Umění kovu v zemích Blízkého východu a Indie

Metalworking has played a significant role in the history of crafts in the countries of the Near East and India. Although metal items were frequently melted down again, a large number of various vessels have nevertheless been preserved, allowing us to compare technical competence and variability of form in various parts of the Near East and India, and the way that these areas influenced each other. This publication presents a broad typological range of objects. Some of the vessels are specific to a small area, while othere were universally used. The catalogue, in the form of a DVD, presents over one thousand three hundred metal items that have been preserved in the collections of the National Museum – Náprstek Museum and the Museum of West Bohemia in Plzeň. It presents items that are representative of the various methods of production, decoration and use. In addition to basic data on the objects, the catalogue contains the results of the measurement of alloy compositions using X-ray fluorescence analysis.. The printed publication, together with the electric catalogue in the form of a CD-ROM, thus also provides the user with more general information, with cutural and historical parallels, and also specific data for the individual items in the collection.