Search results for ""british museum press""

The Camelopard, The Monstrous Pig, The Famous Porcupine, Dürer’s Rhinoceros: these are but a few of the beautiful and bizarre creatures that feature in this delightful book. In the visual arts of the fifteenth to the early nineteenth centuries in Europe, animals were understood in relation to the human world, whether as animals of the farm, estate or household, beasts of burden or as diversions in menageries and travelling shows. At the same time, rapidly increasing investigation of the natural world engaged artists in the problems of accurate representation: prints were particularly important in distributing natural historical information (or misinformation) across a wide, international audience. This beautifully illustrated book explores perceptions of the natural world as seen through the eyes of imaginative artists: works by Goya, Stubbs and Bewick stand alongside prints by lesser-known artists, each selected for its graphic strength, charm and narrative interest. Featured are natural history studies, masterpieces from the British Museum's exceptional collection of classical old master prints, book illustrations, satires and popular prints to beautifully capture the diversity and appeal of early modern print culture. Visually stunning, entertaining and intriguing, this book explores humankind’s enduring curiosity about the animal world.

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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.

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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. In early modern Japan, cultural salons were creative spaces for people of all ages and social levels to pursue painting, poetry and other artistic endeavours, as serious but amateur practitioners. They all 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. The idea of communal and collaborative creativity seems to have been especially ingrained around the area of Kyoto and Osaka. Each of the two cities had a distinct character: Kyoto was the national capital, where the emperor and aristocrats resided, and Osaka was the c

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Model of a Summer Camp is an intriguing object with a range of stories to tell. Originating in the Sakha (Yakutia) region of far northeastern Russia, it depicts a yhyakh celebration – a festival of huge cultural importance to the region. This concise book takes a detailed look at the object, revealing the intricacies of the yhyakh and the model’s fascinating journey from Siberia to the British Museum. The recent resurgence of interest around the model is also explored, where creative responses and research have enriched our understanding of its stories. This book gives readers the opportunity to learn about a unique object in the British Museum’s Collection and the rich heritage of Sakha (Yakutia).

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Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo period (1615–1868) were the products of a highly commercialised and competitive publishing industry. Their content was inspired by the vibrant popular culture that flourished in Edo (Tokyo). At any given time scores of publishers competed for the services of the leading artists of the day. Publishers and artists displayed tremendous ingenuity in finding ways to sustain demand for prints and to to circumvent the restrictions placed upon them by government censorship. Japanese woodblock prints have long been appreciated in the West for their graphic qualities but their content has not always been fully understood. In recent years, publications by scholars in Japan, Europe and the United States have made possible a more subtle appreciation of the imagery encountered in them. This book draws upon this recent scholarship to explain how those who first purchased these prints would have read them. Through stunning new photography of both well-known and rarely published works in the collection of the British Museum, including many recent acquisitions, the author explores how and why such prints were made, providing a fascinating introduction to a much-loved but littleunderstood art form.

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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. Hew Locke is interested in dissecting the messy and complex ways in which museums are implicated in histories of empire. This project has enabled me to engage with the museum's collections in a much deeper way than ever before, and in a way few artists have had the privilege of doing. I have always been interested in the way objects are interpreted through display in museums. What story has been distilled and is being told or implied about the past? How does it relate to the present? How can this telling be questioned, disrupted, or complicated?' The British Museum's history and collections are closely linked to those of the British Empire, which this book addresses alongside a consideration of today's often contentious and deeply felt debates around cultural heritage. Focusing on Britain's historic interaction

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On 5 July 2009 a metal-detectorist started to unearth gold objects in a Staffordshire field. Thus began the discovery of the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found. Consisting of over 1600 items – including fittings from the hilts of swords, fragments from helmets, Christian crosses and magnificent pieces of garnet work – the Staffordshire Hoard has begun to rewrite history. This new and extended edition of the successful title by Kevin Leahy and Roger Bland delves deeper into the story behind the hoard, using the latest research to fill previous gaps in knowledge and turn some of the original ideas about the discovery on their head. Complete with new photography of the cleaned and conserved objects, showing off the stunning and intricate decoration, this book provides a fascinating account of the history and the discovery of this remarkable hoard.

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The Viking ship is one of the most iconic images of the Vikings and the longship in particular has been central to our understanding of the Viking Age. The Vikings used their shipbuilding skills to command the sea and their famous ships permittedthe exploration, colonization and the raids for which they are best known.This book explores the evolution of their sea-going vessels and celebrates this outstanding feature of the Viking Age. In addition to well-known ships such as the spectacular burials from Gokstad and Osebergin southern Norway, The Viking Ship features the newly-conserved longship Roskilde 6 from Denmark. Measuring over 37 metres, this is the longest Viking ship to have been discovered to date.From Viking Age coins, brooches and graffiti, to the use of the Viking ship on contemporary banknotes, labelling and logos as a symbol of national and cultural identity, this book includes a surprising range of objects that have helped to shape our understanding of the Vikings and their ships.With over 50 illustrations.

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The Discobolus or discus-thrower is a marvellous classical piece of sculpture that over time has come to mean different things to different people. Originally cast in bronze by the fifth-century BC sculptor Myron, the composition portraying an athlete preparing to throw his discus captures a moment of action perfectly: the tensed body looks as if it is merely pausing and about to burst into life at any moment. An enduring pattern of energy, Myron’s statue of harmonious proportions is a fantastic representation of the athletic ideal and an embodiment of the male Greek body beautiful. Sadly, the original statue has long been lost; however, it was so admired by the Romans that numerous marble copies were made. This book tells the story of Myron’s Discobolus both as an archaeological artefact and bearer of meaning. Focusing on the Townley Discobolus, the Roman marble copy excavated from Hadrian’s Villa in Lazio, Italy, this illustrated introduction explores the history and significance of the statue – in both classical and modern times – in light of ancient discus throwing, Myron’s other works, and the artistic, intellectual and philosophical context of the Greek world.

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In 2007 during an archaeological excavation in advance of a hotel development situated 150 metres from the Roman Baths in Bath, a Roman silver coin hoard was unearthed. This hoard was an exceptional find, not only because of its size – 17,500 coins in total – but also because of a number of unusual characteristics. Unlike other similar Roman hoards, the coins were discovered in a series of eight money bags – almost eight mini hoards in one – that are likely to have been deposited gradually over time. This small and beautifully illustrated book tells the story of this remarkable find, focussing on the discovery, scientific investigation, interpretation of the hoard, and the parallels and context in the Roman world.

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In this revised and all-colour edition of her indispensable guide to the ancient Games, Judith Swaddling traces their mythological and religious origins, and describes the events, the sacred ceremony and the celebrations that were an essential part of the Olympic festival. A large, detailed model based on modern research and excavation reconstructs the site of ancient Olympia, where alongside religious and civic buildings there grew an elaborate sports complex with a stadium for 40,000 spectators, indoor and outdoor training facilities, hot and cold baths, a swimming pool and a race-course. Later chapters cover the diet and medical treatment of athletes, sponsorship, patronage, propaganda and revivals of the Games and a brand new chapter, based on the latest research discusses the literary sources for the Olympic Games. The expanded final chapter on the modern Games is written in collaboration with Stewart Binns, an expert in this field who has worked closely with the International Olympic Committee over many years, and has been revised to bring the story up to the preparations for the London 2012 Games. Illustrated with gorgeous, full-colour photography and covering thousands of years of Olympic history, this fascinating book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Olympic Games.

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Beatrix Potter's best-loved The Tale of Peter Rabbit told in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Based on the official centenary edition published in 2002, the tale has been faithfully translated into the script of Middle Kingdom Egypt and illustrated with Potter's original artwork. Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her children’s books featuring animals, most notably The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Peter Rabbit’s namesake was a Belgian buck rabbit called Peter Piper who was “bought at a very tender age, in the Uxbridge Road, Shepherd’s Bush, for an exorbitant sum of 4/6.” He was to prove a sound investment, as Potter’s “affectionate companion” inspired one of the world’s best-loved fictional characters and earned his owner enduring international acclaim. After Beatrix Potter’s death, her folio of The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies came into the possession of the British Museum. An example of Beatrix Potter’s hand-drawn images featuring the beloved Peter Rabbit can be found in the Prints and Drawings department of the British Museum. A charming gift for fans of Egyptian history.

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This highly illustrated publication details the concepts, construction and design of the new Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World at the British Museum. The book outlines not only the history of the extremely rich and varied collection of Islamic material culture at the British Museum, but also the challenges of building and designing a new gallery for the 21st century within a historic building. The building of a new gallery requires collaboration from a number of different individuals. Therefore, this book highlights not only the work done by British Museum staff, but also details the partnerships with the architects Stanton Williams, the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. The result is a fascinating and beautifully illustrated insight into a remarkable new gallery and the British Museum’s unparalleled collection of Islamic material culture.

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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.

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The links between archaeology and the Bible have fascinated generations of archaeologists and biblical scholars who seek documentation of events narrated in the Bible. The British Museum's collections include numerous inscribed objects, scripts and pictorial reliefs which provide such evidence. There is, for example, a Babylonian clay tablet which records Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC, as narrated in the book of Jeremiah. For this book the author has selected over seventy such 'documents', mainly from Western Asia, with some examples included from Greece, Egypt and Asia Minor, dating from the period of the Patriarchs to the New Testament times, c. 2000 BC to c. AD 100. He transliterates and translates the ancient texts, which include Cuneiform, Aramaic and Hebrew, and discusses the contribution they make to our knowledge of the culture and history of biblical times. Each object is illustrated in black and white.

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Addresses some of the frequently asked questions about Egyptian mummies: how and why they were made, the religious beliefs which underpinned mummification, the preservation of animals, and how the mummies have been treated from ancient times until the present day.

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The updated edition of this best-selling cookbook features a delicious collection of recipes from every strata of classical civilization, all accessible to the contemporary cook. Using a subtle mix of sweet and sour flavours, fragrant herbs, creamy cheesecakes and hearty red wines, ancient Mediterranean cuisine is brought to life. Pioneering the exploration of menus and manners of ancient Greece and Rome, The Classical Cookbook features adaptations of 49 sumptuous dishes. Sitting alongside sun-soaked recipes are rich illustrations of murals, marbles and mosaics, plus lively commentary painting a vibrant picture of everyday wining and dining in the ancient world. The Classical Cookbook will prove that we can still enjoy Terrine of Asparagus, Sweet Wine Cakes, Olive Relish or even Toronaean Shark. Featuring step-by-step instructions, the modern cook will be able to tackle everything from simple meals and street food through to lavish banquets and wedding feasts with an authentic Ancient Greek and Roman flair.

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A collection of outstanding and fascinating artists’ books revealing the inspirations and concerns of a group of remarkable contemporary artists. ‘More than a simple reflection of the British Museum’s artist-book holdings, this is an important index of artists’ responses to the issues and circumstances that have shaped the Arab world in recent times.’ – ArtReview ‘A rare treat…a passionate and extremely well organized analysis of over 60 artists’ books from the [British] Museum’s collection.’ – The Markaz Review 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 Beirut to Tunis 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. Some of their works respond to and are informed by the medieval Persian poetry of Rumi and Hafez, as well as the tales of The Thousand and One Nights.

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This beautiful and rare textile, now in the British Museum, was produced in the late seventeenth century in the wake of the remarkable outflow of Krishna veneration resulting from the ministry of the great eastern Indian saint, Sankaradava (died 1568). Nine metres in length, it is made up of twelve strips, all now sown together, and woven with captioned scenes from the life of Krishna as recorded in the tenth-century text, the Bhagavata Purana, and elaborated in the dramas of Sankaradeva. The author looks at the art, technique and iconography of the textile and also place it within its wider religious, cultural and geographical contexts. He traces, too, its fascinating history and its journey from Assam to London.

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This publication has been developed from ideas first presented at the international symposium Late Hokusai: thought, technique, society, held at the British Museum in May 2017. The symposium was organised to enable specialists in a range of disciplines relating to early modern Japan to view and consider the critically acclaimed exhibition Hokusai: beyond the Great Wave, then being presented at the British Museum. The exhibition brought together representative works by the artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760−1849) in the various media in which he worked – colour woodblock printed, woodblock-printed illustrated books, brush paintings on paper or silk, and brush drawings − that were produced between the age of 61 and his death aged 90.Building on the themes of the exhibition, authors from the UK, Europe, Japan and USA have engaged with late Hokusai from a variety of perspectives, both intrinsic and extrinsic to his life and works. Essays have been grouped within the broad categories of ‘thought’ -- Hokusai’s intellectual concerns and the ways his art brought these to life; ‘technique’ – how the artist pursued excellence in a wide range of media, within a commercialised art market; and ‘society’ – dimensions of cultural interaction and patronage. A fourth section on ‘legacy’ looks at how stories of Hokusai have been as much generated by 130 years of scholarship, as they have by his works themselves. Challengingly, faked paintings and printed works have both contaminated and supported those stories. This innovative approach provides new insights into the work of one of the world’s most celebrated artists and suggests many new avenues for Hokusai research.

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This lively book considers the various fascinating stories which have evolved to explain the ownership, concealment and discovery of the pieces whilst also placing them in the wider context of the ancient game of chess and secular art of the middle Ages. The Lewis Chessmen consist of elaborately worked walrus ivory and whales’ teeth in the forms of seated kings and queens, mitred bishops, knights on their mounts, standing warders and pawns in the shape of obelisks. They were found in the vicinity of Uig on the Isle of Lewis, but were probably made in Norway, in around 1150-1200 AD. At this time, the Western Isles where the Chessmen were buried were part of the kingdom of Norway, and not Scotland as they are today. Although very few details of the origins of the Chessmen are known, it is possible that they belonged to a merchant travelling from Norway and that they were buried for safekeeping on route to be traded in Ireland. This seems likely as there are enough pieces, though with some elements missing, to make four sets. No exact account of the discovery remains, but they apparently came to light after the collapse of a sand-bank on the coast of the island revealed their hiding place to a passing islander. All that is certain is that they were found some time before 11th April 1831 when they were exhibited at the Society of the Antiquaries in Scotland. Of the original 93 pieces discovered on the Isle of Lewis, 82 pieces are now housed in the British Museum. An exciting read for anyone interested in the history of the famous chess pieces.

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Beautifully illustrated with an array of Japanese art, this book offers a closer look at the rich variety of styles, decoration, motifs and patterns – and the sheer craftsmanship – of Japanese culture. Opening with an introduction that asks ‘What is Japanese art?’, this book presents a selection of striking and fascinating art from Japan, organised into a series of thematic chapters in which the author provides cultural context while pointing out exceptional features. By showing the complete artwork alongside enlarged details – sometimes virtually invisible to the naked eye – intriguing comparisons can be drawn between seemingly unrelated pieces. The selection of illustrations evokes the hand and eye of the most accomplished Japanese craftsmen and women past and present. Offering a superb insight into a wide array of Japanese art, the book highlights – close up and in colour – outstanding examples of design and craft in prints, paintings and screens, metalwork, ceramics, wood, stone and lacquer and will provide endless creative inspiration.

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The ancient Greeks perceived the human body as an object of sensory delight and its depiction as the expression of an intelligent mind. This sumptuous photographic book explores ancient Greek sculptures of the body from every angle. With an introduction outlining the use of the body in Greek art from the prehistoric simplicity of Cycladic figurines to the realism of the Hellenistic age, seven thematic sections then feature stunning photographs of close ups taken from the British Museum’s outstanding collection of marble, bronze and terracotta sculpture. The gods and heroes of Greek religion and mythology are conceived in the image of mankind, as supermen and superwomen, while other supernatural beings such as centaurs and satyrs combine human with animal parts as symbols of their otherworldliness. Human shape is also given to the inanimate phenomena of nature, such as wind and moon, as well as intangible human experiences such as sleep and death. A salient feature of Greek art is human nudity, which was celebrated rather than considered shameful. The great majority of female nudes that have come down to us are representations of Aphrodite, goddess of erotic love. In the Hellenistic age, Alexander’s conquest and hellenisation of the peoples formerly included in the Persian empire created a new and cosmopolitan world. Greek artists were made more aware than ever before of the social and ethnic diversity of humanity. They delighted in classifying humankind in all its variety, representing a range of ages, beauty standards, physical capabilities, body sizes and social classes. The Hellenistic period, more than any previous, was also truly an age of portraiture, reflecting love in compelling and unusual images.

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