This fun and educational journey through art history shows young readers how the materials artists use in their work have evolved over the centuries, around the world. The earliest artists wielded bones, pieces of ivory, and wooden sticks to create works that tell us much about how ancient civilizations lived and thought. Today artists are using found objects to make elaborate pieces that are equally revealing. Aimed at young readers, this fascinating book focuses on 13 kinds of artistic materials to trace the development of artistic expression throughout history. Illustrated spreads explore how precious metals and gems were used by ancient Egyptian artisans and how Greek sculptors created beautiful vessels out of clay. It reveals the importance of cast metals to the Romans, and glass to the builders of Gothic cathedrals and Byzantine mosaics. The book also shows how the same materials were used by artists centuries apart: paper as parchment for illuminated manuscripts but also for art
