Symmetries of Culture: Theory and Practice of Plane Pattern Analysis

Art historians have long been aware of recurring symmetrical patterns of form and color in ancient, tribal, folk and applied arts. Lately, anthropologists have begun using ``symmetry anal y sis'' as a tool to explain how art works reflect patterns of human behavior and basic valuesboth within one culture and among far-flung peoples. This richly illustrated study brings to light dozens of intriguing examples of symmetrical designs, for instance, in a Zulu loincloth, a Japanese chopstick case, a New England quilt, a Tibetan ``Plaque of a Thousand Lamas,'' a Hawaii water gourd. The same pattern found in a fantastical drawing of lizards by M. C. Escher is echoed in a Fiji basket lid and an Egyptian wall mosaicbut what these similarities signify, if anything, is beyond the scope of this highy technical volume. Washburn, a University of Rochester an thro poloigist, and Crowe, a mathematician at the University of Wisconsin, outline a mathematically based classification system for specialists. (Feb.)