Customer Reviews

The Monuments of Egypt and Nubia

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Rosellini traveled throughout Egypt and Nubia during the early-to-mid 1890s in the company of such illustrious companions as Champollion. They were present for the openings of many Theban tombs and recorded the inner temple paintings of Abu-Simbel before anyone in the West had heard of it.

Rosellini's paintings were originally published in 5 gigantic volumes, so what we have in this book is simply a sampling of his overall work. But what a joy for the eyes and the mind these images are! The colors are brilliant and the images are exactingly reproduced by both Rosellini and the publisher.

The paintings are divided into sections according to subject matter. I found the descriptions of the paintings rather scant, but the majority of the original tomb paintings Rosellini copied are now either devoid of color or, more often, destroyed, thus making this record invaluable. Unfortunately, Rosellini's work is not often reproduced, so don't miss this rare glimpse into the past and the splendid artwork copied when it the originals still looked so fresh and perfect that the artist might have just stepped out for a break.

My only complaint/cry is for more of Rosellini's work to be reprinted in fine, oversized form like this and for a price as reasonable as this book's. There's not much text, but you'll find your friends can't keep their hands off this book, even the ones who are normally bored by Egyptology.