Animal art. High Asian collections from the Cernuschi Museum.
Paris Museums| N° d'inventaire | 15937 |
| Format | 21 x 27 |
| Détails | 187 p., numerous color illustrations, paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2012 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782759600274 |
Consisting of bronzes dominated by animal figures, the Cernuschi Museum's antique collections from Iran, the Caucasus, and the eastern steppes are gathered here in their entirety under the term "animal art," the definition of which is deliberately broadened to include the Iranian plateau. It usually defines the artistic production of the populations of the Eurasian steppes, from the Great Wall of China to the Black Sea. Wild and domestic animals are represented in a realistic or stylized manner, but a sense of movement, as if captured in the moment, always characterizes the style. Present in all the major museums devoted to the arts of Asia, these animal bronzes have been the subject of exhaustive publications for two decades. They still constitute the strong point of some private collections, and the success of exhibitions devoted to this subject (The Gold of the Scythians, The Gold of the Amazons, etc.) have revealed the interest of the wider public in this art form, as these nomadic horsemen remain inseparable from a part of dream. Objects first known through chance finds, collected in Europe from the end of the 19th century, they remained for a long time without any archaeological context, grouped under various names evoking nomadic horsemen galloping from one end of Eurasia to the other. Observations drawn from recent excavations in Mongolia, China and the republics of the Caucasus conclude, on the contrary, that distinct regional cultures coexisted, where lifestyle, artefacts and natural environment are closely linked. The Eurasian steppes, however, constituted a remarkable communication route, through which iconographic motifs and certain inventions passed, which were adopted by neighbouring sedentary societies.
Consisting of bronzes dominated by animal figures, the Cernuschi Museum's antique collections from Iran, the Caucasus, and the eastern steppes are gathered here in their entirety under the term "animal art," the definition of which is deliberately broadened to include the Iranian plateau. It usually defines the artistic production of the populations of the Eurasian steppes, from the Great Wall of China to the Black Sea. Wild and domestic animals are represented in a realistic or stylized manner, but a sense of movement, as if captured in the moment, always characterizes the style. Present in all the major museums devoted to the arts of Asia, these animal bronzes have been the subject of exhaustive publications for two decades. They still constitute the strong point of some private collections, and the success of exhibitions devoted to this subject (The Gold of the Scythians, The Gold of the Amazons, etc.) have revealed the interest of the wider public in this art form, as these nomadic horsemen remain inseparable from a part of dream. Objects first known through chance finds, collected in Europe from the end of the 19th century, they remained for a long time without any archaeological context, grouped under various names evoking nomadic horsemen galloping from one end of Eurasia to the other. Observations drawn from recent excavations in Mongolia, China and the republics of the Caucasus conclude, on the contrary, that distinct regional cultures coexisted, where lifestyle, artefacts and natural environment are closely linked. The Eurasian steppes, however, constituted a remarkable communication route, through which iconographic motifs and certain inventions passed, which were adopted by neighbouring sedentary societies.