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The book provides explanations of different techniques of printmaking and illustrates both details and whole prints to show the effects that can be achieved. Woodcut, engraving and mezzotint are among the different processes explained and placed within an historical context.

This book brings together one hundred of the most beautiful and interesting netsuke from the extensive collection of the British Museum, each of which has its own special charm and story to tell. Uncovering the stories behind these netsuke and coupling them with stunning new photography, this book reveals why these tiny objects have captivated so many, the meaning they have held for those who wore them, and what they can tell us about Japanese everyday life.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a painter, sculptor, musician, architect, engineer, inventor, scientist, anatomist and mathematician. This book presents a chronological selection of drawings by Leonardo along with other works thought to be by his students and other members of his circle.

Explores the varied styles, techniques and materials used to make jewellery throughout the world since earliest times. Illustrated with 400 photographs, this work describes a range of masterpieces, such as Egyptian necklaces, Celtic torcs, South American gold masks, Renaissance pendants and Art Nouveau buckles.

The environments of the Central Andean region in Peru, South America, are some of the most geographically rich and diverse in the world. This publication highlights the history, beliefs and cultural achievements of the different peoples who lived in these remarkable landscapes from 1500 BC to the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s, and the importance of their legacy up until today. Over thousands of years, the people of the Andes have approached agriculture, economy, gender, power and belief in fascinating ways. Many archaeological sites in Peru are uniquely preserved, and the book discusses key examples with a thematic and geographical approach. The vibrant and varied material depicted includes ceramics, colourful textiles, golden objects and wooden carvings, drawn from the British Museum and museums and collections in Peru and beyond. When juxtaposed with breathtaking photography of archaeological sites and landscapes, they reveal new narratives about the country's rich history.

The British Museum¿s collection is one of the world¿s finest and broadest, ranging from prehistoric times to the present in ancient and modern cultures around the globe. This new and updated edition includes many recent acquisitions and new discoveries, such as Picassös stunning Vollard Suite and the intriguing Vale of York Viking hoard, and showcases a selection of more than 250 of the most beautiful and important objects drawn from across the Museum.

Meet emperors and empresses, soldiers and salesmen, princes and potters: a visual feat that captures the flavour of the remarkable Ming dynasty.

The first stroke-by-stroke guide ever produced for learning to write Naskh, one of the six major cursive Arabic scripts.

Explores ancient India (c. 100 BCE-600 CE) through three of its major religions -Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism - to illuminate how they reflect political power, artistic innovation and changes in peoples' daily lives. Ancient India was a dynamic, cosmopolitan centre of creativity. The visual traditions of its major indigenous religions were closely interrelated, reflecting political power, changes in peoples' daily lives and artistic innovation. Exported beyond the Indian subcontinent in antiquity, these three major religions - Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism - are living traditions and their devotional works of art impact on the daily life of billions of people across the world. This major new publication traces the development of religious imagery from around 100 BCE, when it focused on the depiction of nature spirits, to 600 CE, by which time devotional images of Jain, Buddhist and Hindu deities and teachers had taken shape. Moving from symbolic to human form, such imagery employed attributes, divine attendants and animal vehicles that we still recognise today and are found across the global diaspora. Examples of these ancient images are found not only across South Asia, but also in Central and Southeast Asia, China and Japan - and they transformed the religious landscape of these regions too. The authors explore fascinating topics such as the first devotional images of the twenty-four jinas (enlightened Jain teachers); the transformation from symbolic depictions of the Buddha to those that showed him in bodily form for the first time; and the formalisation of divine representations and devotional sculpture in Hindu traditions. This beautifully illustrated book reveals the ancient roots of the images and depictions of these world religions that many will find familiar today.

Hiroshige was one of Japan's most talented, prolific and popular artists. Famed for his landscapes, he was also a great observer of nature with a visionary approach to colour and brushwork. His legacy continues to influence and inspire artists today. Over a career spanning four decades, the prolific Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) produced thousands of landscape and nature prints, hundreds of paintings commissioned by the samurai elite, as well as many illustrated books. His work appealed to every stratum of society. While some of his landscape prints, such as Evening Snow - Kanbara and Ohashi - Evening Rain, are well-known examples of Japanese art, the full range of his output is less familiar. Hiroshige came from a samurai family, but he crossed social boundaries and devoted himself to depicting popular customs and the world around him. His work is distinguished by an air of gentle grace and decorum, perhaps arising partly from his steady temperament. His calm artistic vision sustained his contemporaries through the uncertainties of daily life and changing times. A great colourist, he stands out for discovering a subtle lyricism in the experience of travel, and a bond between people and the natural world. Featuring highlights from leading private collections of Hiroshige prints, alongside works by Hiroshige and other artists from the British Museum's outstanding collection of Japanese art and from other major collections, this lavishly illustrated new publication celebrates one of the world's most accomplished artists.

'The Tomb of an Unknown Craftsman is of a treasure hoard from a distinct civilisation. The difference is that it is a civilisation of one. The territory it springs from is my imagination. ... The relationship between my personal themes and obsessions and the vastness of world culture as represented in the British Museum is like a narrow pilgrimage trail across an infinite plain.' - Grayson Perry Grayson Perry's centrepiece to this fascinating journey is a major artwork: a metal tomb in the form of a ship, encrusted with reliefs and artistic cargo based on, or actually cast from, objects in the collection of the British Museum. The occupant sails into the afterlife surrounded by the talismans of many faiths and peoples. This is a memorial to all the anonymous craftsmen that over the centuries have fashioned the man-made wonders of the world, many of which are on display in the Museum. Around the tomb, the other artworks - ceramics, tiles, cast metal sculpture, textiles and prints - are laid out in ritualistic symmetry as if they once belonged somewhere else. Alongside his own works, Grayson Perry presents a personal selection of objects from the British Museum that are the inspiration for his pieces or connected strongly with them thematically or aesthetically. Including an introduction by Grayson Perry and lavishly illustrated, this book takes us to the fantasy world of a contemporary artist who never fails to challenge and unsettle his audience.

An accessible introduction that reveals the importance of Greek inscriptions in the understanding of ancient Greek culture. Inscriptions are an important form of evidence for our interpretation of past human societies. They are outstanding sources as they offer direct snapshots into the behaviour of humans and their aspiration to make a permanent and public record of themselves. Greek inscriptions in particular combine word and image in a multitude of ways, meaning they are rich in terms of the insights they offer into the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean and the mindsets of their peoples. They give us views of inter-state relations, historical narratives, the political administration of city-states and honorific culture; and at the same time offer perspectives on the significance of ideas about democracy, citizenship, gender, ethnicity, religion and the supernatural. This book, based on the collection of ancient Greek inscriptions on stone and metal held at the British Museum, constitutes an introduction to the study of ancient Greek inscriptions, their significance for our understanding of ancient Greek culture, their history and their reception in the modern world. It places emphasis on the texts of the inscriptions, their physical form, their importance in understanding the ancient Greek language and the modern history of their collection.

Picasso was one of the most creative and experimental talents ever to explore the medium of print. This book charts his career as a printmaker, which was characterised by close collaboration with skilled printers, through which extraordinary artworks were produced. Printmaking was a vitally important activity in the long artistic career of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). His long-standing, if at times episodic, engagement with printmaking, stretched from his early years in Paris until his old age in 1972. This book explores how the technical challenges of working in different print media (etching, aquatint, linocut and lithography) inspired Picasso's creativity. Together with a stunning selection of works on paper by Picasso, it also includes sculptures, drawings and prints by other artists and cultures of the kind that inspired Picasso. His prints often demonstrate his keen sense of belonging to an artistic lineage stretching back to antiquity (stemming from his kinship with the Mediterranean world of his birthplace, Málaga), as well as great artists of the past such as Raphael, Rembrandt and Ingres. One section explores the contradictions and controversies relating to Picasso's relationships with his wives and lovers. The focus on Picasso as a printmaker will argue for the importance of this activity in his long artistic career, and his continued relevance as one of the most creative and experimental talents ever to explore the medium of print.

Together with his own artworks, contemporary artist Hew Locke uses the British Museum's collection as a springboard to explore themes of colonialism and cultural interactions. Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke (b. 1959) has chosen objects from the British Museum's collection to examine interactions between Britain and different cultures from around 1600 onwards. Presented alongside newly commissioned and existing works, Locke explores the histories and legacies of British imperialism, with a particular focus on interactions with India, Africa and the Caribbean, exploring different facets of enmeshed histories and their impact for people around the world today. Locke has often used interventionist techniques to frame and highlight objects that tell stories about shared colonial histories - for example, drawing on copies of antique share certificates, which illuminate particular histories of extraction, or altering historical busts and public statues that glorify key figures in the British Empire. Rather than seeking to condemn or celebrate Britain's imperial legacy, Locke's engagement with the Museum's collection instead highlights the ways in which it informs so many aspects of contemporary culture that are taken for granted, encouraging readers to form their own responses and questions.

This portrait of Santa Isabel in over 600 pictures shows an island transformed by its colonial history yet maintaining a confident and distinctive identity within Solomon Islands and the Pacific Island region.Santa Isabel is one of the largest islands that make up the island nation of Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific. Politically it is now one of nine provinces, each with its own variation of a shared history. In a country divided among many Christian denominations, Isabel is distinctive for its early acceptance of the Anglican Church, which united most of the island and its six language groups by the 1920s and then shaped its history up to the present.This book traces Santa Isabel history through a selection of the many hundreds of pictures of the island made first by Europeans and increasingly by its own people. These begin with the drawings and paintings of voyagers from the late 18th century, gradually succeeded by photos from the 1860s onwards showing the arrival of missionaries, traders and warships. From the 1900s there are photos made by the Europeans who established plantations on Isabel and colonial officers asserting British colonial authority. However, the pictorial record is dominated by photos from the Anglican Melanesian Mission. The Second World War, portrayed mainly by military photos, was followed closely by economic and political developments leading up to Solomon Islands independence in 1978 - developments portrayed in both church and government photos. Photos of more recent social, ceremonial and political activities show the unique combination of church, chiefs and local government in Isabel life. A renewed interest in local culture in the 21st century is revealed through photos of festivals and cultural research by both visiting and local researchers as Isabel people explore the possibilities of tourism, resource extraction and environmental conservation.

Material and visual culture of China's long 19th century is understandably overshadowed by the traumatic warfare, land shortages, famines and uprisings which impacted the lives of a population of around 400 million people. However, innovation can be seen in material culture (including print, painting, calligraphy, textiles, fashion, jewelry, ceramics, lacquer, glass, arms and armor, rugs, silver, money, and photography) during a century in which China's art, literature, crafts and technology faced unprecedented exposure to global influences. Despite this however, until recently, the 19th century in China has been often defined - and dismissed - as an era of cultural decline.Building on the critically acclaimed British Museum exhibition China's hidden century: 1796-1912, this publication seeks to redefine perceptions about 19th-century Qing arts. Essays by some of the world's leading authorities on Qing culture reveal the social, cultural, religious, creative, economic and political history of makers, users, owners and collectors. Areas of focus include painting and patronage; calligraphy and seal carving; commerce and fashion; and craft technology and technology ensuring that the book will be a manual for the arts of China's long 19th century.

A richly illustrated publication that explores the networks of contacts and exchanges spanning Afro-Eurasia from 500 to 1000 CE, highlighting how the movement of people, objects and ideas shaped cultures and histories.In the ninth century CE, an Arabian ship sank off the coast of Indonesia. The objects found in the wreckage, which include Chinese ceramics and precious metals, have provided extraordinary evidence of the nature, scale and diversity of trade between Tang China and the Islamic Abbasid dynasty, revealing the extent of a large-scale operation. This is just one example of the sprawling and extensive networks of contacts and exchanges across Afro-Eurasia, from Japan to Britain, in the period 500 to 1000 CE that demonstrate the movement of peoples, objects and ideas, which shaped cultures and histories. This book challenges the concept of the ?silk roads' as a simple history of trade between East and West. Focusing on a series of overlapping geographic zones, interspersed with case studies of particular peoples who were active along these networks - seafarers in the Indian Ocean, Sogdians, Vikings, Aksumites, and the peoples of al-Andalus - it reveals remarkable human stories, innovations and the transfer of knowledge that emerged from these connections. Each section explores notable examples of contacts, connections and integrations, while emphasising the environmental and historical conditions that shaped them, featuring the latest scientific research. The dazzling range of objects includes a wooden panel with a painting of the ?silk princess' who smuggled the eggs of the silk moth from China (illustrated above); a lion sculpture from Jordan; a miniature wooden pagoda from Japan; gold coins from Yemen; wall paintings from the Hall of Ambassadors in Uzbekistan; a kaftan from the Caucasus region; an ivory cross from Spain; and a gold and garnet scabbard slide from the Sutton Hoo burial in Britain.

Tracing the final 30 years of Michelangelös career, this book examines how the great master used art and faith to explore the common human experience of ageing in a rapidly changing world. Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475¿1564) was one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. He was not the isolated, tortured genius of artistic myth, but a man who maintained a close circle of friends and associates into old age. He developed collaborative working relationships with younger artists, thereby maintaining his fame and reputation even as he aged, relinquishing the hardest physical work to others. His late drawings offer a powerful insight into his psychology, reflecting his Catholic faith, his commanding intellectual engagement, and his hope for eternal life. Michelangelo reimagined the iconography of religious art to create hugely influential compositions of key moments in Christian faith, such as the Crucifixion, the Last Judgement and the Pietà (or Lamentation). He was involved in designing several significant sites in Rome at this time ¿ including his key architectural project, the immense challenge of rebuilding St Peter¿s, at the very heart of Christianity. His role as an architect is explored through beautiful drawings, highlighting his range as a designer. Alongside his major commissions he created deeply personal drawings ¿ revisiting earlier compositions to explore intensely moving Crucifixions that served as spiritual meditations on Christ¿s death and offered the hope of salvation for an elderly man facing the end of his own long life. Built on the firm foundations of the British Museum¿s extraordinary collection of drawings, his work is explored alongside his personal relationships to consider the transformation of Michelangelo into the towering figure of artistic genius known today.

Explores the ideals, symbolism and ideology of Egyptian kingship and uncovers the stories behind the objects and images left as a legacy by this ancient civilisation. The rulers of ancient Egypt were not always male, nor always Egyptian. At times, Egypt was divided by civil war, conquered by foreign powers or ruled by competing kings. While some kings were revered ¿ such as Thutmose III who expanded Egypt¿s empire to its largest extent ¿ the memory of others was officially erased. Many of the objects surviving from ancient Egypt project the image the pharaoh wanted us to see ¿ however this book explores the reality and the many challenges of ruling one of the greatest civilisations the world has ever seen. After an introduction into the historic and geographic timeframe of the ancient Pharaohs, the book explores royal iconography, decoding the insignia worn and held by the king, or the names and titles covering most royal monuments. The core of the book investigates the main roles of the king, as high priest, as the head of the royal family, as the administrative ruler of the country and as the leader of the army and diplomat. Following an investigation into the preparation for the king¿s eternal life, from the rituals to the building of a tomb, the book closes on a contemporary perspective from Egypt and how the notion of the Pharaoh still resonates today. The book covers 3,000 years of history ¿ highlighting research on key pieces from the British Museum¿s outstanding collection of Egyptian antiquities.

The first publication to celebrate the British Museum¿s rich collection of these technically sophisticated artworks created as part of Japanese cultural salons in the late 18th and 19th centuries, featuring lively figures in daily life and festivals, elegant birds and flowers, ferocious animals and lyrical landscapes. Cultural salons were creative spaces for people of all social levels to jointly pursue painting, poetry and other artistic endeavours. Many people today think of artists and poets as professionals or specially gifted. In early modern Japan, however, large numbers of people joined cultural activity groups to pursue diverse kinds of arts as serious but amateur practitioners. With a variety of motivations, people from all walks of life ¿ young and old, women and men ¿ participated enthusiastically in these circles. Everyone used a pen- or art-name. Individuals were therefore able to socialise and interact broadly through these artistic activities, regardless of official social status as regulated by the shogunal government. In the area around Kyoto and Osaka especially, the idea of communal and collaborative creativity seems to have been deeply engrained. Each of the two cities, located close to each other but geographically remote from Edo (modern-day Tokyo), the seat of the shogun¿s government, had a distinct character: Kyoto, the national capital where the emperor and aristocrats resided, and Osaka, the centre of commerce. Only a fraction of these technically sophisticated artworks has previously been published in colour. With six essays by leading experts that explore this fascinating cultural phenomenon from different angles, and eight shorter insights that delve into specific historical aspects and the personal connections and legacies of cultural figures, this book offers a new perspective on Japanese art and society in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

This volume provides an authoritative and systematic account of the coins minted for Roman Egypt between AD 138 and 192. It is the first of four volumes, which will cover the provincial coinage of this crucial period of Roman history in its entirety.The coinage in this volume was produced at Alexandria, the commercial and cultural capital of the eastern Mediterranean. It is dated by the year, making it an invaluable guide to imperial presentation and to economic developments during this transitional period. Its iconography is of exceptional interest to scholars and collectors, combining fascinating aspects of Greek, Roman and Egyptian culture.The book gives a complete picture of the material, meeting the needs of numismatists and providing an essential reference for historians, archaeologists and other students of the Roman empire. The introductory chapters and extensive catalogue are accompanied by illustrations of virtually all known types.

The scale and organisation of the Roman army was unprecedented in the ancient Western world. This book tells the story of everyday aspects of the army in the heyday of the Roman Empire ¿ from life in a tent to the food soldiers consumed ¿ and explains its hierarchy, roles, equipment and place in a vast multi-ethnic society divided between citizens and subjects. Through this social evolution, the army gradually transformed the state it was established to protect. Innovations in military training and technology, including medicine, allowed common Roman soldiers to be as well-equipped as their generals and to have realistic prospects of surviving the 25 years of military service. This book dispels preconceived notions about the Roman army ¿ for example, that forts were exclusively the domain of male soldiers ¿ and addresses the violence committed by soldiers towards women, conquered subjects and enslaved peoples. The risks of becoming a soldier are also explored, especially the consequences for convicted soldiers (decimation, crucifixion or becoming amphitheatre entertainment). Most importantly, readers will discover a vivid picture of what life was really like in the Roman army, including how soldiers signed up and were trained; what life was like in tents, forts, and on the battlefield; and soldiers¿ dress, diets, health and relationships.

Reveals the rich and complex histories and cultures of Burma/Myanmar from their early development and powerful imperial expansions to their positions as colonial subjects and then as a war-torn nation. From influential superpower to repressive regime, Myanmar - also known as Burma - has seen dramatic fluctuations in fortune over the past 1,500 years. Interconnected yet isolated, rich in natural resources such as jade, rubies and teak but with many of its peoples living below the poverty line, Myanmar is a country that defies categorisation. Its cultures have been shaped by their engagements with religious networks, expansionist empires and global trade routes from India and China to Africa, the Middle East and Europe. It was once home to different kingdoms, principalities and chiefdoms that interacted with one another and further afield. The colonial period under British rule saw dramatic changes and upon independence in 1948, the various parts of the country were brought together, many for the first time, into a single nation state. Since then Myanmar has been engulfed by long running civil wars. This beautiful book explores Myanmar's complexities, focusing on the extraordinary and innovative arts of its diverse peoples to create a long history of the region. Featuring objects such as sparkling gems, sumptuous court dress, intricately carved furniture, elaborate silver vessels, satirical cartoons and contemporary art, from the 400s CE to the present day, this book is a testament to the creativity and variety of Myanmar's many peoples.

From the 1960s drawing assumed a prominent position in the practice of a rising generation of post-war artists in Germany and Austria. This publication examines works on paper by four artists still comparatively little known in the UK. While Georg Baselitz and Gerhard Richter, household names in German contemporary art, are well known for their large and commanding works, a quieter and more reflective strand is found in the work of Rudi Tröger (b. 1929), Karl Bohrmann (1928-1998) and Carl-Heinz Wegert (1926-2007). Small and intimate in scale, their drawings focus on the abstracted, minimalist figure, the studio interior and landscapes, through a sensitive use of line and a spare, self-effacing gesturalism. By contrast, the Austrian actionist Hermann Nitsch (1938-2022) presents visceral depictions of the human anatomy in his large lithographs, which come out of his notorious actionist performances. This publication celebrates a second major gift to the British Museum from the German collector Count Christian Duerckheim, whose first gift featured in Germany Divided: Baselitz and his generation, published by the British Museum Press in 2014.

Wonderfully preserved Greek vases are a unique source of information about the mythology, religion, drama and daily life of the ancient Greek world. This sumptuous photographic book offers a superb visual introduction to the artistry of ancient Greek vases, exploring them not merely as beautiful vessels to bear water and wine, but also as instruments of storytelling and bearers of meaning. Presenting the vases and their imagery in their full narrative glory, The Greek Vase interprets their forms and stories along a variety of themes, from the adventures of gods and mythological heroes, to expressive scenes of sexual intimacy and depictions of social, family and domestic life. This beautifully illustrated book highlights what these pictures would have meant to the people who lived with and used them, how they have been received by later generations, and the profound influence of their form, decoration and narrative on subsequent art, architecture and literature.

In the hands of artists and poets, books have been taking a radically different form since the advent of the artist¿s book in Paris in the early 20th century. Appearing in a variety of shapes and sizes, as one-offs or small print editions, books offer artists and poets a novel form of expression. In the words of Indian artist Nalini Malani (b. 1946), the book is `a carrier of experience¿, in which whole worlds are encapsulated. In this beautifully produced book, works made by artists from New York to Damascus and beyond highlight the relationship between artists and writers and the influences that inform their work, from family to politics and everything in between. Lebanese artist Abed Al Kadiri (b. 1984) conceived his book during the first month of the pandemic to explore his family history, while through the eyes of Iraqi artist Kareem Risan (b. 1960) we see the shocking aftermath of a deadly explosion on the streets of Baghdad in 2005. These artists also find inspiration in classical poetry and literature. Here you will see works that respond to and that are informed by the medieval Persian poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi and Hafez, as well as the tales of The Arabian Nights.