Vanishing Art of the Americas by Pál Kelemen (1894-1993) - 1977

232 pages with maps to end papers and paste-downs, plates, figures, illustrations and Index. Quarto (10 1/4" x 7 1/4") bound in original publisher's red cloth with gilt lettering to spine in original publisher's pictorial jacket. First edition. In the four and a half decades of activity in the field, Pal Kelemen has collected an archive of data and photographs that stands alone. In this major work, he presents facets of colonial life hitherto explored superficially or not at all. The reader will find descriptions and illustrations of Altar hangings painted for Holy Week in the Bolivian wilderness; of the ruins of a once-important Spanish naval base on the Pacific. Beautiful and often lavish interiors of crude village churches are revealed, as well as the crumbling wealth of Spanish haciendas and the touching simplicity of Indian adobes. There are also examples of folk textiles and native customs. Condition: Light soiling with a musty smell. Jacket corners chipped; fold over edge and hinges rubbed; one inch of spine heal chipped, edge wear with closed tears; creases and chips else about very good in a better than good jacket jacket.