A large catalogue or, as the authors describe it, a 'descriptive handlist' of Greek, Etruscan, Roman, 17th-19th and Near Eastern intaglios, gems and finger rings from a private collection. Each example is chosen for its stylistic importance or for its subject matter and all are accompanied by a photograph.

Finest book for beginners discusses in direct language and no technical jargon what tools to use, how to use them and what woods are suitable for carving. 34 illustrated designs for creating cabinet panels, chests, doors, bookends, footstools, an ornamental mirror-frame, more.

The site at Fontes Sequanae, near Dijon in Burgundy, is notable for its rich imagery in wood and stone, and itssmall votive offerings in bronze. This book is a study of stone pilgrim imagery from the Gallo-Roman shrine to Sequanae, set in the wider context of a large number of curative cult-sites in Roman Gaul. The author looks at the religious and social significance of this type of iconography and of the sanctuaries in general.

A study of Imperial Roman funerary altars in Northern Italy (from the ancient regions of Emilia, Venetia et Histria, Transpadana and Liguria) dating from the late Tiberian and Antonine periods. Stylistic epigraphic, chronological and typological analyses, and an illustrated catalogue of 243 examples.

Woodcarving remains one of the most popular crafts in the U.S. and continues to grow in popularity. While there are many books on how to carve wood, including Taunton's popular How to Carve Wood (1985), this book provides inspiration for carvers through original patterns. Any carver knows that once the technique is mastered, the greatest challenge is finding clear, well-illustrated designs to carve. This book solves that problem by offering a wide variety of carefully detailed drawings of designs especially suited to carving.

Trained in European carving and drawing techniques, artist/author Lora Irish presents an extensive library of ornamental designs with a traditional look. Included here are classic ornamental motifs from 18th century and other period furniture as well as original designs by the author. The motifs include line designs, triangular designs, square and rectangular designs, circular and oval designs, S- and C-curve designs, mirror-image designs, and free-form designs.

The book can be used in number of ways: The drawings can be adapted to the carver's preference or used directly as patterns, easily enlarged by photocopying and transferred directly to the wood to be carved. The patterns can also be used in other woodcrafts including woodburning and woodpainting.

A study of woodcarving from the earliest times to the Georgian period, with an emphasis on the role of carvers and their work for the Crown over several hundred years. The central figure is Grinling Gibbons, who is exemplified by his work at St Paul's Cathedral, Windsor Castle, Petworth House, Hampton Court Palace and other historic houses. It includes his business dealings with Sir Christopher Wren and John Evelyn, and is illustrated with reproductions of contemporary documents, photographs of period carvings and drawings of ornamental carving styles.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

"How to plan, carve and paint your personal totem pole."

This well-illustrated guidebook includes the history of totem-pole carving and its West Coast native traditions, techniques and patterns. It examines the historic and modern tools involved. And it also presents great ideas for carving a totem pole, whether with traditional designs or more personal folk-art motifs.

Carving instructor Wayne Hill reveals how to select the right wood and use the correct tools to best advantage. Artist Jimi McKee shows how to create drawings and templates in authentic West Coast styles. There are also special notes on the meanings of figures, along with many instructions on painting your totem pole and recommendations for placement.

A folk-art family totem pole will be treasured for years to come. This handy illustrated guide includes all the background and information required to create one.

This book takes a generational look at the fast-changing world of the woodcarvers of Oaxaca, Mexico. These artisans became famous in the 1980s for their colourful novelty figures, a contemporary folk art that Shephard Barbash and Vicki Ragan documented in the book Oaxacan Woodcarvers. Fourteen years later, beginning in 2004, Barbash and Ragan returned to Oaxaca and discovered many changes in the lives of the woodcarvers they had known. Barbash effectively presents their personal stories in narratives drawn from interviews accompanied by Ragan's arresting black-and-white photographs of the carvers and their lives today. A series of diptychs of the same people taken in 1989-90 and again fifteen years later are accompanied by extended essay-captions on the changing circumstances shaping their lives.Faced with a glut of carvings on the market, declining sales abroad, and an unsteady supply of tourists at home, a number of Oaxacan artisans put aside their craft to become mojados, or foreign workers, drawn by the economic opportunities north of the border. With eloquence and insight, the book puts a human face on bilateralism, a fancy term to denote divided souls. From the dusty villages of Oaxaca to the orchards of Oregon and the kitchens of Chicago, the carvers have joined millions of Mexicans who, unable to find good work or sustain their recent prosperity in their own country, have fled across the border: artisans and aliens. Changing Dreams is a moving story of change and survival, conveying the growing aspirations and changing dreams of a people struggling to catch up without leaving too much behind, whose creations we enjoy but whose lives we barely understand.

One of the earliest guides to traditional whittling, this reprint of a 1930s classic preserves all of the original projects and text and adds updated drawings for the contemporary whittler. This manual is still sought after by whittlers because it explains how to carve many items popular in American tramp art and more complicated items that are not included in most whittling books, such as continuous wooden chairs, hand tools, puzzles, balls inside spirals, swivels, entwined hearts, and buildings inside bottles. The line art has been redrawn, colour added, and additional art included, making this unique book valuable to a new generation of whittlers.

Nothing is more challenging to the carver than carving a realistic face. To help in the process Terry Kramer begins with modeling clay. With this pliable medium, he leads the reader through the exploration of the planes and features of the face. In a series of exercises, the carver learns the basics about shaping the face in clay, and then transferring that knowledge to wood. This is a basic reference for face carvers. Following Terry’s technique will lead to a new level of accomplishment and competence. Fully illustrated with clear photographs and drawings, each step is clearly explained and organized to take the carver to a satisfying result.

One of the first books in our new Basics of Sculpture series. This aims to give the beginner a broad basic knowledge of how to sculpt in wood. Step-by-step photos illustrate how to go about it, and machinery is kept to a minimum so that the beginner can make several pieces on a slim budget with just a few tools. The book is filled with projects of increasing difficulty so that the reader can progress in his or her skill level. The projects gradually become more difficult, and in the final project power tools are introduced. This project is also laid out as a hand tools project, so the reader can see the differences and choose which way to do it. The book also covers the basics needed for getting started: sourcing materials, choosing a suitable wood for the project and planning the project. Possible treatments for finishing off the piece at the end are also recommended, such as using abrasives, repairing blemishes, and colouring, staining or decorating the surface. Essentially a complete guide on sculpting in wood for the beginner upwards.

In the first book of miniature decorative bird-carving patterns ever published, William Veasey presents intricately detailed designs for the novice carver. This concise practicable guide will help the amateur carver to develop the basic skills necessary to produce his own realistic miniature birds.

This beautiful book traces the development of bird carving, a distinctly American art form, from the mid-1800s to the present. Displayed in stunning color photos are some of the very best examples of bird carving produced in both the United States and Canada. This volume focuses on the two generations of bird artists, working from the last quarter of the twentieth century to today. They include James Foote, John Scheeler, Ernest Muehlmatt, Jimmie Vizier, Larry Hayden, the Brunets, Larry Barth, Gary Yoder, and Todd Wohlt, among others. It also details the influence of the two previous generations of decoy makers and artists on the current carvers. The text provides a fascinating history of bird carving and details of the lives and work of each carver included. A bibliography is also provided. The bird carvings presented provide readers and students of the art form with some of the finest examples of contemporary bird carvings.

A Hopi Indian will tell you that a kachina is a supernatural being who is impersonated by a man wearing a mask. Small wooden dolls carved in the likenesses of the various kachinas are used to help to teach Hopi children the tribal religion and traditions. Each child receives a doll made especially for him by his male relatives. He treasures the doll and studies it so that he can learn to recognised and respect the host of spirit kachinas that people the Hopi world. Kachinas are difficult to classify because different Hopi pueblos have different ideas about their appearance and their functions. The late Dr Harold Colton identified 266 different kinds of kachina dolls, and in this book he describes the meaning, the making, and the principal features of all of them.

The Sahara contains one of the most extensive and enigmatic collections of rock art in the world. An Engraved Landscape represents the main report on the rock art of the Wadi al-Ajal, south west Libya. Based on extensive fieldwork directed by the author between 2004 and 2009, and funded by the British Academy and Society for Libyan Studies, this monograph presents and synthesises a rich corpus of new engravings from an area of central importance in the cultural development of the Sahara. Spatial and quantitative analyses of the carvings reveal changing relationships between humans and the landscape over an 8000-year period from c.6000 BC to recent times. The volume is beautifully illustrated, with a substantial selection of the engraved panels presented in photographs and line drawings.

Headrests are simple, utilitarian objects. Widely used across Africa, they are predominantly found in the eastern, central, and southern part of the continent. Also known as neckrests or pillows, headrests are valuable and very personal objects which are indispensable to everyday life. They are made to sleep on, to rest the neck, to sit on, and to protect the elaborate coiffure of their owners. At first sight, they appear to be devoid of any symbolic content. This functional utility has confined them through history to the realm of mere objects. Headrests are not that simple, though. They transcend their material purpose to become something more. In many instances, their design, inherent beauty, technical mastery, and uses give them a multi-purpose value and a multi-layered meaning. They are objects with ritual and magical intent concealed inside their utilitarian function. Headrests can be flaunted as status symbols that differentiate chiefs from ordinary people, rich from poor, diviners from healers, farmers from shepherds, and sedentary from nomadic. The volume features full-colour pictures of very rare and fine headrests that have never before been published. Short texts introduce selected pieces among the 230 works that have particularly interesting, well-documented backgrounds. This book is a journey through ethnicity, anthropology, aesthetics, creativity, tradition, and spirituality. A journey to a part of Africa that materialises through a simple artefact that sometimes dreams to become art: a dream that starts with resting the neck on a piece of wood.

Native art on the Northwest Coast is very much alive and increasing in both artistry and volume. Over 400 color photographs of old and recent artwork have been selected with the collector in mind. Totems, drums, rattles boxes and canoes join the many masks displayed here. Many pieces are shown from several sides and the back to give a complete picture of the work. Master carvers as well as younger artists are featured. The text guides readers to better understand the complex society, its artwork, and current values.