This latest title in a strikingly beautiful series of collectable books turns our attention to the rich variety of art from the Ancient Americas. We gain fascinating insights into the design and production of a wide range of objects from Mexico and Central and South America. Enlarged details chosen to inspire, illuminate, and surprise bring us close to the world of the Olmecs, Mayans, Mixtecs, Aztecs, and Incans. 
 Beginning by asking what constitutes Ancient American art, Colin McEwan contextualizes this art in its complexity of form and meaning. The close-ups provide the reader with insights that even a behind-the-scenes museum tour cannot offer. As we move across a range of cultures and media, we understand larger issues within which these works of art are embedded: What is the relationship between art and nature in the Ancient Americas? How were these objects used in ritual and religious practices? What is the role of masks? How do the practices of ancestor deification, sacrifice, and rituals related to fertility and procreation shape the visual and material culture of the Ancient Americas? 
 Jade, turquoise, featherwork, metalwork, wood, stone, ceramics, textiles, and illustrations—each beautifully photographed object is part of the extraordinary Ancient American collection of the British Museum. The beauty of the smallest details is magnified and contextualized through accompanying essays written by experts in Ancient American art.

Ancient American Art in Detail

Arts & Photography

McEwan, Colin

History & Criticism

Harvard University Press

Ancient Mexico in the British Museum

History

British Museum

Americas

British Museum Pubns Ltd

Addressing the antiquity and complexity of tropical forest civilization in the Amazon Basin, this text is based on the latest archaeological and ethnographic research. It opens up new perspectives on Amazonian Indian societies, both past and present. 13 contributions by leading Latin American, European and North American scholars bring to life the long and complex history of human occupation of this vast region. Together they offer a revision of long held views about indigenous Amazonian communities. Prevailing preconceptions have tended to ignore the achievements of Amazonian societies that developed prior to European contact with the Americas. What emerges in this book is a picture of sophisticated artistic traditions executed in pottery, stone, wood and featherwork. These works of art bear a range of complex imagery, creating a window into a world that has undergone profound transformations, yet still offers insights and lessons to be learned.

Unknown Amazon: Culture in Nature in Ancient Brazil

Barreto, Cristiana

Neves, Eduardo

British Museum Press (Distribution)

Turquoise Mosaics from Mexico /anglais

Reference

BRITISH MUSEUM

Language:Chinese.HardCover Pub Date: Jun Publisher: itish Museum Press in Click on the Google Preview image above to the read some pages of this book! Offers a view of Ancient American art. featuring an array of objects ranging from North America through Mexico to Central and South America. This book opens with an introduction asking 'What is Ancient American art'. and explores fundamental relationships among the diverse artistic traditions of the Americas.

Ancient American Art in Detail /anglais

Produced to accompany a major exhibition at the British Museum, on view 24 September 2009 - 24 January 2010, this catalogue will explore the dramatic events surrounding the Spanish assault on the Aztec Empire, focusing on the Emperor Moctezuma II who ruled from AD 1502 from his capital Tenochtitlan (the site of modern-day Mexico City). Key works of art will be shown together for the first time, including iconic objects such as the British Museums turquoise snake and masks, and intriguing but less well-known material such as sculptures, codices, intricate featherwork, gold and treasures from Mexico and other major international museums. The book will open with an examination of the origin of Mexico and the role of the king as a military, political and religious leader. At the heart of the story unfolding around the arrival of the Spanish stands the enigmatic and semi-mythical figure of Moctezuma himself. Attention will be drawn to the fascinating but often very different accounts of key events given by Mexican and Spanish sources. Moctezuma's own contribution to his eventual downfall and death at the hands of his own people will be examined afresh, drawing upon the latest international research and the ongoing archaeological discoveries in Mexico City. The book will finally reassess the legacy of these momentous events, including the role they played in shaping modern Mexican identity. With chapters by international authorities and stunning photography, this book will be an outstanding contribution to the understanding of Mexico and its last Aztec ruler.

Moctezuma Aztec Ruler /anglais

The nine turquoise mosaics from Mexico are some the most striking pieces in the collections of the British Museum. Among the few surviving such artifacts, these exquisite objects include two masks, a shield, a knife, a helmet, a double-headed serpent, a mosaic on a human skull, a jaguar, and an animal head. They all originate from the Mixtec and Aztec civilizations first encountered by Europeans during the Spanish conquest in the early sixteenth century. The mosaics have long excited admiration for their masterful blend of technical skill and artistry and fascination regarding their association with ritual and ceremony. Only recently though, have scientific investigations undertaken by the British Museum dramatically advanced knowledge of the mosaics by characterizing, for the first time, the variety of natural materials that were used to create them.
Illustrated with more than 160 color images, this book describes the recent scientific findings about the mosaics in detail, revealing them to be rich repositories of information about ancient Mexico. The materials used to construct the mosaics demonstrate their makers’ deep knowledge of the natural world and its resources. The effort that would have been involved in procuring the materials testifies to the mosaics’ value and significance in a society imbued with myths and religious beliefs. The British Museum’s analyses have provided evidence of the way that the materials were prepared and assembled, the tools used, and the choices that were made by artisans. In addition, by drawing on historical accounts including early codices, as well as recent archaeological discoveries, specialists have learned more about the place of the mosaics in ancient Mexican culture.
Filled with information about the religion, art, and natural and cultural history as well as the extraordinary ability of modern science to enable detailed insight into past eras, Turquoise Mosaics from Mexico offers an overview of the production, utilization, and eventual fate of these beautiful and mysterious objects.

Turquoise Mosaics from Mexico

Middleton, Andrew

Cartwright, Caroline

Stacey, Rebecca

Duke University Press

The nine turquoise mosaics from Mexico are some the most striking pieces in the collections of the British Museum. Among the few surviving such artifacts, these exquisite objects include two masks, a shield, a knife, a helmet, a double-headed serpent, a mosaic on a human skull, a jaguar, and an animal head. They all originate from the Mixtec and Aztec civilizations first encountered by Europeans during the Spanish conquest in the early sixteenth century. The mosaics have long excited admiration for their masterful blend of technical skill and artistry and fascination regarding their association with ritual and ceremony. Only recently though, have scientific investigations undertaken by the British Museum dramatically advanced knowledge of the mosaics by characterizing, for the first time, the variety of natural materials that were used to create them. 
Illustrated with more than 160 color images, this book describes the recent scientific findings about the mosaics in detail, revealing them to be rich repositories of information about ancient Mexico. The materials used to construct the mosaics demonstrate their makers’ deep knowledge of the natural world and its resources. The effort that would have been involved in procuring the materials testifies to the mosaics’ value and significance in a society imbued with myths and religious beliefs. The British Museum’s analyses have provided evidence of the way that the materials were prepared and assembled, the tools used, and the choices that were made by artisans. In addition, by drawing on historical accounts including early codices, as well as recent archaeological discoveries, specialists have learned more about the place of the mosaics in ancient Mexican culture. 
Filled with information about the religion, art, and natural and cultural history as well as the extraordinary ability of modern science to enable detailed insight into past eras, Turquoise Mosaics from Mexico offers an overview of the production, utilization, and eventual fate of these beautiful and mysterious objects.

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