Child of materialism and positivism, Courbet was without a doubt one of the most complex painters of the nineteenth century. Symbolising the rejection of traditions, Courbet did not hesitate to confront the public with the truth by liberating painting of conventional rules. He became from then on the leader of pictorial realism.

This important volume describes the art created in the second millennium B.C. for royal palaces, temples, and tombs from Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia to Cyprus, Egypt, and the Aegean.

First published in 1998, Engraved on Steel focuses on engraving and engravers, exploring the use of steel engraving in both the decorative arts and in printing, Basil Hunnisett also describes the context of the steel engraver’s work. The processes by which steel engraving became one of the most widely used forms of printing in the 19th century are described in detail as the developments in the print industry, paper manufacture and publishing that determined its history. The activities of print publishers are also examined, including those of art unions.