Customer Reviews

Indian Designs from Ancient Ecuador (Dover Pictorial Archives)

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This is a very good book, made with the traditional Dover Publication quality found in other books in their series that feature pictorials as diverse in subject matter as Art Noveau and Japanese Designs. As stated in the book, it is a permanent book produced with the quality standards used for the best books including pages bound in signatures that open flat for reference without the pages coming out. This is important since each page has three or four details taken from designs from pre-Columbian Ecuador and if you are copying them you will need the pages open and flat for an extended period of time. The designs are black and white illustrations and range is subject matter from splayed figures, people, many different animals including mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, plants and abstact creations, just to name a few. Each illustration is flat and enlarged showing the detail next to the smaller whorl or bead. The designs are taken from the private collection of the author. The author, Frederick w. Shaffer, used his collection of spindle whorls or weights and decorative beads that date back from 500 to 1500 A.D. In the introduction their is a brief explanation of these onjects and their use and how he aquired them in 1959. Although this is not a historical book per se it does represent the art work of the craftsmen of ancient Ecuador so it does have some historical significance. It is a remarkable collection of designs or motiffs that are valuable for people invloved in the visual arts. As a sourcebook for people in advertising, textiles or woodwork these designs may be used at will, with the permission of the author, to enlarge, reduce, alter, etc. for your convenience. If you are creative these designs can also be a stimulas for your own designs influenced by the ancient artists of Ecuador. Crafts people in jewelry, metalcraft or leather will find these designs very helpful. An interesting feature is the similarities in these designs and other objects collected from vastly different geographical locations in pre-Columbian America.The book is similar to the(2) books of ancient designs of Mexico by Jorge Enciso.