Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries [ハードカバー]

As a specialist and research scholar in the history of collecting at European courts, including Portugal, in the Renaissance, I found this book/catalogue to be lacking in any new, innovative scholarship. This exhibition was meant for a general public in the USA never before exposed to such objects, and as a "blockbuster" show it fulfilled its intent to dazzle, draw crowds and surprise. Encompassing was conceived of as a marketing strategy, which gained Levenson an honorary medal, but which had little to do with the advancement of more serious, as yet unanswered, questions concerning trade, political and cultural relations between Europe, the Americas and Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Serious shows dedicated to these same (and identical) themes have been presented in Europe since 1983 in Lisbon, Porto, Brussels, Bordeaux, Vienna and Madrid, and most recently, the Encounters exhibition held at the V & A Museum in London in 2004, from which Jay Levenson and his team drew much material (both written and visual), without citing one of their sources. One case in point: the section dedicated to exotic animals and menageries in the Encounters catalogue was repeated (almost verbatim) in Encompassing. Neither were any objects addressed in-depth, either in the three essays presented here, or elsewhere in the Encompassing catalogue; nor was a bibliography included, which should have been obligatory.

Jay Levenson is not a specialist in any of the areas highlighted in Encompassing, but even if the catalogue falls short of its objectives, it remains a lovely picture book produced to accompany the show.

Encounters: The Meeting of Asia and Europe 1500 - 1800
Jahrbuch des Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien: Jahrbuch des Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien 03. Exotica: Bd 3 (Gebundene Ausgabe) von Helmut Trnek (Autor), Sabine Haag (Autor)
Black Africans in Renaissance Europe
Early Modern Zoology: The Construction of Animals in Science, Literature and the Visual Arts (Intersections)
The Development of Cathararine of Austria's Collection in the Queen's Household: Its Character and Cost
Kingship and Conversion in Sixteenth-Century Sri Lanka: Portuguese Imperialism in a Buddhist Land (University of Cambridge Oriental Publications)
Asia in the Making of Europe, Volume II: A Century of Wonder. Book 1: The Visual Arts (Century of Wonder Bk. 1)
Hindu Arms and Ritual: Arms and Armour from India 1400-1865
Cultural links between Portugal and Italy in the Renaissance. (Reviews).: An article from: Renaissance Quarterly
The Jesuits II: Cultures, Sciences, and the Arts, 1540-1773
Luxury Goods from India: The Art of the Indian Cabinet-Maker (Victoria and Albert Museum Studies)

I too saw the exhibition and it was simply marvelous. Many amazingly crafted objects from the 16th and 17th century from around the world reflecting the Portuguese influences. Many of the objects will never be put together again in once place for us to see, so this was definitely a treat for history and art lovers. For those who couldn't make the trip, this is an excellent substitute. A coffee-table size book with wonderful reproductions of the exhibit items. It will make you wish you had made the trip! Get it!

This book is the catalog of the exhibition of the same name. Unfortunately it will soon close at its only U.S. venue and move to Europe. I made a long trip to see this rare exhibition of Portuguese Colonial objects because I felt that I would never see such things in one place again in my lifetime. The show didn't disappoint and the catalog is bound to be a real collectible