Jacobo Castellano, (Jaen, 1976), is one of the most complex and solid contemporary Spanish artists. He uses engraving to create a body of work based on the emotions and sensations that are hidden in his personal memory. In his work he uses elements such as curtains, wire, small piggy banks, coffins or those rhombuses that were placed on the top of the TV screen. These elements are superimposed creating structures that seem to be on the verge of collapse and that seem to want to hide something or point to a place to hide and protect themselves from imminent collapse. The work of Jacobo Castellano follows a defined line in which the recovery of remembrances stored in his memory leads to a deep reflection on essential issues such as identity, or life and death. Numerous collections of contemporary art have their production, like ARTIUM. Basque Center-Museum of Contemporary Art; CAAC. Andalusian Center for Contemporary Art; CGAC. Galician Center of Contemporary Art; Montenmedio Contemporary Art Foundation; or the Rafael Boti Provincial Plastic Arts Foundation, among others. Contents: Rincones polvorientos de la vida / Life's Dusty Corners, by Javier Hontoria El juego sin fin (notas de un coleccionista / The Endless Game (Notes of a Collector) by Luis Caballero Martinez Conversation with Joao Mourao and Luis Silva Text in English and Spanish.

This full colour coffee table book celebrates Zimbabwe Stone Sculpture – those who create it and those who honour it. The reader is invited to join Stuart Danks on a journey through the fascinating history of Zimbabwe Stone Sculpture and its relevance today.

Readers learn about the process whereby stone is mined, transported great distances, and then skillfully carved by hand into magnificent pieces of art, many of which can be found in museums, galleries, hotels, official buildings and homes throughout the world.

The book includes information about some of the main artists who have created the sculpture that continues to fascinate the world, accompanied by beautiful photographs of their work.

"Feeding the Ancestors" presents an exquisite group of carved spoons from the Pacific Northwest that resides in the collections of Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Carved from the horns of mountain goats and Dall sheep, and incorporating elements of abalone shell and metal, most of the spoons were collected in Alaska in the late nineteenth century and were made and used by members of the Tlingit tribe. Hillel Burger's beautiful color photographs reveal every nuance of the carvers' extraordinary artistry.

Anne-Marie Victor-Howe introduces the collectors and describes the means by which these and other ethnographic objects were acquired. In the process, she paints a vivid picture of the "Last Frontier" just before and shortly after the United States purchased Alaska. A specialist in the ethnography of the Native peoples of the Northwest Coast, Victor-Howe provides a fascinating glimpse into these aboriginal subsistence cultures as she explains the manufacture and function of traditional spoons. Her accounts of the clan stories associated with specific carvings and of the traditional shamanic uses of spoons are the result of extensive consultation with Tlingit elders, scholars, and carvers.

"Feeding the Ancestors" is the first scholarly study of traditional feast spoons and a valuable contribution to our knowledge of Pacific Northwest Coast peoples and their art.

Manju netsuke have never been the subject of a book on netsuke. Many books ignore them completely and it is hoped that this catalogue will throw light on the differences between the manju and other better-known types of netsuke. Dr. Barnett was one of a handful of collectors of one particular type of netsuke, the manju. These were not widely appreciated until about ten years ago when interest began to increase and the exquisite workmanship and design of this group of carvers was noticed as an art in its own right and one which presents the artist with a challenge completely different from the more popular katabori netsuke, carved in the round. Dr. Barnett continued to collect until just before her death in 2000, by which time she had acquired some of the finest pieces to be sold over 30 years which will be presented in this book. Manju netsuke have played a small part in the many publications on netsuke, but there has never been a catalogue entirely devoted to the subject. The book aims to provide a description of each object and to explain the tales they illustrate and the sources of these tales, from literature and printed picture books. The range of subjects is wide and includes religious images, scenes from festivals, the theatre, historical incidents, folktales, classical literature and themes from nature. An introduction will include an essay on the history, uses and the collecting of manju in which the techniques of carving will be described and materials will be discussed. Artists biographies, a glossary and bibliography will be included. The catalogue will accompany an exhibition of many of the pieces in this collection alongside woodblock prints from the Ashmolean Museum's collection which illustrate the same legends and subjects. This will take place in the Eastern Art Paintings Gallery.

Elijah Pierce (1892-1984) was born the youngest son of a former slave on a Mississippi farm. He began carving at an early age when his father gave him his first pocketknife. Pierce became known for his wood carvings nationally and then internationally for the first time in the 1970s. Accompanying a major exhibition at the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, this publication seeks to revisit the art of Elijah Pierce and see it in its own right, not simply as 'naive'. Elijah Pierce made his living as a barber; he was also a qualified preacher. Just as his barber shop was a place for gossip and meeting, so his art reflects his own and his community's concerns, but also universal themes. Through his carvings Pierce told his own life story and chronicled the African-American experience. His subjects ranged from politics to religious stories but he seldom distinguished the race of his figures - he thought of them as everyman. His secular carvings show his love of baseball, boxing, comics and the movies, and also reflect his appreciation for American heroes who fought for justice and liberty. In 1932, Pierce completed 'the Book of Wood', which he considered his best work. Originally carved as individual scenes, the completed 'Book' tells the story of Jesus carved in bas-relief. He and his wife Cornelia held "sacred art demonstrations" to explain the meaning of the Book of Wood. Pierce's work was first appreciated in the art world thanks to a fellow sculptor, Boris Gruenwald, who saw the expressive power of his work. As a later critic wrote, "There are 500 woodcarvers working today in the United States who are technically as proficient as Pierce, but none can equal the power of Pierce's personal vision". Pierce became known primarily in circles promoting 'naive' art, winning first prize at the International Meeting of Naive Art in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, in 1973. The vast majority of his work is now held in Columbus, Ohio, which had become his home town. This book revisits Pierce's art seeking to see it in its own right, and not simply as 'naive'. Another critic wrote: "He reduces what he wants to say to the simplest forms and compositions. They are decorative, direct, bold and amusing. He uses glitter and all kinds of devices to make his message clear. It gives his work an immediacy that's very appealing" - an appeal arising from a sophisticated art with its own particular voice.

The success of Madame Tussaud's, from its beginnings in Paris before the French Revolution to its prolonged fame as a popular tourist attraction in London, bears out the fascination of waxworks. Yet Madame Tussaud was by no means the inventor of wax figures or their only exhibitor. Wax heads and models had been used since Roman times and were used for saints' statues by the Catholic Church and for anatomical teaching. There were also many rival shows, often travelling from town to town, as Tussaud's did for its first thirty years in England. Pamela Pilbeam sees Madame Tussaud herself and her exhibition as part of the wider history of wax modelling and of popular entertainment. Tussaud's catered for the public's fascination with monarchy, whether Henry VIII and his wives or Queen Victoria, as well as for their love of history, acting as an accessible and enjoyable museum (but also providing the perennial fascination of the Chamber of Horrors.)

This book aims towards a comprehensive explanation of the Ruthwell Cross. It seeks to define the form of the early medieval monument or monuments incorporated in the reconstruction. It considers the issues relating to workmanship and likeness to other sculpture. Conclusions are drawn as to the likely background of the artists, and probable sources for their models. The book also examines the questions of meaning, message and audience. Suggestions are made about the nature of the religious community for whom the monument was made. This book addresses a wide range of questions about the Ruthwell Cross and suggests why, how and for whom it was made. This discussion aims to present a more considered and detailed assessment of the monument's original form, creating a new basis for future consideration of the monument. The wide-ranging discussion of the people involved in its creation and their aims and methods will present a unified approach to these questions, linking historical figures with material evidence to postulate a context for the original Ruthwell monument.

The title of this book could be, "You don't have to draw to scrimshaw." I say this because I believe that almost anyone regardless their artistic talent can produce perfectly beautiful works of scrimshaw. The book started out as a series of handouts developed from procedures and exercises that i discovered while practicing and teaching scrimshaw. Another discovery I made while teaching was that not all students start with the same skills and talents and need different types of help. If the reader, regardless there level, will practice the exercises and follow the procedures in this book I believe they will find themselves producing some very beautiful works of scrimshaw. I have seen this happen repeatedly in class after class and have faith that, you, the reader can do the same thing. The author hopes that in some small why this book will bring more interest to this art form. The whales may be endangered but lets not let their memory or scrimshaw die.

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.

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.

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.

Thorough step-by-step guide discusses anatomy of horse, lion, and bull; methods of construction; tools, materials, etc. Also comprehensive exposition of casting in plaster. 63 full-page photographic plates. 138 drawings and diagrams.

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.

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.

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.