Bøger udgivet af British Museum Press

The book provides explanations of different techniques of printmaking and illustrates both details and whole prints to show the effects that can be achieved. Woodcut, engraving and mezzotint are among the different processes explained and placed within an historical context.

This delightful book showcases bookplates drawn from the rich collections of the British Museum, including works created by some of the most talented artists of their day, such as Albrecht Durer, Edward Burne-Jones, Aubrey Beardsley and Eric Gill.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a painter, sculptor, musician, architect, engineer, inventor, scientist, anatomist and mathematician. This book presents a chronological selection of drawings by Leonardo along with other works thought to be by his students and other members of his circle.

The environments of the Central Andean region in Peru, South America, are some of the most geographically rich and diverse in the world. This publication highlights the history, beliefs and cultural achievements of the different peoples who lived in these remarkable landscapes from 1500 BC to the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s, and the importance of their legacy up until today. Over thousands of years, the people of the Andes have approached agriculture, economy, gender, power and belief in fascinating ways. Many archaeological sites in Peru are uniquely preserved, and the book discusses key examples with a thematic and geographical approach. The vibrant and varied material depicted includes ceramics, colourful textiles, golden objects and wooden carvings, drawn from the British Museum and museums and collections in Peru and beyond. When juxtaposed with breathtaking photography of archaeological sites and landscapes, they reveal new narratives about the country's rich history.

The British Museum¿s collection is one of the world¿s finest and broadest, ranging from prehistoric times to the present in ancient and modern cultures around the globe. This new and updated edition includes many recent acquisitions and new discoveries, such as Picassös stunning Vollard Suite and the intriguing Vale of York Viking hoard, and showcases a selection of more than 250 of the most beautiful and important objects drawn from across the Museum.

Meet emperors and empresses, soldiers and salesmen, princes and potters: a visual feat that captures the flavour of the remarkable Ming dynasty.

The first stroke-by-stroke guide ever produced for learning to write Naskh, one of the six major cursive Arabic scripts.

Picasso was one of the most creative and experimental talents ever to explore the medium of print. This book charts his career as a printmaker, which was characterised by close collaboration with skilled printers, through which extraordinary artworks were produced. Printmaking was a vitally important activity in the long artistic career of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). His long-standing, if at times episodic, engagement with printmaking, stretched from his early years in Paris until his old age in 1972. This book explores how the technical challenges of working in different print media (etching, aquatint, linocut and lithography) inspired Picasso's creativity. Together with a stunning selection of works on paper by Picasso, it also includes sculptures, drawings and prints by other artists and cultures of the kind that inspired Picasso. His prints often demonstrate his keen sense of belonging to an artistic lineage stretching back to antiquity (stemming from his kinship with the Mediterranean world of his birthplace, Málaga), as well as great artists of the past such as Raphael, Rembrandt and Ingres. One section explores the contradictions and controversies relating to Picasso's relationships with his wives and lovers. The focus on Picasso as a printmaker will argue for the importance of this activity in his long artistic career, and his continued relevance as one of the most creative and experimental talents ever to explore the medium of print.

Together with his own artworks, contemporary artist Hew Locke uses the British Museum's collection as a springboard to explore themes of colonialism and cultural interactions. Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke (b. 1959) has chosen objects from the British Museum's collection to examine interactions between Britain and different cultures from around 1600 onwards. Presented alongside newly commissioned and existing works, Locke explores the histories and legacies of British imperialism, with a particular focus on interactions with India, Africa and the Caribbean, exploring different facets of enmeshed histories and their impact for people around the world today. Locke has often used interventionist techniques to frame and highlight objects that tell stories about shared colonial histories - for example, drawing on copies of antique share certificates, which illuminate particular histories of extraction, or altering historical busts and public statues that glorify key figures in the British Empire. Rather than seeking to condemn or celebrate Britain's imperial legacy, Locke's engagement with the Museum's collection instead highlights the ways in which it informs so many aspects of contemporary culture that are taken for granted, encouraging readers to form their own responses and questions.

Between 776 BC and the year 395, the ancient Olympic games were held every four years. Tracing the mythological and religous origins of the games, and describing the events, this history shows a detailed model of the sports complex and covers the sponsorship and training of the athletes.

A richly illustrated publication that explores the networks of contacts and exchanges spanning Afro-Eurasia from 500 to 1000 CE, highlighting how the movement of people, objects and ideas shaped cultures and histories.In the ninth century CE, an Arabian ship sank off the coast of Indonesia. The objects found in the wreckage, which include Chinese ceramics and precious metals, have provided extraordinary evidence of the nature, scale and diversity of trade between Tang China and the Islamic Abbasid dynasty, revealing the extent of a large-scale operation. This is just one example of the sprawling and extensive networks of contacts and exchanges across Afro-Eurasia, from Japan to Britain, in the period 500 to 1000 CE that demonstrate the movement of peoples, objects and ideas, which shaped cultures and histories. This book challenges the concept of the ?silk roads' as a simple history of trade between East and West. Focusing on a series of overlapping geographic zones, interspersed with case studies of particular peoples who were active along these networks - seafarers in the Indian Ocean, Sogdians, Vikings, Aksumites, and the peoples of al-Andalus - it reveals remarkable human stories, innovations and the transfer of knowledge that emerged from these connections. Each section explores notable examples of contacts, connections and integrations, while emphasising the environmental and historical conditions that shaped them, featuring the latest scientific research. The dazzling range of objects includes a wooden panel with a painting of the ?silk princess' who smuggled the eggs of the silk moth from China (illustrated above); a lion sculpture from Jordan; a miniature wooden pagoda from Japan; gold coins from Yemen; wall paintings from the Hall of Ambassadors in Uzbekistan; a kaftan from the Caucasus region; an ivory cross from Spain; and a gold and garnet scabbard slide from the Sutton Hoo burial in Britain.

Tracing the final 30 years of Michelangelös career, this book examines how the great master used art and faith to explore the common human experience of ageing in a rapidly changing world. Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475¿1564) was one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. He was not the isolated, tortured genius of artistic myth, but a man who maintained a close circle of friends and associates into old age. He developed collaborative working relationships with younger artists, thereby maintaining his fame and reputation even as he aged, relinquishing the hardest physical work to others. His late drawings offer a powerful insight into his psychology, reflecting his Catholic faith, his commanding intellectual engagement, and his hope for eternal life. Michelangelo reimagined the iconography of religious art to create hugely influential compositions of key moments in Christian faith, such as the Crucifixion, the Last Judgement and the Pietà (or Lamentation). He was involved in designing several significant sites in Rome at this time ¿ including his key architectural project, the immense challenge of rebuilding St Peter¿s, at the very heart of Christianity. His role as an architect is explored through beautiful drawings, highlighting his range as a designer. Alongside his major commissions he created deeply personal drawings ¿ revisiting earlier compositions to explore intensely moving Crucifixions that served as spiritual meditations on Christ¿s death and offered the hope of salvation for an elderly man facing the end of his own long life. Built on the firm foundations of the British Museum¿s extraordinary collection of drawings, his work is explored alongside his personal relationships to consider the transformation of Michelangelo into the towering figure of artistic genius known today.

Explores the ideals, symbolism and ideology of Egyptian kingship and uncovers the stories behind the objects and images left as a legacy by this ancient civilisation. The rulers of ancient Egypt were not always male, nor always Egyptian. At times, Egypt was divided by civil war, conquered by foreign powers or ruled by competing kings. While some kings were revered ¿ such as Thutmose III who expanded Egypt¿s empire to its largest extent ¿ the memory of others was officially erased. Many of the objects surviving from ancient Egypt project the image the pharaoh wanted us to see ¿ however this book explores the reality and the many challenges of ruling one of the greatest civilisations the world has ever seen. After an introduction into the historic and geographic timeframe of the ancient Pharaohs, the book explores royal iconography, decoding the insignia worn and held by the king, or the names and titles covering most royal monuments. The core of the book investigates the main roles of the king, as high priest, as the head of the royal family, as the administrative ruler of the country and as the leader of the army and diplomat. Following an investigation into the preparation for the king¿s eternal life, from the rituals to the building of a tomb, the book closes on a contemporary perspective from Egypt and how the notion of the Pharaoh still resonates today. The book covers 3,000 years of history ¿ highlighting research on key pieces from the British Museum¿s outstanding collection of Egyptian antiquities.

The first publication to celebrate the British Museum¿s rich collection of these technically sophisticated artworks created as part of Japanese cultural salons in the late 18th and 19th centuries, featuring lively figures in daily life and festivals, elegant birds and flowers, ferocious animals and lyrical landscapes. Cultural salons were creative spaces for people of all social levels to jointly pursue painting, poetry and other artistic endeavours. Many people today think of artists and poets as professionals or specially gifted. In early modern Japan, however, large numbers of people joined cultural activity groups to pursue diverse kinds of arts as serious but amateur practitioners. With a variety of motivations, people from all walks of life ¿ young and old, women and men ¿ participated enthusiastically in these circles. Everyone used a pen- or art-name. Individuals were therefore able to socialise and interact broadly through these artistic activities, regardless of official social status as regulated by the shogunal government. In the area around Kyoto and Osaka especially, the idea of communal and collaborative creativity seems to have been deeply engrained. Each of the two cities, located close to each other but geographically remote from Edo (modern-day Tokyo), the seat of the shogun¿s government, had a distinct character: Kyoto, the national capital where the emperor and aristocrats resided, and Osaka, the centre of commerce. Only a fraction of these technically sophisticated artworks has previously been published in colour. With six essays by leading experts that explore this fascinating cultural phenomenon from different angles, and eight shorter insights that delve into specific historical aspects and the personal connections and legacies of cultural figures, this book offers a new perspective on Japanese art and society in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

This volume provides an authoritative and systematic account of the coins minted for Roman Egypt between AD 138 and 192. It is the first of four volumes, which will cover the provincial coinage of this crucial period of Roman history in its entirety.The coinage in this volume was produced at Alexandria, the commercial and cultural capital of the eastern Mediterranean. It is dated by the year, making it an invaluable guide to imperial presentation and to economic developments during this transitional period. Its iconography is of exceptional interest to scholars and collectors, combining fascinating aspects of Greek, Roman and Egyptian culture.The book gives a complete picture of the material, meeting the needs of numismatists and providing an essential reference for historians, archaeologists and other students of the Roman empire. The introductory chapters and extensive catalogue are accompanied by illustrations of virtually all known types.

The scale and organisation of the Roman army was unprecedented in the ancient Western world. This book tells the story of everyday aspects of the army in the heyday of the Roman Empire ¿ from life in a tent to the food soldiers consumed ¿ and explains its hierarchy, roles, equipment and place in a vast multi-ethnic society divided between citizens and subjects. Through this social evolution, the army gradually transformed the state it was established to protect. Innovations in military training and technology, including medicine, allowed common Roman soldiers to be as well-equipped as their generals and to have realistic prospects of surviving the 25 years of military service. This book dispels preconceived notions about the Roman army ¿ for example, that forts were exclusively the domain of male soldiers ¿ and addresses the violence committed by soldiers towards women, conquered subjects and enslaved peoples. The risks of becoming a soldier are also explored, especially the consequences for convicted soldiers (decimation, crucifixion or becoming amphitheatre entertainment). Most importantly, readers will discover a vivid picture of what life was really like in the Roman army, including how soldiers signed up and were trained; what life was like in tents, forts, and on the battlefield; and soldiers¿ dress, diets, health and relationships.

Reveals the rich and complex histories and cultures of Burma/Myanmar from their early development and powerful imperial expansions to their positions as colonial subjects and then as a war-torn nation. From influential superpower to repressive regime, Myanmar ¿ also known as Burma ¿ has seen dramatic fluctuations in fortune over the past 1,500 years. Interconnected yet isolated, rich in natural resources such as jade, rubies and teak but with many of its peoples living below the poverty line, Myanmar is a country that defies categorisation. Its cultures have been shaped by their engagements with religious networks, expansionist empires and global trade routes from India and China to Africa, the Middle East and Europe. It was once home to different kingdoms, principalities and chiefdoms that interacted with one another and further afield. The colonial period under British rule saw dramatic changes and upon independence in 1948, the various parts of the country were brought together, many for the first time, into a single nation state. Since then Myanmar has been engulfed by long running civil wars. This beautiful book explores Myanmar¿s complexities, focusing on the extraordinary and innovative arts of its diverse peoples to create a long history of the region. Featuring objects such as sparkling gems, sumptuous court dress, intricately carved furniture, elaborate silver vessels, satirical cartoons and contemporary art, from the 400s CE to the present day, this book is a testament to the creativity and variety of Myanmar¿s many peoples.

From the 1960s drawing assumed a prominent position in the practice of a rising generation of post-war artists in Germany and Austria. This publication examines works on paper by four artists still comparatively little known in the UK. While Georg Baselitz and Gerhard Richter, household names in German contemporary art, are well known for their large and commanding works, a quieter and more reflective strand is found in the work of Rudi Tröger (b. 1929), Karl Bohrmann (1928¿1998) and Carl-Heinz Wegert (1926¿2007). Small and intimate in scale, their drawings focus on the abstracted, minimalist figure, the studio interior and landscapes, through a sensitive use of line and a spare, self-effacing gesturalism. By contrast, the Austrian actionist Hermann Nitsch (1938¿2022) presents visceral depictions of the human anatomy in his large lithographs, which come out of his notorious actionist performances. This publication celebrates a second major gift to the British Museum from the German collector Count Christian Duerckheim, whose first gift featured in Germany Divided: Baselitz and his generation, published by the British Museum Press in 2014.

Wonderfully preserved Greek vases are a unique source of information about the mythology, religion, drama and daily life of the ancient Greek world. This sumptuous photographic book offers a superb visual introduction to the artistry of ancient Greek vases, exploring them not merely as beautiful vessels to bear water and wine, but also as instruments of storytelling and bearers of meaning. Presenting the vases and their imagery in their full narrative glory, The Greek Vase interprets their forms and stories along a variety of themes, from the adventures of gods and mythological heroes, to expressive scenes of sexual intimacy and depictions of social, family and domestic life. This beautifully illustrated book highlights what these pictures would have meant to the people who lived with and used them, how they have been received by later generations, and the profound influence of their form, decoration and narrative on subsequent art, architecture and literature.

In the hands of artists and poets, books have been taking a radically different form since the advent of the artist¿s book in Paris in the early 20th century. Appearing in a variety of shapes and sizes, as one-offs or small print editions, books offer artists and poets a novel form of expression. In the words of Indian artist Nalini Malani (b. 1946), the book is `a carrier of experience¿, in which whole worlds are encapsulated. In this beautifully produced book, works made by artists from New York to Damascus and beyond highlight the relationship between artists and writers and the influences that inform their work, from family to politics and everything in between. Lebanese artist Abed Al Kadiri (b. 1984) conceived his book during the first month of the pandemic to explore his family history, while through the eyes of Iraqi artist Kareem Risan (b. 1960) we see the shocking aftermath of a deadly explosion on the streets of Baghdad in 2005. These artists also find inspiration in classical poetry and literature. Here you will see works that respond to and that are informed by the medieval Persian poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi and Hafez, as well as the tales of The Arabian Nights.

'Handsomely illustrated' - Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide 'The book is a resounding success... a valuable guide to laypeople, students and scholars on the late Qing for years to come.' - SEHEPUNKTE 'The exhibition catalogue's seven essays...are a guide to [a] re-reading of the past, threading the relics on display into a rich tapestry of what life entailed under the last century of Manchu reign.' - Rhoda Kwan, The Mekong Review Cultural creativity in China between 1796 and 1912 demonstrated extraordinary resilience at a time of intense external and internal warfare and socioeconomic turmoil. Innovation can be seen in material culture (including print, painting, calligraphy, textiles, fashion, jewellery, ceramics, lacquer, glass, arms and armour, silver, and photography) during a century in which China's art, literature, crafts and technology faced unprecedented exposure to global influences. 1796 - the official end of the reign of the Qianlong emperor - is viewed as the close of the 'high Qing' and the start of a period of protracted crisis. In 1912, the last emperor, Puyi, abdicated after the revolution of 1911, bringing to an end some 2,000 years of dynastic rule and making way for the republic. Until recently the 19th century in China has been often defined - and dismissed - as an era of cultural decline. Built on new research from a four-year project supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and with chapter contributions by international scholars from leading institutions, this beautifully illustrated, 336-page book edited by Jessica Harrison-Hall and Julia Lovell sets out a fresh understanding of this important era. It presents a stunning array of objects and artworks to create a detailed visual account of responses to war, technology, urbanisation, political transformations and external influences.