Amber : Window to the Past

This is a comprehensive study of the various roles and uses of amber, in nature as well as art.

The fossilized tree resin has not only inspired elaborate workmanship and long been used in jewelry and other decorative objects, but is also highly valued by natural scientists because it frequently encapsulates flora and fauna from other periods of evolution. The author defines the origins and properties of amber and explains how the objects preserved in it can help us learn when, where and how different species of flora and fauna lived and died. The many spectacular pieces illustrated in this volume include ancient amulets; Etruscan funerary ornaments; Renaissance alterpieces; and carved works from the famous Amber Room - gift from Frederick William I, the king of Prussia, to Peter the Great of Russia in the early 18th century. This book is also designed to serve as a catalogue for an exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in September 1996.