Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review“What makes
Turquoise Mosaics From Mexico of special interest to mosaic artists is the information on how and why particular materials were used, their origins and ritual significance. Also very useful for visual artists are the illustrations of multiple views of objects and magnified images of their details. The illustrations allow the reader vantage points typically not seen from texts or even first hand as a museum-goer.” -- Janet Kozachek * British Association for Modern Mosaics Newsletter *
Table of ContentsDirector’s Foreword 6
Acknowledgments 7
1. Introduction 8
Ancient Mexico 8
Sources of information 8
Mosaics in the British Museum 11
Antecedents in serpentine and jade 14
The significance of materials 19
2. Mosaics under the Microscope 24
Microscopy and analysis: the science behind the art 24
Raw materials: selection and procurement 27
Construction of the mosaics 38
3. The Turquoise Mosaics in the British Museum Collections 42
The masks 42
The helmet 53
The double-headed serpent 54
The shield 59
The mosaic on a human skull 66
The knife 71
The jaguar 78
The animal head 83
Epilogue 85
Notes 86
Glossary of scientific techniques 90
Bibliography 91
Index 94
Picture Credits 96
