Florence Dunn Friedman:Ancient Egypt Nubia Faience Jewelry Amulets Beads Funerary Masks Gods Techniques
- hardcover ISBN: 0500237549
With a technical glossary, extensive bibliography, map, and chronological table, this is a landmark publication. Although faience was made of common materials, especially quartz sand grai… More...
With a technical glossary, extensive bibliography, map, and chronological table, this is a landmark publication. Although faience was made of common materials, especially quartz sand grains or crushed quartz pebbles, it nevertheless took on the splendor of gold or semiprecious gems. "Gifts of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Faience" by Florence Dunn Friedman (Editor). NOTE: We have 75,000 books in our library, almost 10,000 different titles. Odds are we have other copies of this same title in varying conditions, some less expensive, some better condition. We might also have different editions as well (some paperback, some hardcover, oftentimes international editions). If you don?t see what you want, please contact us and ask. We?re happy to send you a summary of the differing conditions and prices we may have for the same title.DESCRIPTION: Hardcover with dustjacket. Publisher: Thames & Hudson (1998). Pages: 288. Size: 12¼ x 9¼ x 1¼ inches; 4½ pounds. Created from common materials, but possessing the majesty of gold and semi-precious gems, the ceramic now known as faience was used by the ancient Egyptians for a variety of luxury objects. Dolls were fashioned from it, as were baby feeders decorated to magically protect mother and child. Faience could be shaped into mummy masks, amulets, chalices, bowls, inkwells, jewelry, tiles and inlays for furniture. Its great popularity could have been due to one particular characteristic: radiance and brilliance, to the Egyptians a perfect metaphor for life, death and rebirth. This work analyzes the significance of faience, and presents illustrations of nearly 200 pieces drawn from public and private collections in Europe and America. It shows how faience was used and produced, as well as its symbolic values and meanings. CONDITION: NEW. HUGE New hardcover w/dustjacket. Thames & Hudson (1998) 288 pages. Still in publisher's wraps. Unblemished and pristine in every respect. Pages are clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! Meticulous and accurate descriptions! Selling rare and out-of-print ancient history books on-line since 1997. We accept returns for any reason within 30 days! #6276a. PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES BELOW FOR DETAILED REVIEWS AND FOR PAGES OF PICTURES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK. PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW. PUBLISHER REVIEWS: REVIEW: Often made from the desert sand but possessing the allure of gold and semi-precious gems, the ceramic known today as Egyptian Faience was both a versatile and magical material. From late Predynastic to Roman times it was shaped into a myriad of objects, such as amulets, chalices, beads, jewelry, animal and human figurines, inkwells, dolls, game boards, inlays and tiles, used by many Egyptians but especially royalty and the court circle. Dull and almost colorless when it entered the kiln, faience was transformed by firing into the sparkling blue of the Egyptian sky and a wide range of other scintillating colors. More than just a practical and useful material, faience was imbued by the ancient Egyptians with great symbolic significance ? resplendent with radiance and filled with the shimmer of celestial light, it was the perfect metaphor for life, rebirth, and immortality. Over 200 beautiful faience objects from museums and collections in Europe and the United States have been selected for this book, the first interpretative study to present Egyptian faience in both an academic and visually exciting manner. Illustrated essays by five leading scholars exploring the meaning of faience within Egyptian culture, discussing its uses, symbolism, and technology. Every object is reproduced in lavish color, divided into six themes: Early Faience; Faience and Royal Life; Women?s Use and Female-Related Themes; Faience in Daily Life and Devotion; Funerary Uses of Faience; and Materials and Technology. These are followed by a detailed description of each piece, by many leading experts. With a technical glossary, extensive bibliography, map, and chronological table, this is a landmark publication. Spectacular, charming, impressive, and surprising, these small-scale masterpieces in faience glimmer with the brilliance of eternity. REVIEW: One of the ancient world's most beautiful forms of ceramic is today known as Egyptian faience. The ancient Egyptians named it tjehnet, meaning that which is brilliant or scintillating, and in their eyes it glistened with symbolic light. Although faience was made of common materials, especially quartz sand grains or crushed quartz pebbles, it nevertheless took on the splendor of gold or semiprecious gems. The creative variety was astonishing: from 36,000 faience tiles lining underground rooms in King Djoser's Third Dynasty Step Pyramid complex to tiny plaques for furniture inlay, from jewelry to statuary, from female fertility objects to perfume containers, amulets, inkwells, animal tomb gifts, mummy masks, and a host of other forms. This is the first publication to analyze fully the significance of faience in ancient Egypt, and to present the most marvelous examples of its creation. Under the skilled editorship of Florence Friedman, the world's leading scholars in the field--from the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Cleveland Museum of Art; the British Museum; and elsewhere--show how faience was used and produced, as well as its symbolic values and meanings. More than 150 pieces, drawn from public and private collections around the world, are reproduced in color and described in detail. This dazzling display looks at the origins of faience, and at its use in royal life, in daily life, and in connection with death and rebirth. Scientific data resulting from analyses of faience objects, a specially compiled glossary, and a comprehensive bibliography complete the work. REVIEW: This publication documenting the RISD's international loan exhibition is the first in-depth American study of faience, a non-clay ceramic material with a glistening surface of scintillating colors including the vibrant blue of the Egyptian sky. Five essays and individual object entries by top scholars in the field illuminate the subject. "Gifts of the Nile" features more than two hundred small-scale masterpieces spanning three thousand years of ancient Egyptian history. REVIEW: This interpretive study of faience, the first of its kind, presents Egyptian faience in both an academic and visually exciting manner. Illustrated essays by five leading scholars explore the meaning of faience within Egyptian culture, discussing its uses, symbolism, and technology. Every object is reproduced in lavish color. Spectacular, charming, impressive, and surprising, these small-scale masterpieces in faience glimmer with the brilliance of eternity. REVIEW: The first publication to analyze fully the significance of this scintillating form of ceramic that dates back to King Djoser's Third Dynasty Step Pyramid. The book presents a dazzling display ranging from female fertility objects and statuary to animal tomb gifts and inkwells, amidst a host of other forms. Origins, uses, and symbolic value of more than 150 pieces, drawn from public & private collections are depicted and discussed in detail. Glossary, biblio. 350 illus., 150 in color. 288p. REVIEW: Dr. Florence Dunn Friedman, former Curator of Ancient Art, Rhode Island School of Design; Dr. Robert Steven Bianchi, former Curator at the Brooklyn Museum; Dr. Diana Craig Patch, Gallery Administrator for the Department of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Dr. Peter Lacovara, Assistant Curator in the Department of Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Dr. Paul T. Nicholson, lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Wales, Cardiff; PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS: REVIEW: Friedman (curator of ancient art, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design) provides a catalog that expands the Rhode Island School of Design's new traveling exhibit, affording an intimate look at a critical area of Egyptian art. There is little gold to catch the eye and no colossal statues to marvel at in the exhibit, but many of the faience pieces selected are important and most are exquisite. While spectators in exhibit halls must jostle to view each item, the catalog's photographs permit a detailed look, and essays by outstanding scholars in the field provide insight into creation and use. The photographs are exceptionally clear, critical in a book so filled with detail. This is a definitive work in what had been a barren field. Highly recommended. [Library Journal]. REVIEW: Over 200 faience objects from museums and collections are shown together with a detailed description of each piece, with a technical glossary, maps and chronological table. Color photos. Quarto. Published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name held at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, May 19, 1998-July 5, 1998; Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I., Aug. 24, 1998-Jan. 3, 1999; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Tex., Jan. 31, 1999-Apr. 25, 1999. Includes bibliographical references (p. 268-281) and index. READER REVIEWS: REVIEW: The opportunity to look at faience amulets and larger pieces greatly enlarged close up is thrilling. The photography is perfectly brilliant. The large hard cover book feels luxurious. I find I can learn more from exhibition catalogs than from any other type of book on Egypt. Diverse Egyptologists write up different pieces, explaining the symbolic significance, Thames & Hudson<