This book celebrates in words and images the traditional metal crafts practised for over a thousand years by the creators of religious Buddhist statues in Nepal. The skills of these artisans are nurtured with deep respect for tradition, regarding religion, iconography and technology. Wax modellers, mould makers, casters, fire-gilders and chasers are among the specialists of the Newar ethnic group, whose work is characterised to this day by a melding of age-old technology, great skill, religious observance and contemplation. There are numerous books and exhibition catalogues dedicated to Buddhist art and iconography but little was available about the craft of the artists who turn the religious imagery into metal casts. This book fills this gap, with a thoroughly documented and historical account of the development of this "archaic" technology. The well-informed text and comprehensive photographic coverage constitute the only up-to-date account and full documentation of an art that is 1300 years old but dying out: the "ritual" production of Buddhist statues in the lost wax casting technique. The author, Dr. Alex Furger, is an archaeologist who has studied ancient metallurgy and metalworking techniques over the past four decades. He spent twenty-five years at the head of the Roman site of Augusta Raurica and lives in Basel (Switzerland). He is the author of over 130 articles in scientific journals and twelve books in the field of culture history. The fieldwork for this book led him repeatedly to Nepal, where he met and interviewed dozens of craftsmen in their workshops. This book is addressed to readers interested in culture history, travellers to Asia, collectors of statues of Buddha, (avocational) metalworkers, historians of technology, Buddhists, ethnologists, archaeologists, art historians, scholars of Asia and to libraries and museums.

Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art --

Consists more than 400 sayings from Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. This title presents the text of F Max Muller's 1881 translation alongside illustrations from the collections of the Rubin Museum of Art. It portrays the Buddha as well as other sages in paintings, sculptures and textiles.

Gleaming and perfect, gold has beguiled humankind for many millennia, attracting treasure hunters, adorning the living and the dead, and symbolizing wealth, power, divinity, and eternity. This book offers a lively, critical look at the cultural history of this most regal metal, examining its importance across many cultures and time periods and the many places where it has been central, from religious ceremonies to colonial expeditions to modern science. Rebecca Zorach and Michael W. Phillips Jr. cast gold as a substance of paradoxes. Its softness at once makes it useless for most building projects yet highly suited for the exploration of form and the transmission—importantly—of images, such as the faces of rulers on currency. It has been the icon of value—the surest bet in times of uncertain markets—yet also of valuelessness, something King Midas learned the hard way. And, as Zorach and Phillips detail, it has been at the center of many clashes between cultures all throughout history, the unfortunate catalyst of countless blood lusts. Ultimately, they show that the questions posed by our relentless desire for gold are really questions about value itself. Lavishly illustrated, this book offers a shimmering exploration of the mythology, economy, aesthetics, and perils at the center of this simple—yet irresistible—substance.

Shan people can be found in a belt stretching from Assam (Northeastern India) over Myanmar (Burma) to the Chinese province Yunnan. In this volume Shan manuscripts from collections in Berlin, Munich and Hamburg are described. In this catalogue a total of 335 manuscripts and inscribed pieces of cloth are introduced. For each document there is mentioned its title, the date, the author, its appearance as well as a summary of the contents. In the introduction many topics are raised, such as a short history of the Shan, the Shan script, famous authors, material writing culture, a typology of written documents, and the principles of prosody. "In compiling this catalogue of Shan manuscript, Terwiel and Chaichuen have done valuable work which will be appreciated by everyone who is doing research on Shan or Tai culture or cultural history and related themes by using original indigenous sources. [�] The completion of this work marks a new milestone in Shan studies and Tai studies as a whole." Tai culture.

Pronunciation, but no index. Annotation 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).