The Lure of Gold : An Artistic and Cultural History download book DOC, FB2, PDF
9780789209009 English 0789209004 "The very scarcity of gold accounts for part of its allure and much of its monetary value: the total volume of gold ever mined, from prehistory to the present day, would fit inside a cube with sides just sixty to sixty-five feet (18-20 m) long. Yet gold's incredible material properties also contribute to its appeal. Gold doesn't corrode, so it never loses its brilliant luster, and it's the most ductile and malleable of the metals; that is, it can be chased, embossed punched, drawn into wires, hammered foil-thin, and shaped in countless other ways." "This book reveals that the ways in which gold has shaped mankind are no less numerous since prehistory, for example, artisans have fashioned gold into ritual objects and high-status ornaments; beginning in the sixth century BC, it served as currency; and even in the modern era it has encouraged wars of conquest and triggered frantic gold rushes. Author Hans-Gert Bachmann, a noted archaeometallurgist, devotes each chapter of The Lure of Gold to one historical epoch, explaining where people of that time found gold; how they mined, refined, and worked it; and how it affected them socially and economically. He devotes special attention to gold's place in art history, discussing artifacts as diverse as the funerary mask of Tutankhamun; Roman coins bearing imperial portraits; amazingly intricate Etruscan and Celtic jewelry; a figuring of "El Dorado," a pre-Columbian chief said to ritualistically cover his entire body in gold dust; and bejewelled medieval book covers, reliquaries, and crucifixes. A chapter about gold in modern society, contributed by art historian Jorg Vollnagel, carries the account up to the present day, illustrating contemporary goldsmiths' work and even Gustav Klimt's gold-drenched canvas The Kiss. All of these glittering objets d'art are depicted in 285 stunning, full-color photographs, which are supplemented by eight specially commissioned maps. With Bachmann's intriguing, authoritative text and these captivating illustrations, The Lure of Gold sets, as it were, the gold standard for books on material culture."--BOOK JACKET., Art History, History, The dazzlingly illustrated story of how the world's most beautiful element has influenced the art, economy, and society of every civilization. When Hesiod, the Greek poet of the eighth century B.C., recounted the history of the world as he understood it, he described the legendary first generation of mortal men, who lived in peace and ease, as the "people of gold." Nearly three millennia later, we still refer to a particularly happy or prosperous era as a "golden age." The reason Hesiod's metaphor translates so perfectly into our own idiom is that the mystique of gold, the quintessential precious metal, is truly universal. The very scarcity of gold accounts for part of its allure and much of its monetary value: the total volume of gold ever mined, from prehistory to the present day, would probably fit inside a cube with sides just twenty yards (18 m) long. Yet gold's incredible material properties also contribute to its appeal. Gold does not corrode, so it never loses its brilliant luster, and it can be chased, embossed, punched, drawn into wires, hammered foil-thin, and shaped in countless other ways. This engaging book reveals that the ways in which gold, in turn, has shaped humanity are no less numerous. Since prehistory, for example, artisans have fashioned gold into ritual objects and high-status ornaments; beginning in the sixth century B.C., gold served as currency; and even in the modern era it has encouraged wars of conquest and triggered frantic gold rushes. Each chapter is devoted to one historical epoch, explaining how people of that time mined and refined gold, and how they used it for cultural and economic purposes. Two hundred gorgeous color photographs illustrate golden objets d'art as diverse as the funerary masks of Tutankhamen; intricate Celtic jewelry; a figurine of "El Dorado," a pre-Columbian chief said to ritualistically cover his entire body in gold dust; bejeweled medieval reliquaries and crucifixes; and even Gustav Klimt's gold-drenched canvas The Kiss. With its authoritative yet lively text and these arresting illustrations, The Lure of Gold sets, as it were, the gold standard for books on material culture., When Hesiod, the Greek poet of the eighth century B.C., recounted the history of the world as he understood it, he described the legendary first generation of mortal men, who lived in peace and ease, as the GC people of gold.GCY Nearly three millennia later, we still refer to a particularly happy or prosperous era as a GC golden age.GCY The reason HesiodGCOs metaphor translates so perfectly into our own idiom is that the mystique of gold, the quintessential precious metal, is truly universal. The very scarcity of gold accounts for part of its allure and much of its monetary value: the total volume of gold ever mined, from prehistory to the present day, would probably fit inside a cube with sides just twenty yards (18 m) long. Yet goldGCOs incredible material properties also contribute to its appeal. Gold does not corrode, so it never loses its brilliant luster, and it can be chased, embossed, punched, drawn into wires, hammered foil-thin, and shaped in countless other ways.This engaging book reveals that the ways in which gold, in turn, has shaped humanity are no less numerous. Since prehistory, for example, artisans have fashioned gold into ritual objects and high-status ornaments; beginning in the sixth century B.C., gold served as currency; and even in the modern era it has encouraged wars of conquest and triggered frantic gold rushes. Each chapter is devoted to one historical epoch, explaining how people of that time mined and refined gold, and how they used it for cultural and economic purposes. Two hundred gorgeous color photographs illustrate golden objets dGCOart as diverse as the funerary masks of Tutankhamen; intricate Celtic jewelry; a figurine of GC El Dorado, GCY a pre-Columbian chief said to ritualistically cover his entire body in gold dust; bejeweled medieval reliquaries and crucifixes; and even Gustav KlimtGCOs gold-drenched canvas "The Kiss." With its authoritative yet lively text and these arresting illustrations, "The Lure of Gold" sets, as it were, the gold standard for books on material culture."
9780789209009 English 0789209004 "The very scarcity of gold accounts for part of its allure and much of its monetary value: the total volume of gold ever mined, from prehistory to the present day, would fit inside a cube with sides just sixty to sixty-five feet (18-20 m) long. Yet gold's incredible material properties also contribute to its appeal. Gold doesn't corrode, so it never loses its brilliant luster, and it's the most ductile and malleable of the metals; that is, it can be chased, embossed punched, drawn into wires, hammered foil-thin, and shaped in countless other ways." "This book reveals that the ways in which gold has shaped mankind are no less numerous since prehistory, for example, artisans have fashioned gold into ritual objects and high-status ornaments; beginning in the sixth century BC, it served as currency; and even in the modern era it has encouraged wars of conquest and triggered frantic gold rushes. Author Hans-Gert Bachmann, a noted archaeometallurgist, devotes each chapter of The Lure of Gold to one historical epoch, explaining where people of that time found gold; how they mined, refined, and worked it; and how it affected them socially and economically. He devotes special attention to gold's place in art history, discussing artifacts as diverse as the funerary mask of Tutankhamun; Roman coins bearing imperial portraits; amazingly intricate Etruscan and Celtic jewelry; a figuring of "El Dorado," a pre-Columbian chief said to ritualistically cover his entire body in gold dust; and bejewelled medieval book covers, reliquaries, and crucifixes. A chapter about gold in modern society, contributed by art historian Jorg Vollnagel, carries the account up to the present day, illustrating contemporary goldsmiths' work and even Gustav Klimt's gold-drenched canvas The Kiss. All of these glittering objets d'art are depicted in 285 stunning, full-color photographs, which are supplemented by eight specially commissioned maps. With Bachmann's intriguing, authoritative text and these captivating illustrations, The Lure of Gold sets, as it were, the gold standard for books on material culture."--BOOK JACKET., Art History, History, The dazzlingly illustrated story of how the world's most beautiful element has influenced the art, economy, and society of every civilization. When Hesiod, the Greek poet of the eighth century B.C., recounted the history of the world as he understood it, he described the legendary first generation of mortal men, who lived in peace and ease, as the "people of gold." Nearly three millennia later, we still refer to a particularly happy or prosperous era as a "golden age." The reason Hesiod's metaphor translates so perfectly into our own idiom is that the mystique of gold, the quintessential precious metal, is truly universal. The very scarcity of gold accounts for part of its allure and much of its monetary value: the total volume of gold ever mined, from prehistory to the present day, would probably fit inside a cube with sides just twenty yards (18 m) long. Yet gold's incredible material properties also contribute to its appeal. Gold does not corrode, so it never loses its brilliant luster, and it can be chased, embossed, punched, drawn into wires, hammered foil-thin, and shaped in countless other ways. This engaging book reveals that the ways in which gold, in turn, has shaped humanity are no less numerous. Since prehistory, for example, artisans have fashioned gold into ritual objects and high-status ornaments; beginning in the sixth century B.C., gold served as currency; and even in the modern era it has encouraged wars of conquest and triggered frantic gold rushes. Each chapter is devoted to one historical epoch, explaining how people of that time mined and refined gold, and how they used it for cultural and economic purposes. Two hundred gorgeous color photographs illustrate golden objets d'art as diverse as the funerary masks of Tutankhamen; intricate Celtic jewelry; a figurine of "El Dorado," a pre-Columbian chief said to ritualistically cover his entire body in gold dust; bejeweled medieval reliquaries and crucifixes; and even Gustav Klimt's gold-drenched canvas The Kiss. With its authoritative yet lively text and these arresting illustrations, The Lure of Gold sets, as it were, the gold standard for books on material culture., When Hesiod, the Greek poet of the eighth century B.C., recounted the history of the world as he understood it, he described the legendary first generation of mortal men, who lived in peace and ease, as the GC people of gold.GCY Nearly three millennia later, we still refer to a particularly happy or prosperous era as a GC golden age.GCY The reason HesiodGCOs metaphor translates so perfectly into our own idiom is that the mystique of gold, the quintessential precious metal, is truly universal. The very scarcity of gold accounts for part of its allure and much of its monetary value: the total volume of gold ever mined, from prehistory to the present day, would probably fit inside a cube with sides just twenty yards (18 m) long. Yet goldGCOs incredible material properties also contribute to its appeal. Gold does not corrode, so it never loses its brilliant luster, and it can be chased, embossed, punched, drawn into wires, hammered foil-thin, and shaped in countless other ways.This engaging book reveals that the ways in which gold, in turn, has shaped humanity are no less numerous. Since prehistory, for example, artisans have fashioned gold into ritual objects and high-status ornaments; beginning in the sixth century B.C., gold served as currency; and even in the modern era it has encouraged wars of conquest and triggered frantic gold rushes. Each chapter is devoted to one historical epoch, explaining how people of that time mined and refined gold, and how they used it for cultural and economic purposes. Two hundred gorgeous color photographs illustrate golden objets dGCOart as diverse as the funerary masks of Tutankhamen; intricate Celtic jewelry; a figurine of GC El Dorado, GCY a pre-Columbian chief said to ritualistically cover his entire body in gold dust; bejeweled medieval reliquaries and crucifixes; and even Gustav KlimtGCOs gold-drenched canvas "The Kiss." With its authoritative yet lively text and these arresting illustrations, "The Lure of Gold" sets, as it were, the gold standard for books on material culture."