenniums With 580 superb and vivid color photographs. Some of them covering two pages this book is sort of a portal across time. The Worlds great art treasures will supply you with the next best felling to actually seeing and holding these objects. If you are an artist this is an idea book, if you are a jeweler this is an inspiration book, if you are a costumer or movie or television producer this is a source book, if you are a writer this is a reference book if you are student of high culture across the ages this is your stuff. More and more history is moving away from it textual obsession and back into the world because its public demands it, and in most cases is paying for it. Resplendence of the Spanish Monarchy-Renaissance Tapestries and Armor from the Patrimonio Nacional Antonio Dominguez Ortiz, Jose A. Godoy (Contributor), Concha Carretero (Contributor) Metropolitan Museum of Art. ASIN: 0810964082 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.79 x 12.40 x 9.40. 172 pages Hardcover copyright 1992, as new condition (Still Shrink Wrapped). This book is the result of the collaboration of two of the important forces in the world of art, Abrams Publishing , and, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is the sort of item that makes a bookseller weep. This book is the physical record of Spanish Monarchy's Commemorative exhibit which took place at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York honoring the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, this breathtaking collection of Armor an Tapestries covering the 16th Century from the birth of Charles V in 1500, to 1598 The death of Philip II. With an Introduction by Spain's King Juan Carlos I is really Spain's gift to The America's and the world. Not just the world of art, however, because this wonderful book has something for everyone. From the Renaissance art historian to the weekend member of SCA (Society for Creative anachronism. This book will fascinate of the student of material culture, (like myself) who might want make an analysis of 16th Century Hapsburg Material culture. It would be just as interesting to the recreations or the late Medieval Interpreter Someone, for example who might what to try his hand at making a reproduction of the worlds best armor from the 16th Century one who might want to Look at the full-page detail on the joint of the suit of armor on page 116 and 117. I could write hundreds of more words about this book, and I might even touch on the historical narrative, and, allegorical tropes within the twelve tapestries presented but I must stop somewhere. You have Sword armor tapestries in detail where they could probably be computer scanned and reproduced if one chose, of course within the limits of copyright. This is a time when I wish I had a scanner but Probably am lucky I don't This is an amazing combination of Tapestries and armor, two very disparate art forms, which are collected together to portray the taste culture and formidable power of Hapsburg monarchs Charles V And his son Phillip II in Spain during the 16th century in this catalogue of an actual historical exhibition which Celebrates the quincentennial of the European discovery of America and introduces American audiences to two of the Patrimonia's most prized collections. The 157 new color photos focus on both the complete works and Specific details in each, with complementary text describing each piece.

Philip Kaveny Reviewer