Product Description

Throughout history jewellery has expressed a multitude of meanings - social position, marital status, self-esteem. Richly elaborate or elegantly simple, Native American beadwork, Turkoman silver, Burmese jade and other examples of ethnic jewellery are avidly sought by collectors. This book reveals the full splendours and the subtle meanings behind the finely crafted works of art in one of the world's finest private collections of ethnic jewellery - that of Colette and Jean-Pierre Ghysels, which has until now remained carefully protected in Brussels, never exhibited extensively, and accessible only to selected scholars. Published here, the Ghysels Collection comes to light in photographs taken especially for this book by John Bigelow Taylor. Amongst the 400 colour reproductions are pieces from every corner of the globe: objects of gold and silver, precious and semi-precious gems, animal fur, bones, teeth and feathers. The range of sizes, forms and craft techniques is equally impressive. Colette Ghysels herself provides detailed captions for all the illustrations, identifying materials and craft methods, giving tribal names and uses of particular objects, and offering an appreciation of the value, rarity, significance and innate beauty of each piece.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1569000 in Books
• Published on: 1994-09-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From Library Journal
Over 30 years in the making, the Ghysels Collection of ethnic jewelry here yields a magnificent array of over 400 pieces of jewelry, ranging from the elaborate extravagance of Central Asian headdresses to the stark simplicity of Solomon Islands chest pendants. Art historian Borel's gracefully written essay describes the universality of the desire to ornament the body, as seen in the cultures of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Captions describing the provenance and use of each piece accompany the luminous photographs. The jewelry pieces are not pictured as actually worn but are appreciated as objects of art. This beautifully executed volume will provide inspiration for designers and pleasures for students of ethnic cultures. Recommended for large decorative arts collections.
Therese Duzinkiewicz Baker, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
It is through wonderfully composed color photographs, enhanced by text, that the body decorations of cultures from around the world come to life here. Curator-scholar Borel concentrates on the materials, the cultural imagery, and the meaning of jewelry worn by peoples in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. The impressions are indelible: Brazilian men tossing around a certain colorful, feathered akangitat, or headdress, during special ceremonies, Sudanese women with spiked silver bracelets for self-protection, and amulet cases with carnelian, worn at the waist to ease the pain of childbirth. Barbara Jacobs

About the Author
FRANCE BOREL is director of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Art Visuel de la Cambre in Brussels. JOHN BIGELOW TAYLOR is one of the world’s foremost photographers of art. He is the photographer of Abrams’ The Currency of Fame and The Cycladic Spirit, among other books.

Customer Reviews

Splendor is the appropriate word
This is, indeed, a very beautifully photographed book. The represented pieces are all exquisite.

Though, it's true there could have been more background information provided, giving the book a rating of one star, as the previous reviewer did, is grossly unjust - an act of spite rather than of informed criticism. Clearly, the book was never meant to be a exhaustive examination of all the ethnological aspects of each piece (though there is ample annotation); such a book would have run to 2000 pages rather than 250! So the Splendor of Ethnic Jewelry is not a doctoral thesis but rather a stroll thru a museum; in this case, the Ghysels Collection. A coffee-table book if you want, but beautiful none the less and of the highest standard.

If you have previously had no interest in ethnic jewelry per se, this book will open your eyes to the extraordinary artistry of these ornaments created by the world's non-industrial peoples. Each object in itself says much more than an accompanying treatise ever could, and I cannot imagine anyone coming away from this book without a desire to learn more.

A second copy purchased for a friend who deals in ethnic jewelry was very much appreciated.