Ireland's Treasures: 5000 Years of Artistic Expression

Westport, CT: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 2004. Cloth, 320 pages, illustrations (some colour); 37 cm. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Dust jacket protected in a mylar book cover. OVERSIZE! No priority/international, except by special arrangement. A lavish publication. Richly illustrated with colour plates. "With Ireland's Treasures: 5000 Years of Artistic Expression we are invited to celebrate the vigorously rich Irish cultural heritage that began more than five hundred years before the pyramids were built. Written with his special combination of authority and lightness of touch, Dr. Peter Harbison - one of Ireland's preeminent archaeologists, an entertaining lecturer, writer, and editor - offers us a look at the unique Irish culture expressed by artists whose creative powers and achievements have reached across centuries. Ireland's Treasures allows us to witness remarkable art that demonstrates the universality of all great artistic expression. From ancient portal dolmens (one of the oldest and most dramatic art forms in Ireland) to the Ardagh Chalice (the finest expression of eighth-century Irish metalworking) and the legendary Tara brooch; from Round Towers to medieval High Crosses and soaring monasteries; from the Book of Kells (the finest illuminated manuscript of Ireland's 'golden age') to the elaborately carved doorway of Clonfert Cathedral (a stunning example of Irish Romanesque art); from monumental fortresses and castles to the great houses of the eighteenth century, and from gold treasures, both ecclesiastical and secular, to contemporary stained glass windows and stunning decorative arts, we celebrate this extraordinary land." - Publisher. CONTENTS: Stone Age wonders; The "El Dorado" of the west; The coming of the Celts; The flowering of monastic Ireland; Round towers, reliquaries and Romanesque; The earlier Gothic period; The later Middle Ages; The seventeenth century; The eighteenth century; The nineteenth century; The Celtic Revival; The twentieth century.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. Folio.