Shadows of Boulder Hill presents a group of 50 powerful paintings in oil on linen by artist Tang Shuo (b. 1987 in Guangxi, China) that delve into his childhood experiences in rural southern China. This, Tang’s first book, documents the concurrent exhibitions of these works at Fabienne Levy’s galleries in Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2023.
Shadows of Boulder Hill marks a significant point in Tang’s career; in 2023 he incorporated narrative threads into his paintings for the first time, depicting young lovers, recluses, and wanderers lost in imagined and remembered landscapes of lush vegetation and wildflowers. A selection of the fascinating true stories from Boulder Hill that inform Tang’s practice, personal and collective, are detailed in the gallery notes.
Shadows of Boulder Hill includes a foreword by gallerist Fabienne Levy and an essay by multidisciplinary scholar Dr Matthew Holman. Here, Tang appears as an artist who has found his voice as he eloquently explores scenes of family, friendship, suffering, solitude, and survival.

This volume highlights the treasures of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, and houses a world-class collection of art objects. It is categorized primarily into three sections: Art, Archaeology and Natural History. The Museum has some fine and rare collections featuring ancient Indus Valley artifacts that date back to 3000 BC as well as relics from the Maurya and Gupta period (320 BC AD 800). The Indian Miniature Painting Gallery houses art treasures from almost every significant school of miniature painting.

Sir Robert Walpole’s collection of Old Masters, and the building and furnishing of Houghton, the great Palladian house he built in Norfolk, have been the focus of extensive study in recent years, but his silver has not received the same attention. However, the discovery of inventories in the National Archives has allowed a picture to be built up of the sheer scale of Walpole’s silver holdings, which were, like everything else about the man, larger than life. What silver that survives includes some of the most celebrated pieces of Georgian silver, such as the square seal salver made by Paul de Lamerie and engraved by William Hogarth. Walpole probably had more silver than any of his contemporaries with the exception of the king, and the scale of his entertaining at court, in Downing Street and at Houghton was gargantuan.

Contents:
Chronology of Sir Robert Walpole’s life
Sir Robert Walpole’s Silver
Appendices (including plate in the Strawberry Hill sale, 1842)

This book highlights the treasures of the extraordinary personal collection of the Salar Jung family. The Indian Art section focuses on ancient sculptures of the Andhra region and representative paintings of the medieval period. The ‘Asian Art’ section includes a few exceptional pieces of ceramic and other arts from China and Japan. The ‘European Art’ segment includes various pieces of art for which the Museum is famous such as the ‘Veiled Rebecca’ and oil and watercolor paintings by English, French and Dutch artists, apart from several other rare European pieces. ‘In the Palace’ has furniture and household collection of glass and ceramics from around the world. The ‘Arms Collection’ of the Museum has treasured items including weapons belonging to Mughal emperors such as Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.

The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University is honored to offer viewers in the United States their first opportunity to contemplate masterpieces from the leading historic private art collection in Spain. The treasures of the Alba family represent more than five hundred years of patronage and collecting of European art of the highest quality and importance. One hundred thirty-eight exemplary objects from these vast holdings will be presented in Dallas and then travel to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville. Coinciding with the Meadows Museum s golden anniversary, the exhibition Treasures from the House of Alba: 500 Years of Art and Collecting and this companion publication trace the history of the Alba family from the fifteenth century through the present day through the works they collected. The book explores the family’s wealth of paintings, sculptures, furniture, tapestries, and other objects, as well as the Alba archives and library. The stature of the painting collection is clear from the artists represented in the exhibition, among them Fra Angelico, Titian, Rubens, Mengs, Goya, Ingres, Sorolla, and Renoir. The relationship of the Alba legacy to America is highlighted in decorative objects and in a selection of documents from the Alba library related to Columbus and his voyages. The ten essays in this publication shed light on the dynasty’s particular interest in collecting tapestries; its patronage of writers such as Garcilaso de la Vega; the influence of Eugenia de Montijo, empress of France, who was directly related to the Alba family; the pivotal roles of the Seventeenth Duke of Alba and his daughter, the Eighteenth Duchess, in the twentieth century, both of them keenly engaged with the art of their time; and the three palaces Liria, Monterrey, and Las Dueñas that house much of the collection today. Finally, there is one essay covering the biographical life of the Albas as well as an article that discusses their artistic legacy. As a result, the book provides an in-depth study of the rich life and cultural achievements of this legendary dynasty that still lives strong today.

Treasures of the Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur catalogues a selection of the marvelous artworks on display at Albert Hall, Jaipur. Envisioned by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II of Jaipur and executed by his successor Sawai Madhao Rao Singh II, to preserve the heritage of local arts and crafts, it was designed and built in 1897 by Thomas Holbein Hendley. The 19,000 artworks of the museum include pottery, stonework, woodwork, arms and armour, sculpture, jewelry, musical instruments, coins and seals, carpets and miniature paintings. Some of the best artworks and architectural features of the museum are produced in this book along with concise text.

For centuries, we have studied the works of Cicero, Lucretius and Horace. We draw inspiration from the knightly tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Our knowledge of the world builds on the writings of classical and medieval poets, philosophers, theologians and jurists. But without the diligent monks and copyists of the Middle Ages, these texts would not have been preserved. Today’s world is unthinkable without this transmission of written knowledge.

Written Treasures introduces you to the fascinating world of medieval manuscripts. From the treasury of the Leiden University Library, 50 extraordinary manuscripts are selected: beautiful showpieces but also quickly notated works on second-rate parchment. Thirty-Eight experts highlight their content, appearance, design and their journey through generations of users and possessors to our times. With beautiful illustrations and accessible texts, this book is indispensable for history and book lovers. It is a celebration of cultural heritage and a tribute to the exceptional transmission of written knowledge through the ages.

“It is fortunate that a scholar with Professor Abbi’s tenacity, as well as her scientific credentials, was available and willing to conduct this work… The volume is a superb introduction for the layperson to the wonderful world that Professor Abbi has opened up for us.” – Bernard Comrie, Santa Barbara, California.

“For two decades now, Abbi has marshalled the full intellectual and strategic weight of her training, disciplinary expertise and socio-cultural capital to document, preserve and share with the world the voices, songs, stories and laughter of the Great Andamanese.” – Mark Turin, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

The Andaman Islands — Great Andaman, Little Andaman, and North Sentinel Islands have been home for milleniums to four tribes: the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and Sentinelese. Their languages are known by the same name as that of the tribes. ‘Great Andamanese’ is a generic term representing ten languages among a family of languages that were once spoken by ten different tribes living in the north, south, and middle of the Great Andaman Islands. These languages were mutually intelligible like a link in a chain.

However, today, Great Andamanese is a moribund language of the only-surviving pre-Neolithic tribe, breathing its last breath. When a language is on the verge of extinction, its history, culture, ecological base, knowledge of the biodiversity, ethno-linguistic practices, and the identity of its community — everything is endangered. This is what prompted Prof. Anvita Abbi to conduct a research study to give life to the lost oral heritage of the vanishing world of the Great Andamanese.

Voices from the Lost Horizon is a collection of a number of folk tales and songs of the Great Andamanese. These stories and songs represent the first-ever collection rendered to the Prof. Abbi and her team by the Great Andamanese people in local settings. The compilation comes with audio and video recordings of the stories and songs to retain the originality and orality of the narratives. 

In 1739, Qaraar Ali, a young craftsman from Delhi witnesses the destruction of his world as he has known it. His wondrous city where he found love, spirituality, the friendship of poets and philosophers becomes a desolate, scorching hell. From the embers of his past, a journey begins; one which takes him into the depths of Sufi philosophy. Traversing spectacular landscapes of a fading Mughal Empire, a turbulent Central Asia and Persia, a culturally retreating Ottoman Empire and declining Spanish influence, Qaraar Ali finds hope in the sacred geometry of the Sufis through which he attempts at rebuilding his life and rediscovering love. A deeply passionate love story imbued with spirituality, acceptance, compassion and redemption, The Lost Fragrance of Infinity gives a much-deserved voice to Sufism and its contributions to humanity, art, mathematics, mysticism and science.

In a series of color-saturated, dream-like, hallucinatory images taken at night, this second book in a trilogy by Kolkata-based photographer Arko Datto explores the shifting world of nature, society, and politics in Malaysia and Indonesia. Over the course of 4 years, he has captured both people and animals in confrontation with the changing urban environments they live in, with the subtext of the politics that made this change possible. In a place that used to be considered a tropical paradise, over- development and property speculation have forced residents out and have created deserts of empty real estate where neither locals nor animal life can thrive. SNAKEFIRE is dedicated to this paradise that has been lost to unmediated human greed and ponders the costs of untrammeled consumption. 

The hidden art of London is for the ever-curious roamer of both the back streets and the familiar places you never quite see – churches, gardens, graveyards, pubs. What little garden finds the poet John Keats sitting in the corner of a bench? Which abandoned building tells the story of a great Roman Road?
There are always marvels hidden in plain view – the back corner of a museum containing great sculptures by Rodin or the naked, street-corner golden boy, who marks where the Great Fire of London finally petered out. A famous literary cat or a painting by Hogarth on the bend of a stairs in an ancient hospital.
This guidebook takes you exploring London beyond its most famous sights to find the art we have never quite noticed before: the hidden statues, paintings, and murals that have escaped from the official museums, and often live unnoticed lives in tucked away places.

Featuring over 140 jades, dating mostly to the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), this volume brings together jades from several private collections alongside examples from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to illustrate the extraordinary achievements of jade carving. The book includes examples carved into pleasingly tactile forms that were carried around to bring delight and inspiration to their owners. Features specially-commissioned items bearing the mark of individual artists such as Lu Zigang of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and monumental jades imitating mountains or ritual bronze vessels that declared not only the immaculate taste of the owners but their wealth as well. This catalog consists of an important essay “Features of Qing Imperial Jades Produced under the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors” written by Zhang Guangwen from the Palace Musuem, Beijing.

Over 200 years ago, the Mauritshuis hosted not one, but two museums. On the upper floor was the Royal Cabinet of Paintings, while on the ground floor, thousands of objects of all kinds were on display in the Royal Cabinet of Rarities. This rarities cabinet closed in 1875 and the objects were distributed to various Dutch institutions. The temporary exhibition The Vanished Museum about this Royal Cabinet of Rarities is accompanied by a publication with essays by 30 experts, including curators of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Wereldmuseum in Leiden. In relatively short texts, the reader is taken through the rich and often complex history of the institution. The diverse topics and perspectives suit the motley nature of the collection. From a text about an unusual ivory Chinese puzzle ball, to a reflection on the formation of cultural stereotypes; from a kayak on the ceiling, to a hat that turns out not to belong to Willem van Oranje after all.

Ruudt Peters (b. 1950) is a pioneering conceptual jewelry artist who challenges traditional definitions of adornment by pushing the boundaries of context, wearability, material and presentation. On the occasion of his retrospective exhibition he gives a first complete overview of his forty-four-year oeuvre. All series of his work are comprehensively presented in texts and photographs of objects and portraits. Many previously unpublished views of installations and exhibitions as well as numerous drawings and sketches enhance the review, all complemented by video clips that can be accessed via QR codes, which provide the reader with short movies featuring background information about Peters’s work, and those who wear his pieces and the art of jewelry. The last chapter of the catalogue will be dedicated to Peter’s latest, hitherto unpublished series.

This book accompanies an exhibition, to be held at the CODA Museum, Apeldoorn (NL), 12.11.2017 – 28.1.2018; followed by venues in Huangzhou (CN), Tallinn (EE) and Vincenza (IT) (dates not yet confirmed)

www.ruudtpeters.nl
active on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruudt.peters?fref=ts

William Blake’s engraved illustrations of the Book of Job are masterpieces of intaglio art. Dated 1825 in the plate and published the following year, they were based on his watercolors of the same subject from 1806 (Morgan Library, New York) and 1821 (Fogg Museum of Art, Harvard). Unlike the watercolors, the prints have complex marginal decorations that comment upon the biblical text. They are among the most inspired and sublime artistic achievements of this visionary artist and poet of the British Romantic period. 

This handsome volume reproduces the Royal Academy’s copy of John Linnell’s 1874 printing, which comprised 100 copies on India paper laid on unmarked heavy paper. Katharine Dell, Professor of Old Testament Literature and Theology at the University of Cambridge, introduces the biblical text, and Joseph Viscomi, Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-editor of the Blake Archive, gives an account of the creation of Blake’s engravings. The 22 illustrations are reproduced at actual size from new photographs especially taken for this publication and are accompanied by a series of magnificent details of the prints. 

To many the words Hill Station are evocative of an exotic and exciting vision when the subjects of the British Colonial Government gloried in the Hill Stations of India and Burma. Beautifully constructed holiday towns built at 3,000 feet or more where people flocked to escape the heats of the plains. High up the Shan hills of east Burma stood Maymyo. This book tells the stories of the people for whom Maymyo really was a heaven ‘lost on the clouds’.

This work centers upon Manaku of Guler – older brother of the greatly celebrated Nainsukh – reconstructing whatever little is known of his life, but following closely his artistic journey. Manaku came from an obscure little town in the hills of northern India – home to his singularly talented family – and yet his vision knew almost no limits. Endowed with soaring imagination and great painterly skills, this man – with a name that literally means a ruby, whose glow keeps hinting at an inner fire – was capable of painting giant rings of time upon timeless waters, envisioning the world of gods and demons, littered with cosmic battles and earthly triumphs. At least three great series were painted by Manaku: the Siege of Lanka which took forward the narrative of the Ramayana from the point where his father, the gifted Pandit Seu, had left it; the Gita Govinda and the Bhagavata Purana. Every single folio that has survived and is at present accessible – the number comes close to five hundred – from these series finds a place in this uncommonly rich volume. For the second time – Nainsukh of Guler was the first (also published by Niyogi Books) – Professor Goswamy looks here at the entire body of work of a great Indian artist from the past.

“With his legendary swag, Norman Anderson, aka Normski, hip-hop ambassador in the United Kingdom since its emergence in the 1980s, is the great archivist of these glory days he captured London to Detroit.” — Rolling Stone France
“The difference between Normski’s photograph of me and any other is that it captures my soul.” — Goldie

“He was a larger-than-life character, full of energy and totally motivating. He really was the hip hop photographer of the day in the UK.” — Stereo MC’s
“This book contains a striking catalogue of images, many of which have been exhibited by establishments such as Tate Britain, the V&A, Somerset House and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.” — Marcus Barnes

“On the heels of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, Man with the Golden Shutter is a celebratory record of hip-hop as much as it is a definitive collection of Normski’s incredible photographs.” — GQ Middle East

“What elevates the book is Normski’s voice threading through it all. The stories that accompany the photographs are alive with hustle and charm as he talks his way backstage, makes lighting rigs out of whatever was lying around and persuades a tired MC to pose just one more time.” — Musee Magazine

Normski was a vital witness to the period known as the Golden Age of Rap, when big US artists like Run DMC, LL Cool J and Public Enemy started to play in the UK. At the same time, a British music scene born of Black music and myriad multicultural influence was developing, giving birth to Jungle, Garage and Techno.

The author, who describes himself as having been a “young Black British homeboy photographer”, was in the right place at the right time to document the emergent music, community and social movements of hip hop and rap in the UK. Normski: Man with the Golden Shutter presents Normski’s personal journey through that world from the mid-1980s to early 1990s.

The book includes Normski’s often previously unseen photographs of Public Enemy, N.W.A., Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Goldie, Ice-T, Run DMC, Wu-Tang Clan and many others, alongside the photographer’s stories and anecdotes from the center of what would become a hugely influential cultural movement.

Cycling has never lost its appeal. Alongside mass-produced models, the craftsmanship of bespoke bicycle makers has emerged to satisfy the passion of people who ride bikes as a means of daily transport, as a sport and for recreation. This book by passionate cyclists Christine Elliott and David Jablonka is the product of a worldwide search for the most influential custom bicycle makers on the planet. The result is a presentation of a wonderful collection of expertly honed, human-powered machines, built by some of the most creative bicycle makers in the world. It highlights the range of techniques, materials, design elements, and dedication that go into producing a custom handmade bicycle. It is guaranteed to take you on the ride of your life. Bicycle brands featured include: Anderson Custom Bicycles, Baum Cycles, Bilkeny Cycle Works, Black Sheep Bikes, Bob Brown Cycles, Bohemian Cycles, Bruce Gordon Cycles, Calfee Design, Columbine Cycle Works, Crisp Titanium, Cycles Alex Singer, Cyfac, Davidson Handbuilt Bicycles, Don Walker Cycles, GURU Bikes, Independent Fabrication, Ira Ryan Cycles, Jeff Jones Custom Bicycles, Keith Anderson Cycles, Kirk Frameworks, Kish Fabrication, Llewelyn Custom Bicycles, Lynskey, Marschall Framework, Moots, Naked Bicycles and Design, Pegoretti, Richard Sachs Cycles, Roark Custom Titanium Bicycles, Robin Mather, Signal Cycles, Steve Potts Bicycles, Strawberry, Sweet Pea Cycles, Vanilla Bicycles, Vendetta Cycles, Vicious Cycles, Wolfhound Cycles. Also available: Racing Bicycles ISBN: 9781864704822

The Basilica of Saint Mary Major is the only patriarchal basilica of the four in Rome to have retained its paleo-Christian structures and is the resting place of Pope Francis. This elegant guide showcases ultra-high gigapixel photography of the Basilica’s interior and traces its history from 425 AD and tradition has it that the Virgin Mary herself inspired the choice of the Esquiline Hill for the church’s construction. Appearing in a dream to both the Patrician John, the landowner of the Esquiline Hill, and Pope Liberius, she asked that a church be built in her honor on a site she would miraculously indicate. This is the essential and most innovative guide to this important pilgrimage and tourist site in Rome. 

Text in English and Italian. 

“It’s a necessary conversation starter about what’s on the horizon for the wine world, and a roadmap for drinkers who want to align their values with their purchasing.” — Forbes 

“As their absorbing book reveals, “climatic challenges” were a major contributor to plummeting levels of wine production that last year saw the global total drop to its lowest level since 1961… Masters and Neather outline many ways in which the industry can adapt to, and fight, climate change.” — Financial Times

“Rooted in Change is a courageous, groundbreaking, hope-filled piece of work. It gives every one of us a practical starting point. And it is a gift to all of us in the wine industry and to anyone who loves wine and cares about the planet.” — Jancis Robinson

“A cork tree will be harvested around 17 times over the 200-year span of its life; around one quarter of the glass recycled in the UK is simply crushed for aggregate. These are two of many facts I learnt from this dense yet lucid book which pulls the curtain to show the pragmatic side of wine we rarely think about.” — Telegraph

This is a compelling new book focused on the intersection of wine and sustainability. It will explore the most urgent issues facing the wine industry today, from climate change and resource management to evolving consumer expectations, offering a rich blend of tradition and innovation to inspire a sustainable future for winemaking.

Wine regions around the world, from the vineyards of Bordeaux to the valleys of California, are grappling with the undeniable effects of climate change. Record-breaking temperatures, extreme weather patterns, and resource scarcity are pressing the industry to rethink how it operates. As wineries increasingly embrace sustainable farming methods—from water conservation strategies to regenerative viticulture practices—the book will take readers through a comprehensive exploration of these pioneering approaches. The book will feature a mix of expert commentary, in-depth case studies, and engaging storytelling that illustrates how sustainability is being embraced across the global wine community—from regenerative farming practices at Tablas Creek in California to innovative water management strategies in Australia’s Barossa Valley.

Appealing to a wide range of readers, from those in the sustainability industry to other sectors, both agricultural and broader product manufacturing sectors. 

“This book is here to remind long-time movie fans why these important 20th-century icons will forever remain the Fabulous Faces of our time.”
— The Eye of Photography

“Enigmatic, dazzling and fabulous: the faces of Hollywood’s golden age.” — The Times

“A new book pulls together glamorous portraits of film stars from the 1920s to the 60s who could draw an audience with their name alone.”
— The Guardian

“Intense close-ups, staged embraces and smouldering, emotive glances exude star power in this fitting tribute to a bygone age.”
“Star quality emanates from every page.”— The Lady Magazine

Fabulous Faces of Classic Hollywood brings together some of the greatest portraits taken by leading Hollywood portrait photographers during the motion picture industry’s golden years of 1920 to 1960. Little-seen negatives, long buried in the remarkable and internationally renowned archives of the John Kobal Foundation, have been unearthed and printed to reveal some of Hollywood’s favorite stars at the height of their careers. Full-page images of Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, as well as lesser lights including Anna May Wong, Lon Chaney, Lupe Velez and Ramon Novarro, will remind long-time movie fans why these important 20th-century icons will forever remain the fabulous faces of the movie world.

Selected by best-selling author Robert Dance and writer and award-winning film producer Simon Crocker, over 200 photographs are presented alongside an essay by Dance, describing what it takes to become a fabulous face and an international icon.