Art of the Celts: 700 BC to AD 700 - Tapa dura

An exceptional copy; fine in an equally fine dw. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Literally as new and still in the publisher's protective shrink-wrap.; 303 pages; Physical description: 303 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 29 cm. Summary: Neighbours and contemporaries of the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans, the Celts received inspiration from these advanced civlizations, which set their own creativity in motion. The distinctive Celtic style of art was born, with ornament as its outstanding feature. Naturalistic depiction was never its goal. On the contrary, plants and living creatures were dissected into their individual components and reassembled, were concealed and hidden, distorted and defamiliarized. This book explains the archaeological and historic context of each period, in order to obtain a better understanding of the development and significance of Celtic art and craftsmanship. The catalog contains forty "masterpieces", all outstanding examples illustrating the development of Celtic art. Finally, "101 motifs" demonstrate the varied links within Celtic ornament over the course of time and across Europe. Contents: 1. History, archaeology and art -- Chronology -- Who were the Celts? What is art? -- At the sources of the river Danube: 7th to 5th centuries BC -- Italy, the Balkans and Asia Minor: 5th to 3rd centuries BC -- At the heart of Europe: 2nd century BC to the Common Era -- Gaul and Germania: from the beginning of the Common Era to the 4th century AD -- The British Isles and Ireland: from the beginning of the Common Era to the 8th century AD -- From Athens to Ireland: Conclusion -- 2. Masterpeices of Celtic art: catalogue 1 - 40 -- 3. Pattern book of Celtic art: 101 motifs -- Appendix.