This online catalogue opens with a general introduction to amber in the ancient world and then presents fifty-six Etruscan, Greek, and Italic carved ambers in the J. Paul Getty Museum—the second largest collection of this material in the United States and one of the most important in the world. Each piece is given a full description, including typology, style, chronology, and iconography, and is beautifully illustrated in color. The catalogue concludes with technical notes about scientific investigations of these objects and the Baltic amber from which they are carved.

With extensive notes, bibliographies, and condition reports on each object, this interactive reference provides scholars with a wealth of information. Images will have zoom functionality, allowing objects to be viewed in detail and from various angles. As new scholarship becomes available, the catalogue will be updated.

Faya Causey is the head of the academic programs department at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Link to online publication will be available March 2012, please check back at that time.

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  Amber and the Ancient World