A cross-cultural examination of jewelry spanning 5,000 years that investigates not only the objects themselves but also the bodies they decorated As an art form, jewelry is defined primarily through its connection to and interaction with the body—extending it, amplifying it, accentuating it, distorting it, concealing it, or transforming it. But how is the meaning of jewelry bound to the body that wears it?   Establishing six different modes of ornamenting the body—Deconstructed, Divine, Regal, Idealized, Alluring, and Resplendent—this artfully designed book illustrates how these various definitions of the body give meaning to the jewelry that adorns it. More than 200 examples of exceptional jewelry and ornaments, created across the globe from antiquity to the present, are shown alongside paintings and sculptures of bejeweled bodies to demonstrate the social, political, and aesthetic role of jewelry. From earflares of warrior heroes in Pre-Columbian Peru to designs by Yves Saint-Laurent, these precious and most intimate works of art provide insight not only about the wearer but also into the designers, artisans, and cultures that produced them. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (11/12/18–02/24/19)

This two-volume publication represents the only comprehensive documentation of one of the finest private collections of Asian art in the world. More than 1,000 works of art are shown in exquisite color reproductions, along with a special reference section of illustrated and translated texts, signatures, and seals. Since the collection will be dispersed for public use, "Art Through a Lifetime" provides the only opportunity for scholars, students, and admirers of Asian art to enjoy it in its entirety.

The first volume of this boxed set, Japanese Painting, Printed Works, Calligraphy, presents Japanese paintings, printed works, and calligraphy that date from the Nara period to the late 20th century. The second volume, Japanese Objects, Korean Art, Chinese Art, presents the remainder of the Japanese works--ceramics, lacquer, metalwork, sculpture, and textiles--along with an extensive array of Korean and Chinese works of art.

Miyeko Murase is professor emerita of Japanese art at Columbia University and special consultant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Soyoung Lee is associate curator for Korean art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. David Ake Sensabaugh is the Ruth and Bruce Dayton Curator of Asian Art, Yale University Art Gallery. Shi-yee Liu, senior research associate in the Department of Asian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, provided translations.