gems, history of gemology,

A classic tool for Renaissance studies, this dictionary explains the meaning and origins of the many attributes and symbols used by humanists, artists, and intellectuals of the 15th and 16th centuries. Now finally reissued in a completely revised edition that incorporates the 1964 supplement, this essential reference work helps modern readers recover a symbolic language that has largely been lost. It offers those interested in the art of the period a reliable way to rediscover its visual vocabulary, moving from the known to the unknown—since in any composition, no matter how obscure or complex, one element is often recognizable: a rose, a unicorn, or an anchor. For each symbol reflected in Renaissance art, the book also strives to trace its sources of inspiration. An index of “immaterial entities” and another of names make the dictionary especially easy to consult.

corundum, Tanzania.12, gems

Henn and Milisenda describe the newly discovered alluvial gemstone deposits of the Tunduru–Songea region in southern Tanzania. Field observations and examination of rough and cut stones document a diverse assemblage including ruby, blue and fancy-coloured sapphires, spinel, garnet, chrysoberyl, zircon, tourmaline, and diamond. Particular interest attaches to colour-change stones, alexandrite and cat’s-eye chrysoberyl, and unusual mint-green, vanadium-bearing chrysoberyl. The deposits occur along tributaries of the Ruvuma River within the metamorphic terrain of the Mozambique Belt. Gemmological characteristics and corundum chemistry are compared with material from Sri Lanka and India. Similarities between the Tanzanian and Sri Lankan gem assemblages suggest a possible geological relationship, although their diverse mineral associations indicate contributions from multiple primary sources. The study establishes the region’s importance as a new supplier of coloured gemstones.

corundum, Laos.12, gems

corundum, treatments.6, flux healing, gems

gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Mesoamerica, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mayans, Olmecs, Aztecs, archaeology, history, archaeogemology, Pre-Columbian jade; Costa Rica; Maya; exchange; iconography, lapidary, Incas, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia

Andean Art at Dumbarton Oaks presents the Andean portion of the Robert Woods Bliss Collection of Pre-Columbian Art. The volume superbly illustrates all 133 Andean objects in color plates and includes numerous complementary and comparative black-and-white illustrations and drawings. The body of Pre-Columbian art that Robert Woods Bliss carefully assembled over more than half a century, between 1912 and 1963, and which has been expanded slightly since his death, constitutes a remarkably significant collection. These works rank among the finest examples of the visual arts produced by Andean cultures. This Andean volume is the first in a planned series of four catalogues devoted to the entirety of the Bliss Pre-Columbian collection. The remaining volumes were intended to focus on objects from eastern Mesoamerica (Olmec and Maya), western Mesoamerica (Teotihuacan, Veracruz, Mixtec, and Aztec), and Lower Central America. Andean Art is composed of five thematic essays, shorter studies on the Andean cultures represented in the collection, and detailed discussions of the individual objects. These contributions were written by specialists in Pre-Columbian art and present the latest scholarly perspectives on Andean cultures and the works themselves. All thirteen authors bring broad expertise in Andean cultural history, archaeology, and art history to their essays, while focusing primarily on the objects in order to provide meaningful contexts and to demonstrate how these artworks, created and used with specific purposes, reveal distinctive qualities of Andean civilization. The volume gives readers a strong sense of how the creators and original owners of the objects in the Bliss collection used and valued these works on many levels. The authors also place individual pieces alongside comparable examples whenever possible. An especially notable feature of the book is the technical analysis of the metal objects contributed by metals specialist Heather Lechtman.

gems, jade, fei cui, pyroxene jade, jadeite, b-jade, treated jade

gems, archaeology, archaeogemology, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, quartz, carnelian, coral, glass, amber, beads, Iran

A woman’s burial in southern Kazakhstan included beads of carnelian, coral, glass, and amber, and bracelets of large amber beads, all described in some detail but not illustrated. Some perhaps came from Iran by trade or as booty.

gems, ancient gemology, ancient jewelry, early metallurgy, historical, ancient trade, Roman Empire, China

gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, seals, cylinders, archaeology, archaeogemology, Egypt, Cyprus, Syria, Mesopotamia, Mediterranean, Levant, beads, turquoise, lapis lazuli

Surveys precious stones in the ancient Near East from the Sumerian to the Sasanian periods through essays and an illustrated catalogue accompanying a Louvre exhibition. Contributions examine mineral identification and geological sources, the production and circulation of lapis lazuli, carnelian, and agate, and techniques of bead manufacture. Other sections address jewellery, decorative inlays, and the evidence of ancient written sources. Archaeological objects connect the materials with their uses in personal adornment and luxury craftsmanship, including vessels carved from rock crystal. The volume brings together mineralogical, technological, archaeological, and textual approaches to the acquisition, working, and cultural significance of precious stones.

gems, history of gemology, Roman, Rome, Greek, Greece, history of mineralogy, history of science, glyptic

In the late 1960s, York Minster was in imminent danger of collapse. By means of extensive engineering the building was saved, and, in a campaign of archaeological excavation, the opportunity was taken to retrieve years of little-known history from beneath the floors. Underneath was found the headquarters of the Roman legionary fortress which was subjected to numerous modifications, both subtle and drastic, over a span of a 1000 years. This sequence of history closed in AD 1070 with the construction of the Norman Cathedral of Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux. The historical evidence contained in this text offers a detailed account of social, economic and ideological change in a place favoured by Roman, Anglian, Viking and Norman invaders. This publication describes the rescue excavations of part of the Roman legionary fortress (in particular, barracks, headquarters building, and streets), post-Roman use of the fortress, and an Anglo-Scandinavian cemetery. Part 1 is devoted to the excavation and its techniques. Contributions include `From the foundation of York to the end of the Roman period' by B Heywood (1-8), `The post-Roman period to 1066' by E James (9-15), `The excavation campaign' (16-22) and `The excavations' (23-176) by A D Phillips, `Note on the first-cohort barracks' by D P Davison (170-3), and `Roman to Norman at York Minster' by M O H Carver (177-205). Part 1 concludes with several tables, including phasing and dating.Part 2 on the finds begins with `Roman architectural and sculptured stonework' by T F C Blagg (223-45), followed by `Roman inscribed stones' by R P Wright & R S O Tomlin (246-7), `Roman wall-plaster from York Minster' by F J Weatherhead (248-64), `Analysis of mortar samples from the Roman phases of York Minster' by S E Warren & J Evans (265-8), `Roman tile fabric' by I M Betts (268-9), `Stamped and marked tiles' by E M King (270-1), `The samian pottery' by G Simpson (272-90), `Amphorae' by D F Williams (291-303), `Mortaria' by K Hartley (304-23), `Roman coarse pottery' by J R Perrin (324-45), `Roman glass' by J Price (346-71), `Roman intaglios' by M Henig (372-3), `Roman ironwork' by W H Manning (374-7), `Roman non-ferrous metalwork' by G Lloyd-Morgan (378-90), `Roman brooches' by S A Butcher (391-3), `Roman coins' by P J Casey (394-413), `Roman and early medieval bone and antler objects' by A G MacGregor (414-27), `An ivory weaving tablet' by P Walton (428-9), and `Objects of shale and jet' by M Henig (430-2).Under the section devoted to finds of the early medieval period, c 400-1100, contributions include `Pre-Conquest sculpture' by J Lang (433-68) with a note on the Anglo-Saxon pigment by P Wilthew (465), `Post-Roman pottery' by J Holdsworth (468-80), `Early medieval glass fragments' by V I Evison (481-3), `Iron objects' by I H Goodall (484-8; note on the spur by B Ellis on 487-8), `Iron-bound coffins and coffin-fittings from the pre-Norman cemetery' by B Kjolbye-Biddle (489-521), `Non-ferrous metal objects' by A R Goodall (522-6), `Post-Roman coins' by E J E Pirie (527-30), `Ferrous slag' by J G McDonnell (531-2), `Animal bone from post-Roman contexts' by D J Rackham (533-58, including `The bird bones' by E P Allison on 556-7), and `Palaeopathological report on selected skeletons from the pre-Norman cemetery' by F Lee (559-73). The report concludes with an `Assemblage summary' by M O H Carver & B Heywood (574-617), and an `Index to material held in archive' by A Sinclair (618-20).