Illustrated Dictionary Of Symbols In Eastern And Western Art

This informative guide highlights the differences and similarities in the symbolism of everyday objects among various ancient, classical, eastern, and western civilizations. It also serves as a companion to the author's Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art (HarperCollins, 1979. rev. ed.), which primarily focused on the symbolism of Christian and classical art. Over 600 objects are arranged into six sections by broad subject categories: abstract signs, animals, artefacts, earth and sky, human body and dress, and plants. A seventh section focuses on collective symbols that have multiple attributes and meanings. Each entry describes a specific symbol in relation to various beliefs, social customs or religious worship, denotes its origin, contains keys to bibliographic references or notes, suggests cross-reference terms, and includes an illustration of the symbol. Appendixes include a transcription of Chinese, notes, and references by section, a bibliography, and brief chronological tables for the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, and Western civilizations. This versatile guide will be useful for all types of libraries and collections.