FOLK ART OF ASIA AFRICA AUSTRALIA THE AMERICAS

In this companion volume to the highly acclaimed Folk Art of Europe, Professor Bossert presents a stunning and remarkable collection of decorative objects from Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Far East, and the Americas from literally hundreds of cultures, great and small, with a heritage of ornamental arts.

23 pages of text; 79 color plates.

At the time of his death in 1961, Bossert was teaching at the University of Istanbul and was the director of the Turkish National Archaeological Institute. These two works were originally published in German under the titles Das Ornamentwerk (1924) and Volkskunst in Europa (1926). Drawn from major ethnological collections, these comprehensive compilations offered thousands of examples of decorative objects from hundreds of cultures. Over the years these bulky volumes have been divided, retitled, and reprinted. Folk Art of Europe contains over 1300 examples of religious, magical, decorative, and utilitarian objects. Fabric, rugs, embroidery, ceramics, wood, metal, and other materials are represented from Portugal to the Caucasus and from Lapland to the Greek Isles. The companion volume, Folk Art of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas, offers over 1000 illustrations. The quality of reproduction is very good, and each artifact is numbered and briefly described as to museum, fiber content, and date. While Owen Jones's The Grammar of Ornament (originally published in 1856) contains a synopsis of re-created patterns, Bossert photographed actual objects. Students of the decorative arts, anthropology, and ethnology as well as those in search of creative inspiration will appreciate these encyclopedias of ornament and color composition. For public and academic libraries.
- Judith Yankie lun Lind, Roseland Free P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.