In this catalogue a part is devoted to the Ancient East. Introduction to this section by Pierre Amiet (pp. 1-11). Pierre Dehaye. Director of Coins and Medals, and to whom we owe the foreword, evokes that "from the fifth day of the Bible", the animal "is at the beginning or almost". Here is the "obscure drama of origins, the long and complex history of the relations between animals and man", which will soon "fully ensure the royal priesthood with which the Book has invested him". The Director of the Mint was right to insist on the pages entitled "Man, Art and Animals" and Jean Dorst, member of the Institute, singularly elevates the debate, pages from which we have much to learn and meditate. Rarely has the problem been so broadened. An exhibition like this should give food for thought, well beyond the "coldness of metal" of a vast iconography. A gathering that we owe to many collaborators who see their efforts largely rewarded. - [Review]

Language: French