The Art of the Ancient Near East by Seton Lloyd

The Art of the Ancient Near East

by Seton Lloyd

Thames and Hudson, 1963, colour and black and white illustrations, paperback

Very Good Condition, a little edge and shelf wear, a little rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, previous owners inscription to half title page, two-page illustrated title page, laminate lifting on cover, peeling on spine (see photographs)

“The Near East, cradle of civilisation, gave birth to arts of monumental sculpture and painting in a time long before the beginnings of written history.  By the time Athens was bursting into flower as a centre of western culture, Egypt, Mesopotamia and their neighbours could look back on nearly twenty-five centuries of continuous artistics development.  Only lacking the invention of perspective, almost every aspect of visual expression known today had been studied and brilliantly exploited, each culture in its turn adding its quota to the ever-increasing sum of accomplishment.  The legacy which we ourselves inherit from these distant times can be seen int eh varied and magnificent array of art work preserved either where their makers placed them or distributed amongst the great museums of the world.  Seton Lloyd has written a brilliant text of great interest to art lover and archaeologist alike in which the art of the Ancient Near East is for the first time presented in a popular manner.”