Australian Gold and Silver, 1851-1900 Book

I was compelled to read this short book after a very moving trip to the British Museum. I'd spent most of the day looking at Roman perfume bottles, and I was walking briskly through the main Roman gallery en route to Minoan Crete when the cup came into my vision. I recalled reading about it, and despite having been to the museum many times I'd never knowingly looked at it. I thought that on this occasion I ought to. So, wedged between East Asian tourists, I had my religious experience with the piece.

The book does well to express my feelings about it. It's a very sensual piece, and open to a very satisfying amount of debate as to its meaning. I find it incredible how well crafted the cup is; the images are amazingly clear and modern looking compared to similar works from the period displayed in the book.
The cup's modern history is intriguing too; the controversial figure of Edward Perry Warren deserves further reading I think.

Anyway, the book does a good job of bringing together a selection of topics to do with the cup, including a detailed description of what is depicted and the physical condition of the cup. Really the price of the book is worth it just for the great photographs. Fascinating and beautiful.