In this survey, the author looks at the development and use of cylinder seals over 3000 years. She discusses the information that they provide on religion, design and aspects of daily life in the Near East for this period.

A collection of essays exploring the social aspects of sensation in the ancient Near East and how these cultures represented sensory phenomena in their languages, literature, art, and architecture.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1845.

Color woodblock prints, early maps of Asia and beyond, and gorgeously detailed scrolls are just some of the highlights in the collection of the C. V. Starr East Asian Library at the University of California, Berkeley. Imbedded in the descriptions of the works featured is a lucidly sketched history of the countries where the works originated and the ways in which they influenced each other. The library is the second-largest academic collection of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean books, maps, manuscripts, and other printed matter in the U.S.

At present any new book on the East will naturally be looked upon as got up in view of the existing excitement on the subject of the “Turkish Atrocities.” Hence a few lines of preface may be necessary. This book was originally written more than a year ago, and was in the publishers’ hands before the Bulgarian massacres were made public; but I have since had time to add a Chapter and several Notes still farther illustrating Turkish character, as well as Mahomedan domestic, religious, and political life. I think that in the present crisis every little fact and observation, even of an ordinary Eastern tourist, may add to a knowledge of what has I fear been too long—not intentionally, but inadvertently—concealed from the general reader. Prominence is given to the inevitable results of Moslem domestic life—the slavery and imprisonment of women. Industry, art, and patriotism have disappeared, as also national probity, and even the fertility of the land! Turkey has no Shakspeare, no Burns, no Béranger, because the sentiment of tenderness, in which all poetry has its root, is extinct. Need we be very much surprised if such a people should become fiendlike? In view of the important events now transpiring in Eastern Europe, I have not hesitated to express an opinion of the Turkish Government and the condition of that unhappy country, but have been careful to avoid a political tone. To act otherwise would, I feel, be entirely out of place; and besides, I think that either both political parties are to blame for the present condition of Turkey, or that neither party really is so. Except the securing by Government open navigation and the freedom of commerce, the only duty that seems imposed upon Great Britain now, is to fulfil her treaty obligation of twenty years ago—namely, the seeing that complete protection and religious liberty be secured, not only to the Greek Church, but to all sects alike—Christian and Jew. This may prove no easy task, however, and requires unanimity. There is very great danger that, in befriending Turkey, Great Britain may unintentionally strengthen her in evil, and this it now appears was pointed out by the late Prince Consort. It is remarkable that of all our statesmen he was the one who some twenty years ago foresaw and pointed out this danger; and every new revelation we obtain of his life shows more and more the enlightened character of that great Prince, who seems to have lived in advance of his age.

From its birth as a remote trading outpost on the fringes of the Dutch empire to its current status as the so-called Capital of the World, New York has always captivated visual artists. The extraordinary prints collected by the New-York Historical Society over the course of its history vividly preserve these impressions on paper. In this handsome volume more than 150 of these views of the city -- including two spectacular gatefold panoramas -- speak eloquently of the surging power of this dynamic urban center. At the same time, they present an intimate portrait of everyday life as it has been lived and savored in this great city for more than three centuries. The companion to an exhibition celebrating the New-York Historical Society's bicentennial anniversary, this beautifully printed volume presents a full range of historic images, from 1672 to the present. In the lively essay and information-filled captions, curator and historian Marilyn Symmes tells the unique stories behind the people and places, parks and buildings, streets and neighborhoods, parades and events depicted in each image -- in essence, the story of New York City itself.

This publication focuses on the collection of Japanese secular painting in the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne, a large part of which was acquired by the museum's founders Adolf and Frieda Fischer before 1913. Six internationally renowned specialists of Japanese art present new insights and approaches to pre-modern Japanese visual culture in this exquisitely illustrated catalogue. The publication is divided into two parts: the first section discusses the reception of Japanese art and the dawn of East Asian art history in Germany, as well as shedding new light on the role of the monk painter as mediator between Chinese and Japanese concepts of secular art. The main body of the publication is the catalogue section. Here, 94 works (divided into seven subject categories) are presented: hand scrolls, fans, hanging scrolls and folding screens. All works are reproduced in full colour, many scrolls being shown in their entirety. Each chapter is preceded by an introduction, elucidating the historiographical, aesthetic and methodological questions that are central to current research in the visual culture of pre-modern Japan. The illuminating entries are followed by a comprehensive appendices section, including photographs of the paintings' signatures, seals and transcriptions of the inscriptions in the paintings. Splendid Impressions will serve as a reference source not only for curators, scholars and students of Japanese art and culture, but also for anyone who has a personal interest in Japanese painting.

Translated by Michael R. Katz In this 19th century Russian social novella, two contrasting characters—one a western-educated intellectual, the other a hidebound country squire—find themselves thrown together on a long cross country journey in a primitive but sturdy carriage—a tarantas. Their shared observations as the troubled panorama of the Russian countryside rolls past is the basis for this commentary on the country’s prospects for social change. Renowned translator Michal R. Katz offers the first new translation of this overlooked novella since the late 1800s, shortly after original publication.

With its awe-inspiring landmarks, its dense woodlands, and the delightful coolness of its mountain tops, the region of Asir stands in sharp contrast to the usual patterns of Saudi Arabian landscape. “This could have been the site of the Garden of Eden,” wrote St. John Philby in the 1930s, and as this extraordinary book of photographs demonstrates, the claim still holds true today. The story of the author’s two journeys around the Asir region is told through the architecture, frescoes and lifestyles of the people. Granted royal approval for his second project, Thierry Mauger has been able to gain access to previously unseen interiors and to win the trust of the people. In the process, he reveals how the art of the Asir region, the hand-painted, brightly colored interior decoration, the painted facades, the symbolism of the architecture, and the unique landscape form a complex code which provides valuable insights into understanding this little-known culture. In the midst of Westernizing trends, the author demonstrates the strong traditional forces which imbue the art and architecture of Asir today. New architecture is taking up forms and ornamentation from traditional regional styles, and as the author shows, the painted interiors by Asiri women resonate with the traditions of magic and religion, blended with new images drawn from the contemporary culture. الأبواب الألواح الألوان التقليدي الجدار الدرج الرسام الزخارف الطراز الطين الفن الكوارتز المعماري المملكة العربية السعودية المنازل المنطقة النوافذ أبها تهامة رجال ألمع زخارف الجدران سنحان شبه الجزيرة شريفة صورة عسير قحطان decoration frescoes house majlis men motifs mud patterns Qahtan quartz region Rijal Alma Sarat Saudi Arabia Sherifa Sinhan style Tihama Tihamat traditional tribes women Bilad Qahtan construction couleurs de quartz décoratif en évidence façade fenêtres fresque la maison la Sarat majlis matériaux modèle ouvertures région Rijal Alma rupture Sherifa Sinhan style terre Tihama tribus Yémen إصدارات وزارة الثقافة وشركة العبيكان للتعليم Abdulfattah analyse anciennes apparaissent arabique architecture climat Golvin identiques la maison Rijâl Alma mouvement nomades nouveau photographies Piémont najdi production réalisation ressources succession terrasse Tihâma des collines structure troisième Yémen Arabia Arabian Tableland architecture Asir colours construction cultural decoration expression Fatmai geometric houses materials murals patterns Qahtan quartz region Rijal Alma Sarat Saudi Arabia Sinhan style system Tihama tribes women Yemen الألوان الأمطار الأنماط البناء التشكيل الفني التقليدية الحجر الزخارف الطلاء الطين الفن القبائل الكوارتز المملكة العربية السعودية المنازل المواد النساء النوافذ اليمن أبها تهامة سنحان شريفة عسير غرفة فاطمة تيري موجيه Thierry Mauger façade Tihamah décors hutte Qahtan Najran huttes nomades Yémen tribus pluies Rabi’ah tribu Wadi Abha chameaux souk Hobab chèvres Jazan chevriers police Wadi Dala’ Dala’ tentes animals Arabia architecture Bedouins butter coffee desert flowers hair houses hut leather materials men mountain nomads people police Qahtan region road Saudi Arabia silver souk Tihama traditional tribe village wadi women Yemen Murrah animaux campement monde chèvre couleurs Najran sable bédouins des femmes dromadaire nomades enfants majlis la vie bédouine le désert porte les femmes les hommes patriarche place Rub al Khali tente Najran Rub al Khali bédouins campement cette région cheikh chèvres femmes hommes jeune maisons montagne nomades passage pierres piste pistes porte présence Saoudite soleil temps terre Tihama tribu véhicule village visage voiture Abha Arabia architecture art Asir colors decoration frescoes house majlis men motifs mud patterns Qahtan quartz region Rijal Alma Sarat Saudi Arabia Sherifa Sinhan style Tihama Tihamat traditional tribes women champ supérieur compositions compositions murales croissant de lune Fatma de la famille Zaïd de Rijal du champ Fatma Abu Gahas l’art mural de la façade de pilier la famille Zaïd la maison la peinture industrielle la Tihama la Tihama des collines le peintre les femmes les peintures les peintures murales Magali motifs mural de Rijal murales peintures murales pilier Sherifa supérieur de la façade tradition tradition esthétique travail aesthetic art artist Asir colors compositions decoration family Fatma houses men moon motifs mural painter paintings patterns photographs pillar principle region room Saudi Arabia Sherifa style sun Tihama tradition village women Bilad Qahtan construction couleurs de quartz décoratif en évidence façade fenêtres fresque la maison la Sarat majlis matériaux modèle ouvertures région Rijal Alma rupture Sherifa Sinhan style terre Tihama tribus Yémen al Murrah animal Arabia Bedouins camel civilization coffee desert dunes Emir family goats host life men Najran nomads people region Rub al Khali Saudi tent traditional tribe women Yabrin Abha Arabia area ASIR Bedouin camels COASTAL coffee colour DESERT highlands Hobab houses huts Jazan local mountains Najran PLATEAU Qahtan Rabi’ah Sarat Saudi Arabia souq tent Tihamah tree tribe UNDISCOVERED ASIR village Wadi water women years Yemen الإبل الأرض الأطفال الأمير البدو البدوية الحياة الحيوانات الخيمة الربع الخالي الرجال الرمال الشمس الصحراء القهوة الكثبان الرملية الماعز المخيم المملكة العربية النساء آل مرة صحراء قبيلة نجران يبرين الأشكال الألوان الأنماط التقاليد التكوينات الجزيرة العربية الحقل الخانات الدعامة الرسامة الزخرفية الشمس الصور العمود العناصر الغرفة الفن الفن الجداري القمر اللوحات المملكة العربية السعودية المنازل تهامة رجال ألمع شريفة عسير فاطمة مثلثات الأرض الأمطار الأمير البدو التقليدية الجبل الحيوانات الخيام الرجال السوق السيارة الشرطة الشمس القبائل القهوة الماعز المملكة العربية السعودية المنازل النباتات النساء الوادي اليمن أشجار أوراق تهامة شبه الجزيرة الأرض الألوان الأمطار البحر البدو الجبال الجدران الجرف الرجال الزهور السوق الشرطة الشمس الماعز المرتفعات المملكة العربية السعودية المنازل اليمن تهامة ربيعة شبه الجزيرة العربية قبيلة قحطان منطقة نجران