Oceanic Art by Alberto Cesare Ambesi

 Oceanic Art

by Alberto Cesare Ambesi

Paul Hamlyn Cameo Art Series

Hamlyn Publishing Group, 1970, colour photographic plates throughout, hardcover, dust-jacket

Very Good Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, previous owners stamp inside front cover, dust-jacket minor edge and shelf wear, minor rubbing to edges and corners, (see photographs)

"From the time of the first Pacific explorers, the Western World has been fascinated by the romance of the South Seas.
Sophisticated men have longed to return to the simple, primitive life epitomised by those enchanted islands.  In fact, the natives of this earthly paradise inhabit a world of surprising complexity.  Their lives are bounded by myths and legends which may vary from area to area but are intimately dependant on the power of supernatural forces.  The art of Oceania is the key to this enthralling world where a prow ornament becomes the guardian spirit of a ship, a statuette becomes an ever-watchful ancestor and a painted mask becomes the temporary residence of a god."