7000 Years of Jewelry

by Tait, Hugh

• ISBN13: 9781554073955
• ISBN10: 1554073952
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-09-12
• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd

Summary

The most comprehensive and beautifully illustrated history of jewelry.The previous edition of this exhaustive survey was published to critical acclaim by the British Museum Press. Since publication, the museum has expanded its collection, with major acquisitions of pieces from Europe and Asia. The new edition includes a complete revision of the section on Europe after 1700, plus revisions to the sections on Celtic Europe, Roman Britain, cameos and finger rings.The book explores the varied styles, techniques and materials used to make jewelry in many civilizations throughout the world and across the millennia. Egyptian necklaces, Celtic torcs, South American gold masks, Renaissance pendants and Art Nouveau buckles are examples of the range of the masterpieces described and illustrated with 400 superb photographs.7000 Years of Jewelry takes readers on an impressive tour that includes, among other times and places: The Middle East: 5000-2000 BC Egypt: 1500-900 BC Phoenician, Greek, Etruscan and Persian Lands: 850-325 BC China, Celtic Europe, Mexico and Peru: 600 BC-AD 600 The Mediterranean, India, Egypt, Roman Britain and Byzantium: 325 BC-AD 600 Europe, China, Korea and Japan: 300-1000 Mayan Central America: 600-1000 Central and South America: 500-1500 Europe, Islam, China, Korea and Java: 1000-1500 China, India, Tibet and Mongolia: 1500-1850 West Africa: 1500-1800 Europe: 1500-1950.More comprehensive than before, this reference remains the finest and most beautifully illustrated history of jewelry ever published.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors

Preface

Introduction

The Middle East: 5000-2000 BC

The Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean and North of the Alps: 2000-1400 BC

Egypt: 1500-900 BC

Europe and Western Asia, 1400-600 BC

Phoenician, Greek, Etruscan and Persian Lands: 850-325 BC

China, Celtic Europe, Mexico and Peru: 600 BC-AD 600

The Mediterranean, Parthia, India, Egypt, Roman Britain and Byzantium: 325 BC-AD 600

Europe, China, Korea and Japan: AD 300-1000

Mayan Central America: AD 600-1000

Central and South America: AD 500-1500

Europe, Islam, China, Korea and Java: AD 1000-1500

Europe: AD 1500-1700

China, India, Tibet and Mongolia: AD 1500-1850

West Africa: AD 1500-1800

Europe: AD 1700-1950

Amulets

Cameos in Jewellery

Functional Finger-rings

Select Glossary

References for the illustrations

Bibliography

Further Reading

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

PrefaceThe aim of this book is to bring together jewellery from all the major phases of man's history. The selection, made entirely from the collections of the British Museum, ranges in date from about 5000 BC to the middle of the twentieth century. The scope extends beyond Europe and the ancient cultures of Western Asia to India, Tibet and the Far East and includes certain areas of Africa and America. Owing to the accident of survival and archaeological rediscovery and of opportunity for acquisition, some areas and periods are necessarily more richly represented than others.Jewellery for personal adornment is the main theme, but, in addition, amuletic (protective) jewellery -- in so far as it can be specifically recognised -- is treated separately. The use of cameos in jewellery and the role of finger-rings are two further aspects singled out for individual consideration, partly because both have histories peculiar to themselves.I am deeply grateful to my colleagues in the eight Departments who have given so generously and unsparingly of their time and expertise and who have written on the items from the collections in their care.I would also like to express my appreciation of the work of David Gowers of the Photographic Service, who has photographed all the jewellery specially for this book, using great patience and imagination to capture the intricate and elusive detail of these tiny objects. The great wealth of the Museum's collections was first revealed in the exhibition Jewellery Through 7000 Years of 1976 and its accompanying catalogue. My thanks now go to Celia Clear of British Museum Publications for suggesting that this material might be the basis of a new survey and to Jenny Chattington for all her invaluable work in the production of this book.HUGH TAIT May 1986Note on the present edition A few revisions have been made in the sections on Celtic Europe, Roman Britain, cameos and finger rings to take account of new research and discoveries. The section on Europe AD 1700-1950 has been completely rewritten with new illustrations and includes numerous acquisitions made by the British Museum since 1990. Sadly, Hugh Tait died in 2005.