The Arts of Assyria (The Arts of Mankind)

Translation by Stuart Gilbert and James Emmons. Large-format volume, measuring approximately 9" x 11.75", is bound in red cloth, with stamped gilt lettering to spine and publisher's emblem stamped in gold on front cover. Book and dust jacket are new. Illustrated throughout in black-and-white and color, including fold-out plates, plus fold-out map at rear. Volume is housed in well-preserved cardboard slipcase (9.25" x 12"). xviii/380 pages.
This is the second volume of this series.
"The Assyrians were one of the mightiest peoples of the ancient world, a race for whom power and the pursuit of honor were paramount. Their art is an art of tremendous strength and of brutal, seldom serene majesty. The sculpture has long been well-known but never before have extensive color reproductions of Assyrian painting been available.This book presents for the first time the pristine freshness and wealth of color of the remarkable series of frescoes discovered in 1929 at Til Barsip by a French expedition. The frescoes confirm what has long been evident in the sculpture: the Assyrians were not only great warriors, they were great artists too.
Their successors, the Neo-Babylonians, who overthrew Nineveh in 612 B.C. took the legacy of the past and kept to the great Mesopotamian tradition. So too did the Achaemenians who, though they came into frequent contact with the western world, nevertheless remained steeped in the tradition of the Near Eastern predecessors.In his discussion of the recurrence of Mesopotamian themes in the art of surrounding regions, Dr. Parrot not only touches upon Assyrian influences in the treasures of Ziwiyeh but also deals with early Mesopotamian motifs in what are perhaps the most intriguing productions of all Near Eastern art: the bronzes of Luristan.
In conclusion, he offers a valuable survey of Mesopotamian art techniques and two fascinating chapters on Mesopotamian literature and music."