A World Of Head Ornaments Africa Asia Oceania America From The Ghysels Collection Anne Van Cutsem Photographs By Mauro Magliani Translation By Isabel Ollivier

American Book Publishing Record

A World of Head Ornaments

Publisher Description

Powerful Headdresses

ART OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES. Over the centuries, craftsmen have applied their creativity and technical skills to exploit the generous resources of Nature to marvelous effect. In this case they have employed seeds, leaves, flowers and fibers from the plant world, along with feathers, plain or iridescent shells, teeth, and fur from the animal kingdom to fashion objects of astonishing beauty, enhanced with the addition of elements in iron, copper, silver, and gold. Down through time such materials have always provided the basis for magnificent headdresses of all variety, including hats, caps, crowns, and headbands. In time, as the conditions of trade and pilgrimage routes improved, rare materials and manufactured products spread all over the globe, as well as new knowledge, techniques, and methods of fabrication.