Egypt: 4000 Years of Art

The land that is now Egypt nurtured an extraordinary pioneering civilization - one of the oldest, most powerful, long-lasting and technically accomplished cultures the world has ever known. Over the millennia its achievements have never lost their power to amaze - and justly so, for the Egyptian architects and craftsmen produced some of the greatest masterpieces of world art. This book presents a carefully chosen selection of the finest works of art and architecture produced over a period of some 4000 years, from about 4000BC, when the first sophisticated works of art began to be made, to 200AD, when Egypt was a province of the Roman Empire and the old traditions had all but died out. Egyptian art is usually instantly recognizable and its basic formulas remained unchanged for thousands of years, yet at the same time it was remarkably varied in size, medium, subject-matter and type of object, ranging in size from the monumental pyramids and temples to the tiniest and most delicate pieces of jewellery, and embracing painting, sculpture, metalwork, woodwork, textiles and ceramics. At whatever scale, the art has an immediate appeal for its beauty and consummate craftsmanship, and the works illustrated in this book, all of the highest quality, can be enjoyed for their aesthetic qualities alone. They are also products of a culture very different from ours, and in his concise introduction Jaromir Malek provides the essential background for understanding why Egyptian art took the forms it did. The explanations continue in the informative captions to each illustration, and the chronological chart, map, bibliography and index provide quick reference. The works illustrated in "Egypt: 4000 Years of Art" are all masterpieces that can be enjoyed in their own right. Presented in strict chronological order, they also form a succinct history of the subject that will be a valuable resource for students and teachers. For all readers it will provide a fresh and beautiful introduction to some of the most remarkable art ever produced.