Mongolia: The Legacy of Chinggis Khan - Softcover

Berger, Patricia Ann; Bartholomew, Terese Tse; Bosson, James E.; Stoddard, Heather; Asian Art Museum Of San Francisco; Denver Art Museum; National Geographic Society (U. S.)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0500237050 ISBN 13: 9780500237052

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 1995

Synopsis

In the 13th century the nomadic tribes of Mongolia came together briefly under the inspired leadership of Genghis Khan to create one of the largest empires the world has ever known. It survived barely a century, but its impact on popular imagination has been great. Beginning in the 16th century, leaders struggled to reunite the Mongol tribes and to recast the forms of their early empire in art. This renaissance produced a vast legacy of art, to which this book is devoted. The book, published to accompany a major travelling exhibition drawn from Mongolia's national museums and library, provides a view of Mongolian Buddhist life and presents, in 200 illustrations, a diverse array of treasures: opulent headdresses, radiant bronze sculptures, colourful and exotic masks, richly decorated manuscripts and book covers, and the spun-gold robes of the last "Bogdo Khan" ("Enlightened King"). An introductory text describing the birth of the Mongol culture is followed by essays exploring the rich historical background and examining the ways in which the various forms of art were used. Each photographed object is accompanied by an extended caption.

About this title

Reviews

With the fall of communism, countries like Mongolia have begun to reach out to the wider world. In that spirit, this lavishly illustrated exhibition catalog presents a wide range of objects held by Mongolian museums that have been, until now, largely closed to Western scholars. A collaborative effort of the Asian Art Musuem of San Francisco and the Mongolian Ministry of Culture, National Library, and national museums, this catalog offers an excellent overview of Mongolian history, culture, and art. Each chapter of the extensive text is authored by a major scholar in this field and is accompanied by both black-and-white historical photographs and color photos of the exhibit objects. Highly recommended as a visual survey of a little-known culture for any library with interests in art and/or Asian studies.?Dr. Eugene C. Burt, Art Inst. of Seattle Lib.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500237050
• ISBN 13: 9780500237052
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 339