Lovers of gold, wine and war, the Celts have no voice because they have left no written records. Much of what we know of them comes from their enemies the Romans, who finally crushed them, and from the weapons and ornaments they buried with their dead. From these traces we can now resurrect a sophisticated people who dominated Europe for 500 years. These highly cultured barbarians, with their exquisite jewellery and metalwork, were eventually driven to the edges of the known world - yet were destined to shine out once more in the art of Celtic Christianity.
Lovers of gold, wine and war, the Celts have no voice because they have left no written records. Much of what we know of them comes from their enemies...
Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most outstanding intellectuals of the Renaissance. An entirely self taught intellectual giant, he was endlessly curious about the physical world. His notebooks reveal the breadth of his research into subjects as diverse as anatomy, botany, physics, and engineering, including his extraordinary anticipation of modern technology. The author traces his life from birth through to his apprenticeship in Florence and work in Milan, Rome and Amboise. His skill as an artist is captured in reproductions of pages from his beautifully illustrated notebooks, and...
Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most outstanding intellectuals of the Renaissance. An entirely self taught intellectual giant, he was endlessly curio...
In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, as China opened its doors to the rest of the world, Western archaeologists introduced new field methods that led to important discoveries and the establishment of scientific bodies of research. However, as China turned in on itself from 1949 to 1990, Chinese archaeology entered a dark age. Today, in an era of cooperation, the splendours and achievements of ancient China are revealed to modern eyes.
In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, as China opened its doors to the rest of the world, Western archaeologists introduced new field methods tha...
The science of pigments, hues, and dyes has a long and ancient history. From the 40000-years-old caves at Lascaux and the medieval cloth trade that enriched Europe to the synthetic chemistry of modern times, colour making has had a central place in our lives. This book surveys the history of dyes and pigments, the invention of new colours, and the industries that fuelled them. It explores colouring and dyeing methods through history and asks questions relating to this, such as: what were the colours of Ancient Egypt?; what did artists use to paint their magnificent frescoes?; where do indigo...
The science of pigments, hues, and dyes has a long and ancient history. From the 40000-years-old caves at Lascaux and the medieval cloth trade that en...
Egon Schiele lived in Vienna during its last years as capital of the declining Habsburg Empire. Rejected by his family and hounded by society for his interest in young girls, he expressed through his art a deep and bewildering loneliness and obsession with sexuality, death and decay. He died at twenty-eight and left behind a body of work that sustains a huge public reputation.
Egon Schiele lived in Vienna during its last years as capital of the declining Habsburg Empire. Rejected by his family and hounded by society for his ...
Claude Monet transformed light and colour into art. In 1874 his Impression, Sunrise caused uproar among the critics and a revolution in painting. His inventiveness was inexhaustible: with the Haystacks, Poplars, Cathedrals and, finally, the enchanting Water-lilies of Givemy, Monet captured light in all its fleeting qualities. At last, almost blind - I fear the dark more than death- he feverishly produced near-abstract landscapes of water and reflection, a vision of nature that paved the way for the art of our own day. This book traces his career.
Claude Monet transformed light and colour into art. In 1874 his Impression, Sunrise caused uproar among the critics and a revolution in painting. His ...
The Mughal Empire dominated India for three centuries. Under enlightened patrons such as Akbar the Great in the 16th century and Shah Jahan in the 17th century, this vast Muslim empire, which ranged from Kashmir and Afghanistan to the Deccan at its height, produced paintings and architecture of exceptional quality, such as the Taj Mahal. Using architectural drawings, miniatures, paintings and memoirs written by the rulers themselves, this book reveals the achievements of this great empire.
The Mughal Empire dominated India for three centuries. Under enlightened patrons such as Akbar the Great in the 16th century and Shah Jahan in the 17t...