ZERVOS (Christian). — The Art of Mesopotamia. From the End o - Lot 313

Lot 313
Go to lot
Estimation :
90 - 140 EUR
Bid on drouot.com
ZERVOS (Christian). — The Art of Mesopotamia. From the End o - Lot 313
ZERVOS (Christian). — The Art of Mesopotamia. From the End of the Fourth Millennium to the 15th Century BCE. Elam, Sumer, Akkad. Paris, Éditions “Cahiers d’Art,” 1935. Large quarto, [256] pp., 34 cm, very lavishly illustrated with full-page and in-text black-and-white photographic reproductions; cream-colored publisher’s cardboard binding with blue typographic decoration; light-colored cloth spine. The bibliographic collation of the edition confirms the 256 pages and the 34-cm format. First edition. An important work by Christian Zervos (1889–1970) devoted to the earliest great civilizations of Mesopotamia, published by his own Éditions des Cahiers d’Art. Zervos, founder of the famous journal and future author of the monumental Picasso catalog raisonné, published this volume on Mesopotamia in 1935, two years after his first book on Greek art. The study covers the art of Elam, Sumer, and Akkad, from the end of the 4th millennium through the 15th century BCE. Above all, it constitutes a remarkable photographic collection, featuring reproductions of sculptures, statuettes, reliefs, ritual objects, and monumental works preserved in major archaeological collections. The book’s documentary significance endures: the Louvre Museum’s current scholarly catalog entries still regularly cite Zervos’s work for several Mesopotamian artifacts, notably the famous stele of Naram-Sin, reproduced on pp. 165–167, as well as various Sumerian and Elamite statuettes. The specialized bibliography also ranks it among the major illustrated catalogs of Mesopotamian art. A beautifully produced volume characteristic of the Cahiers d’Art series, in which the photographs—often reproduced full-page and with spectacular framing—play a vital role in the aesthetic appreciation of ancient sculpture. The book is thus of interest for Near Eastern archaeology, the history of art photography, and the history of French modernist publishing. A good copy. The publisher’s hardcover binding is intact, which is important. Some soiling and signs of wear on the covers, small marks and scuffing at the corners, with slight creasing on some corners. Interior is clean and fresh; illustrations are in very fine condition. No dust jacket.
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue