Catalogue of Egyptian art : the Cleveland Museum of Art /

All 493 pieces in Cleveland's Egyptian collection are illustrated and expertly described, including when and where each was bought, exhibited, and formerly published. Writing is conscientiously footnoted so that research and reasons for statements are clear. The bibliography is a great compilation of scholarship from Quibell and Petrie, early-20th-century archaeologists, to Bourriau and W.S. Smith, more recent scholars and museum curators who write well, as do this volume's scholars, Arielle P. Kozloff, Berman, and Bohac. Writing well means, among other things, sizing up the audience, which for a large book of mostly small black-and-white photos (only 46 items are in good-sized lovely color) of startling though minor art, means being enthusiastic, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and concise. The audience will be astute and committed. Kozloff's introduction includes a heart-rending life of an early woman procurer of some of this art within the whole story of the collection. Evolution of lifestyle in 3,000-plus years of Egyptian history, their techniques in art media, and modern scholarship are efficiently laid out. The writers are congratulated for acknowledging when art is not beautiful but still worthy. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. E. L. Anderson; Lansing Community College

Although much smaller than the famous collections of Egyptian art and antiquities in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, or the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Cleveland Museum of Art's holdings are well known for their high aesthetic quality. Objects loaned by Cleveland have contributed significantly to most major Egyptian art exhibitions during the past several decades. First envisioned in 1917, this catalog was finally begun in 1993, when Berman, now the museum's first full-time curator of Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art, was engaged as a contract consultant for the project. Berman presents the objects in chronological sections corresponding to the major periods of Egyptian history, with additional divisions for "Amulets," "Miscellaneous Objects," and "Forgeries and Questionable Pieces." Entries consist of a descriptive essay, materials and construction, condition, provenance, and a bibliography. Translations are provided for nearly all inscriptions. Art historians and archaeologists will welcome this publication, as will all library patrons with a keen interest in ancient Egypt. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.ÄEdward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.