
1000 Symbols
What Shapes Mean in Art and Myth
Thames & Hudson Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 5. August 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-500-28351-6 (ISBN)
Description
Symbols are often identified as an international language and, to some extent, they are. But that language is far from universal. Different symbols can mean radically different things in different contexts - a cross, a crane or a swastika could each have a distinct meaning for a Buddhist, an art historian or a student of the occult, for example, and none of those meanings would be quite the same.
1000 Symbols offers you a full explanation: an introductory alphabetical index is followed by groupings of related symbols, every one with an extended definition of its history and its cross-cultural meanings. Whether you are baffled by the relevance of the winged staff held by Mercury in a classical painting, or wonder why the Hebrew menorah has seven branches, this comprehensive reference dictionary will give you the information you're looking for, and place the explanation in both its historical and cultural contexts.
1000 Symbols offers you a full explanation: an introductory alphabetical index is followed by groupings of related symbols, every one with an extended definition of its history and its cross-cultural meanings. Whether you are baffled by the relevance of the winged staff held by Mercury in a classical painting, or wonder why the Hebrew menorah has seven branches, this comprehensive reference dictionary will give you the information you're looking for, and place the explanation in both its historical and cultural contexts.
Reviews / Votes
Comprehensive reference dictionary, enabling you to identify a symbol, discover its history, and determine its cross-cultural meaning.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Illustrations
1157 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 195 mm
Weight
1280 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-500-28351-6 (9780500283516)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Rupert Shepherd is a freelance writer specialising in art history.
Content
Symbol Finder 1. Geometrical Shapes - 2. The Universe - 3. Characters and People - 4. Living Creatures - 5. Flowers, Plants and Trees - 6. Mythical Beasts - 7. Objects and Artefacts - 8. Numbers and Colours