Metropolitan Museum of Art

I liked this book, but at the same time, I'm not clear on who the intended audience is. The simple text and large images would make it perfect for a children's book, except that there are images in it that aren't appropriate for children. And if it's for adults, it doesn't really go into enough depth to be truly informative. I guess it just exists in gift book liminal space as a book that's meant to be a souvenir but not really a serious text.

Beautiful volume full of misinformation. The author is an expert in Islamic art, but knows nothing of Turkoman art. She imposes an Islamic interpretation upon the Turkoman forms which originated prior to the Turkoman becoming Muslims. She totally denigrates the work of Dieter and Reinhold Schletzer, imposing her own interpretations for the objects shown. she states that the forms shown are Islamic, not uniquely Turkoman. Were this the case, one would expect to see these forms in many other show more Islamic countries. Such is not the case. The forms shown are found only among the Turkoman. She also sees Turkish influences in the art of the Turkoman. Obviously she is unaware that the Turks are descendents of the Turkomann. The result of two migrations into Anatolia from Central Asia. Rather than seeing Turkish influences in Turkoman art, one would expect to see Turkoman influences in modern Turkish art, After all, they were once the same people. show less

An inventive concept for an alphabet book, bringing in art from the Met collections for each letter, from Apples to Zigzags. Details from four paintings for each letter present a different view of the object; some objects are simple (cat, nose), others more abstract (game, light).

This was a disappointment, and I should have known that. This book dates from 1980, more than 40 years ago, which, when it comes to China, is an eternity: archaeological research has now yielded a boatload of new insights, making much of what is presented here really dated. However, at the time this was a prestigious exhibition: no fewer than 85 large bronze (art) objects from the earliest history of China were exhibited in the US. It was an offshoot of the American-Chinese rapprochement in show more 1972, a cultural equivalent of the subsequent 'ping-pong diplomacy'. However, most of the illustrations in this book, because they are in black and white, detract from that great splendor. And as mentioned, the chronological framework of this book (especially the oldest dynasties) is now thoroughly outdated. More about that in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6481747361 show less