BOOK REVIEW: Scythian treasures to be treasured (11/07/99)

BOOK REVIEW: Scythian treasures to be treasured

Scythian Gold: Treasures from Ancient Ukraine," edited by Ellen D. Reeder. New York: Harry Abrams Inc. in association with the Walters Art Gallery (Baltimore) and the San Antonio Museum of Art, 1999. 352 pp., 240 color plates. $60.

by Ingert Kuzych

This beautiful book is a complete record of the fabulous exhibit "Gold of the Nomads: Scythian Treasures from Ancient Ukraine." But it is also much more. It serves as an excellent introduction to these influential ancient peoples, as well as their art. This dual function is intentional as it is hoped this volume will be used as a college-level textbook in classes dealing with ancient eastern European and/or Central Asian art history. If indeed this turns out to be the case then, I must say, this will be one of the most gorgeous textbooks any student will ever possess. I own quite a number of exhibit-related museum art books, but this is clearly one of the best. I cannot say enough nice things about it!

First, a few words about the book's general organization. It is composed of two major sections. The first part of a hundred pages or so, consists of nine essays dealing with the Scythians and their art. The second (catalogue) part records the 172 objects from the exhibit; it is followed by maps; an extensive 745-citation, 15-page bibliography of both ancient and modern sources on the Scythians; and an index.

Frequently, in exhibition art catalogues of this type, the introductory essays (usually consisting solely of text) are very dry and are written by scholars trying to impress their peers. I find myself usually skipping over these articles and going straight to the illustrations. Things happened differently for me this time. Yes, I confess, I did skim through the second (exhibit) part first, but I soon went back and started reading the first section, because it, too, is filled with colorful attention-grabbing pictures and I wanted to know what they were all about.

The first essay "Scythia and the Scythians" is by Lada Onyshkevych, curatorial assistant for the exhibition at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore. Not only is it a fine background chapter, but it contains some striking plates showing how Scythian men and women dressed. The next two articles, "Scythian Art" by the editor of the book, Ellen Reeder, and "Early Nomadic Sources for Scythian Art" by Esther Jacobson, compliment each other nicely and detail the influences on Scythian artistic traditions (early on, these were primarily faunal; later, Greek themes were preferred). The explanations of why only certain animals were repeatedly depicted (eagle, leopard or stag) while others (fox, wolf or tortoise) were virtually ignored - and interpretations of what the various animal poses/transformations might have meant or represented - make for fascinating reading.

Most of the remaining articles are by scholars from Ukraine; they are generally shorter, but still contain many additional valuable descriptions and illustrations. The fine translations of these pieces were carried out by Dr. Onyshkevych and Motrja Paluch, who deserve the highest praise for the effort they expended in rendering some fairly complex Ukrainian- and Russian-language originals into very readable English. It should also be mentioned that these ladies were responsible for ensuring that all transliterations throughout the book are from Ukrainian - not Russian. Very refreshing!

The catalogue portion of the volume is a delight. Most of the objects are depicted at close to actual size (some spread across two full pages) and many of the smaller pieces are enlarged to present details. The photography, mostly by Lynton Gardiner and Bruce White, can only be described as superb. There are no depth-of-field problems; the entire object, whether ring or cup, statue or amphora, bowl or necklace, is always in focus.

I particularly appreciated the multiple views or close-ups of some of the more spectacular gold objects. Of particular note are the gorytos (bow and arrow case; Figure 105, four views), a decorated helmet (Figure 124, five scenes), a drinking cup with horses (Figure 134, two views), and a finial (the top decoration of a pole or staff; Figure 136, five views). The last figure in the catalogue, number 172, has six views of the famous pectoral (see article on page 15). Thankfully, this item was included in the catalogue, even though it is not known whether it will be released for display at any of the venues.

Several reconstructions of elaborate women's headdresses and costumes (Figures 15, 16, 18, 43, 108 and 109) are also shown, as is the complete body armor and weaponry of a Scythian warrior (Figure 10). Of great help in the catalog descriptions themselves is the cross referencing that indicates what objects were found together. All in all, a very attractive, comprehensive and useful reference work on these fascinating peoples and their art.

P.S.: I was able to obtain this volume at a 30 percent discount by ordering over the Internet from Barnes and Noble. The address is: http://www.bn.com/

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