MAJOR ROCK PAINTINGS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA by R. Townley Johnson; Tim MaggsReview by: Christopher RoyARLIS/NA Newsletter, Vol. 9, No. 3 (MAY 1981), p. 133Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Art Libraries Society of NorthAmericaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27946541 .

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ARLIS/NA Newsletter, May 1981 133

accompanied by a number of photographs of Hartley, his acquain tances, and the sites where the artist lived and worked. Specialists will find helpful an exhaustive bibliography-exhibition list and a checklist of Hartley's published writings, both compiled by Peter Freeman. The Whitney publication does, however, point up one of the problems of recent monographic catalogs. Their lengthy and detailed texts demand an index, but lip service to the catalog format prevents its inclusion. If the present tendency of catalog to

supersede monographs continues, a change of rules is certainly in order.

Carol A. Nathanson, Wright State University

CRAFT OF THE DYER: COLOUR FROM PLANTS AND LICHENS OF THE NORTHEAST/Karen Leigh Casselman.? Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980.?249 p.: ill. (some col.).?ISBN 0-8020-2362-2: SC27.50.

Craft of the Dyer is an attractive and readable volume. The author's research has been thorough; drawing upon scattered liter

ature, oral traditions, and the experiences of recognized authorities and Maritime craftspersons. The novice dyer is neither talked down to nor left behind, yet experienced craftspeople will also find this an indispensable reference work.

The first eight chapters are devoted to the rationale behind this

approach to color in the 1980's, and to the mechanics of plant dyeing. Color plates showing beautifully plant-dyed yarns are an inducement both to read on and to experiment oneself. Terms are

clearly defined at the outset; equipment needs and the seasonal

availability of dye stuffs are discussed practically. Conservation is

stressed, and proper emphasis is placed on safety precautions. While step-by-step instructions are included for many situations, at no time does this become a recipe book.

Casselman's careful documentation is especially evident in the last half of the book. Here she reports on 150 dye plants found in the Northeastern part of North America. These plants are listed

alphabetically by their common names, but emphasis is placed on the use of correct Latin botanical terminology: pinus is pine no

matter where one lives. A general description is included for each

plant plus specific details or parts used for dyeing, process fol

lowed, colors obtained, fastness, how to identify, availability and

special notes if applicable. Care has been taken to include a com

plete bibliography to assist the reader with plant identification. One wishes that space and budget considerations had allowed the inclusion of drawings or photographs of plants in this section.

Practical throughout, Casselman includes a useful appendix, bibliography and index to complete the book. The appendix con tains hints for saving energy and becoming a gardener; metric conversion tables; and a good list of suppliers. The bibliography is an up-to-date listing of books and articles on plant dyeing, plant identification and, to a lesser extent, spinning and weaving. Not one but four indices are provided: plant common names; botanical

names; color; and a general index.

Technically this book is superb; it complements earlier publica tions on plant dyeing such as J. McGrath's Dyes from Lichens and Plants (1977). Casselman's intent was to provide a guide for the

novice, and a source of new ideas for weavers, spinners, fiber

hobbyists, textile artists, and professional craftspeople. She has succeeded in this, in the process writing a book which will be

appreciated beyond the Northeastern parts of Canada and the United States. Her emphasis on botanical terminology and her

straightforward approach to techniques will make this book of value wherever craftspeople use English publications. It is most

encouraging that craft publications of this quality are now being researched and published in Canada. This is a book that should be assured a place in most libraries; it is essential for craft libraries. It will also be useful for decorative arts libraries concerned with

documenting the history and conservation of textiles.

Joan Foster, Ontario Crafts Council

BRIEF NOTICES AFFRICAN TEXTILES: LOOMS, WEAVING AND DESIGN /John Picton and John Mack.?London: British Museum Publi

cations; Washington: Textile Museum [dist.], 1979.?208 : ill.

(some col.).?ISBN 0-7141-1553-3 : $28.50; $18.50 paper.

John Picton and John Mack are jointly responsible for the African collections of the British Museum's Department of Ethno

graphy held at the Museum of Mankind. Together they have written the first comprenensive account of the subject in a book that will be appreciated by scholars and general readers alike. It addresses the textiles and textile production not only of West Africa and Zaire, areas written about previously in Lamb's West

African Weaving and Sieber's African Textiles and Decorative

Arts, but of parts of North Africa, the Sudan and Madagascar as

well. Locating information on these latter areas is difficult either because nothing has been published or research has only been

published in obscure scholarly journals. Much of the data con

tained in this book draws upon unpublished research material,

including striking photographs. The photographs throughout the book deserve special praise. They show not only how many types of textiles are made, but also how these enter into the life and values of Africans. The authors discuss the materials, indicating how fibers are handled, their relative importance and geographic distri bution. Loom types, crucial to an understanding of the textiles, are

explained along with the textiles characteristic of each. Great care

is taken to point out the differences among the various types of looms and cloths. Final chapters include resist dyeing; drawn,

painted and stencilled patterns; applique and embroidery. The bibliography is extensive, and quite useful. This book would

be important in any library of decorative arts and / or social anthro

pology. Schools with fiber and textile programs would also find it most helpful.

Katherine T. Freshley, The Textile Museum

MAJOR ROCK PAINTINGS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA/R. Townley Johnson; edited by Tim Maggs.?Bloomington: Indiana

University Press, 1980.?95 p. : chiefly ill. (most, col.).?ISBN 0-253-19226-9 : $50.00.

This large, beautifully produced book is an important visual record of the rock paintings of South Africa. Because of the

vagaries of light, surface texture, and the condition of the paintings themselves, it has often been impossible to record these important

works accurately or adequately through photographs. Artist R.

Townley Johnson has spent more than twenty-five years painstak ingly reproducing paintings from more than 1000 sites throughout southern Africa using paint and specially prepared paper. Of these,

more than 100 have been published here, almost half in color,

including 60 which were previously unpublished. This book is not intended to be a comprehensive catalog of

South African rock art, nor is it a scholarly study of the sites and the symbolism or contexts of the paintings. Art on the Rocks of Southern Africa by D.N. Lee and H.C. Woodhouse(1970, Purnell and Sons, Cape Town) is more complete, with a detailed text, and serves far better as an introduction to South African rock art. The value of Johnson's reproductions is in their clarity and accuracy. It is unfortunate that all of the illustrations could not have been

reproduced in color, but that would have increased the cost of the book enormously.

Very little space is devoted to text. A brief preface by Ray Inskeep of the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford describes some of the

attempts to date the paintings and to place them in an archaeologi cal context. He also attests to the accuracy of the reproductions. Each illustration is accompanied by a brief note which provides the location of the original, its size, where it has been published, and

which attempts to interpret the scene. The emphasis here is visual, and Major Rock Paintings of

Southern Africa will be most useful simply as a source of clear and

quite beautiful images. Any art historian wishing a more complete and intellectually satisfying description will need to consult other earlier publications, but the book will be enjoyed by scholars interested in the art and anthropology of Africa, and should be included in the holdings of any art library with a collection of

Africana.

Christopher Roy, University of Iowa

LEONARDO DA VINCI NATURE STUDIES FROM THE ROYAL LIBRARY AT WINDSOR CASTLE/Carlo PedrettL?

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