A heart of gold, the golden rule, a golden boy or girl: our everyday use of its name as a metaphor for what is best and most admirable is in itself a testament to the enduring, universal fascination of the quintessential precious metal. This engaging book reveals the ways in which gold has shaped mankind: since prehistory, for example, artisans have fashioned gold into ritual objects and high-status ornaments; beginning in the 6th century B.C., 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 hone 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; intricate Etruscan and Celtic jewelry; a figurine of “El Dorado,” a Precolumbian chief said to ritualistically cover his entire body in gold dust; and bejeweled medieval book covers, reliquaries, and crucifixes. With intriguing and authoritative text and captivating full-color illustrations, The Lure of Gold sets the standard for books on material culture.

280 pages, 260 illustrations (240 in full color), 10 1/2 in. x 11 13/16 in. Hardcover; clothbound, with jacket.

The Lure of Gold: An Artistic and Cultural History
03-019387
Member Price: $62.95 each
Non-Member Price: $69.95 each


Quantity: