An impressive array of precious objects created in the western world and the Near Eastern cultures from antiquity to the height of the Renaissance, in a pocket book of great visual allure.
[Gold in time. Wonders and treasures from the ancient world to the Renaissance] “Accursed thirst for gold! what dost thou not compel mortals to do?” In his Aeniad Virgil seems already to have perceived the importance this precious metal would play in man’s history. This small pocket-sized book brings together some of the most significant objects, ornaments, treasures and works of art of the Occident and the Near East, all made of gold and other precious materials. The period covered ranges from the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt (third millennium BC) to the European Renaissance (mid 15th century). From the tomb furnishings of antiquity to medieval altars, the magnificence of the pharaohs to the crowns of kings, the refined jewelry of Greek women to the rough splendor of the horsemen of the steppes, gold accompanies the reader through history, in superb masterpieces of art rich in symbolism.