About this Item
black & gold illustrated (pre~columbian motif) cloth hardbound 4to (quarto). large book. dustwrapper in protective plastic. fine cond. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. contents free of all markings. dustwrapper in fine cond. 1 cm tear front top, 1cm tear rear top, minor rubbing, chipped at spine top & bottom. not price clipped. Signed And Dated (May 1965) on the ½ title pg. by Andre Emmerich. nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers, bookplates, no names, inking , underlining, remainder markings etc ~ first edition. first printing ( same date on title & copright pg with no additional printings indicated). color endpaper maps with insets. glossy full color photo frontis. xxiii+216p. glossy pages throughout. 3 glossy full page full color plates. 202 b&w illustrations & photographs. appendix (florentine codex on goldsmiths) notes. bibliography. index. archaeology. art history. prehistory ancient history of south america. pre~columbian archaeology. religion. antiquities. jewelry. goldsmithing. silversmiths. ~ THE INCA LEGEND that called gold and silver "the sweat of the sun and the tears of the moon" expresses poetically the Indian view of these metals, whose primary use was not as media of exchange but as beautiful materials to be worked into marvelous adornments for gods and men. The candid astonishment with which the Indians viewed the Spaniards, who were interested only in the bullion value of these precious objects, is revealed in a contemporary account of Montezuma's gifts to Cortes: "They picked up the gold and fingered it like monkeys . they hungered like pigs for that gold." In Sweat of the Sun and Tears of the Moon, Andre Emmerich has written the first comprehensive study of pre~Columbian gold and silver work, from the early hammered sheet~gold ornaments of the Chavin culture of Peru, ca. 800~500 B.C., to the intricate cast~gold jewelry of the Aztecs and Mixtecs. It is a story that could not have been written a generation ago, for most of the important archaeological discoveries have been made during the past three decades. Mr. Emmerich's very readable account brings together, for the first time, all that we have come to know up to the present time. More than 200 photographs constitute a pictorial survey, providing a unique opportunity to see how various styles developed and how certain motifs persisted, or were transformed, from one culture to another. A chapter on technology presents everything that is known about the mining and metallurgy of the different pre~Columbian cultures. Also included are a consideration of the possibilities of Asiatic influences, and a fascinating discussion of forgeries. Seller Inventory # 5171102
Contact seller
Report this item
