In the misty highlands of the Andes, Sandra Velasco Jordan first encountered the gentle creatures that would one day become her life’s passion and purpose. From these childhood moments among Peru’s verdant mountains to establishing her acclaimed textile business in California, Jordan’s journey with alpacas weaves a story as rich and textured as the fabrics she creates. Loving Alpaca, with a preface by the acclaimed interior designer Holly Hunt, chronicles a life lived between worlds—from Peru to Chile, India to the Philippines—as Jordan draws upon her multicultural experiences to build a business that honors tradition while embracing innovation. With unwavering dedication, she works alongside Peruvian herdsmen and women weavers, preserving ancient crafts while introducing their exceptional artistry to global markets. More than a memoir, this impressionistic portrait reveals how alpaca fiber became the thread connecting Jordan’s past to her present, her heritage to her home. Through her story, we discover the profound relationship between craft and identity, sustainability and beauty, nature and creative expression. Journey with Jordan as she transforms her love for these remarkable animals into a mission that celebrates cultural heritage, champions ethical practices, and creates spaces of harmony and beauty wherever her path leads.
The chance discovery of letters from Hester Thrale (1741–1821) to her daughter Sophia provides an opportunity to rethink our understanding of one of the key people in the life of the dictionary-maker and moralist Dr Samuel Johnson. Much-maligned after the death of her first husband for her decision to marry Gabriel Piozzi, an Italian musician and Catholic, Hester has often been portrayed as cold-hearted and lacking in the essentials of motherhood. These letters shed new light on her relations with her four surviving daughters (she gave birth to 12 children in 14 years). They also reveal her desire for recognition as a scholar and poet, and her keen awareness of her shortcomings. They provide a fascinating portrait of a complex woman, determining her independence and that of her daughters, in spite of family tragedy and vicious criticism in the press.
This is the first book to be entirely dedicated to the artwork of Jivya Soma Mashe. Through the quality of his work, Jivya Soma Mashe stands comparison with other outstanding enigmatic artists, such as Bill Traylor or Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, who broaden our understanding of the diversity of forms and cultures.
Jivya Soma Mashe (1934–2018) is a legendary figure among his people, the Warli, a tribe of around 300,000 inhabiting an area 150 km north of Mumbai (Maharashtra, India). Its members are animists and speak a language that has never developed a written form. To the best of human memory, it is Warli women who have always painted ritual and ephemeral paintings directly on the walls of their huts. The Warli have developed an extremely basic pictography based on circles, triangles, and squares to express their animist culture and represent their only deity, the mother goddess Palghatta, at the center of each painting.
After losing his mother at a young age, Jivya Soma Mashe took refuge in drawing, immersing himself in a personal style that first elicited the admiration of his peers and later that of regional, national, and international authorities. Jivya Soma Mashe received his first national award in 1976 – from Indira Gandhi herself. His works featured prominently in the Magiciens de la terre exhibition (Centre Pompidou, Paris 1989) and in the exhibition celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Cartier Foundation (Paris 2014).
Text in English and French.
The Khalili Anīs al-Hujjāj (Pilgrims’ Companion) presents a ground-breaking new exploration of Safi ibn Vali Qazwini’s richly illustrated manuscript dating from 1676-77. This beautifully produced volume, with a scholarly introduction by Qaisra M. Khan and translation by Michael Burns, documents the author’s year-long journey to Mecca and Medina from Mughal India via the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
Commissioned by Zeb un-Nisa, the daughter of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, this delightfully vivid account belongs to a long-established tradition of guides to the Holy Sanctuaries. It gives comprehensive advice to prospective pilgrims on every aspect of the maritime journey, such as which ships to select, the best foods to consume, rituals to observe, significant places to visit and the people one might encounter.
This volume extensively explores the original manuscript’s detailed illustrations and text, providing an invaluable window into 17th-century religious practices, maritime travel, and the cultural landscape of the Indian Ocean world.
This lavishly illustrated book, the third and final volume in the series Orchha, Datia, Panna: Miniatures from the Royal Courts of Bundelkhand, deals with the third, fourth, and fifth periods of Bundelkhand painting, which spans the years 1635 through 1840. It begins with the Mughalizing painting styles that predominated in Datia after the disintegration of Orchha in 1635 and the rise of Datia as an independent principality and major cultural center. It also addresses the development of Bundelkhand painting after 1675, when Raja Chhatrasal established Panna as the capital of his Bundela kingdom. Bundelkhand painting ceased with the raja’s death in 1731, and it was only after a long interruption that it experienced an Indian summer at the court of Datia during the period of British suzerainty in the 19th century. However, the style of the latter era no longer bore a resemblance to the Datia and Orchha schools of the 17th century, but was rather an offshoot of the prevailing Mighal-Rajput style developed by painters who had left Delhi in the second half of the 18th century.
Through stylistic analyses and interpretations of more than 90 paintings from his collection, many of them published here for the first time, the author provides a rich insight into the many and varied developments of later Bundekhand painting.
FMR No. 14 opens with the story of Paolo Veronese, then recalls the story of the creation of the Labyrinth as recalled by Ricci himself 10 years ago. Rosita Copioli explores the mythography of Hermes, and Massimo Navoni recalls the rise and fall and rise again of Tamara de Lempicka. Enrico Dal Pozzolo, curator of the major Veronese show at the Prado, recounts Paolo Caliari’s life. Giorgio Antei tells a picaresque tale of his travels in Oaxaca, Stefano Salis spins a story of Sardinian bread, Cristina Nuzzi looks back on Richelieu’s great art trove, and Maurizio Bettini descries the evocative moment of Trajan at the mouth of the Tigris, gazing longingly at a ship sailing off to India, envious of the exploits of Alexander in Punjab and along the Indus and Ganges Valleys.
In this new book, Frank Ames concludes a trilogy of works, in which his sharp and revealing studies of the origins of the Sikh Kashmir shawl patterns under Maharaja Ranjit Singh not only remind us of their uniqueness and originality, but also, through their striking visuals, transport us through previously unknown ethereal and mystical dimensions of time and space.
From the tumultuous history of Punjab, the Sikhs rose to great power, commanding enough influence to draw the attention of the mighty British Raj. Ames guides us through the political, cultural, religious, and artistic events of the Punjab that gave rise to these transformative Sikh designs.
Pashmina Jewels emerges from the shared dedication of collector, Dr. Parvinderjit Singh Khanuja, and the author, both driven by a single purpose: to bring to light an art form long neglected by Indian historians.
This richly illustrated volume, produced by Uzbek publisher Dinara & Co. in partnership with Kulturalis, explores the enduring legacy and contemporary revival of miniature painting in Uzbekistan. Highlighting the work of acclaimed Bukharan master Davlat Toshev, the book guides readers through the intricate brushwork, symbolism and narrative depth of his recent creations. By situating Toshev’s oeuvre within the broader context of Islamic art and the cultural memory of the region, the book demonstrates how these seemingly fantastical images resonate with contemporary audiences. For art lovers, collectors and cultural historians alike, this publication is both a celebration of Uzbekistan’s artistic heritage and a key to unlocking the relevance of miniature painting in modern times.
Pierre Bonnard was a leading figure in the transition from Impressionism to Modernism. Across his rich and varied oeuvre, he returned frequently to self-portraits, of which this 1939 example is a key late work. In its depiction of an intimate and enclosed world, the painting creates a powerful emotional impact, standing as one of the most sensitive and deeply affecting self-portraits of its time. This volume contains newly commissioned essays by Isabelle Cahn of the Musée d’Orsay, who curated the exhibition Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi, a collaboration between the Musée d’Orsay and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne in 2023, and Sarah Whitfield, who in 1998 organized a major retrospective of Pierre Bonnard at London’s Tate Gallery and the New York Museum of Modern Art, featuring loans from numerous public and private collections.