Egypt

Description

Beginning in the fifth millennium BC, the land that is now Egypt nurtured an extraordinary pioneering civilization whose art and architecture have never lost their power to amaze. This magnificent picture book presents a carefully chosen sequence of masterpieces, ranging in date from c.4000 BC to c.200 AD, by which time Egypt was a province of the Roman Empire.

All media are represented, from monumental architecture to exquisite jewellery and personal ornaments. At any scale, Egyptian art has an immediate appeal for its beauty and consummate craftsmanship, and the works illustrated in this book can all be enjoyed for both their aesthetic qualities and their artefactual rarity. But they are also products of a culture very different from ours, and in his concise introduction Jaromir Malek, a foremost authority, provides the essential background for understanding why Egyptian art and architecture took the forms they did. The explanations continue in the informative captions to each illustration, and the chronological chart, map, bibliography and index make quick reference a pleasure.

Embracing architecture, painting, sculpture, ceramics, metalwork and jewellery, the illustrations are all masterpieces that can be enjoyed in their own right. Presented in chronological order, they form a succinct and easily digestible history. This is an astoundingly fresh, mesmerizing and accessible introduction to some of the most remarkable art ever produced in the history of humankind.Jaromir Malek is Keeper of the Archive at the Griffith Institute, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and Editor of the Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts. His books include Egyptian Art, published in Phaidon’s Art & Ideas series.

“A luxurious tour of some of the best works of art from this incredible time… A beautiful volume to be treasured.”—The Good Book Guide

“An absorbing and entertaining visual treat… Would be an instant hit in any home.”—Brighton Argus

“The perfect introduction to a perennially popular subject.”—The Sunday Times

“The best introduction to Egyptian art that this reviewer has ever encountered.”—Library Journal

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