"The Story of Porcelain" by Sara Ware Bassett. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.
During the eighteenth century, porcelain held significant cultural and artistic importance. This collection represents one of the first thorough scholarly attempts to explore the diversity of the medium's cultural meanings. Among the volume's purposes is to expose porcelain objects to the analytical and theoretical rigor which is routinely applied to painting, sculpture and architecture, and thereby to reposition eighteenth-century porcelain within new and more fruitful interpretative frameworks. The authors also analyze the aesthetics of porcelain and its physical characteristics, particularly the way its tactile and visual qualities reinforced and challenged the social processes within which porcelain objects were viewed, collected, and used. The essays in this volume treat objects such as figurines representing British theatrical celebrities, a boxwood and ebony figural porcelain stand, works of architecture meant to approximate porcelain visually, porcelain flowers adorning objects such as candelabra and perfume burners, and tea sets decorated with unusual designs. The geographical areas covered in the collection include China, North Africa, Spain, France, Italy, Britain, America, Japan, Austria, and Holland.
"This is the book on porcelain we have been waiting for. . . . A remarkable achievement."—Edmund de Waal, author of The Hare with Amber Eyes A sweeping cultural and economic history of porcelain, from the eighteenth century to the present Porcelain was invented in medieval China—but its secret recipe was first reproduced in Europe by an alchemist in the employ of the Saxon king Augustus the Strong. Saxony’s revered Meissen factory could not keep porcelain’s ingredients secret for long, however, and scores of Holy Roman princes quickly founded their own mercantile manufactories, soon to be rivaled by private entrepreneurs, eager to make not art but profits. As porcelain’s uses multiplied and its price plummeted, it lost much of its identity as aristocratic ornament, instead taking on a vast number of banal, yet even more culturally significant, roles. By the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it became essential to bourgeois dining, and also acquired new functions in insulator tubes, shell casings, and teeth. Weaving together the experiences of entrepreneurs and artisans, state bureaucrats and female consumers, chemists and peddlers, Porcelain traces the remarkable story of “white gold” from its origins as a princely luxury item to its fate in Germany’s cataclysmic twentieth century. For three hundred years, porcelain firms have come and gone, but the industry itself, at least until very recently, has endured. After Augustus, porcelain became a quintessentially German commodity, integral to provincial pride, artisanal industrial production, and a familial sense of home. Telling the story of porcelain’s transformation from coveted luxury to household necessity and flea market staple, Porcelain offers a fascinating alternative history of art, business, taste, and consumption in Central Europe.
To feel lost in life and lost in the world is a natural result of a traumatic, life-altering event. With no one to talk to, but lost in thought instead, the meaning of home is questioned, challenged, and found. Out of all the things to start this chain of thought processes stands a hermit crab, looking for an empty shell to claim. It is observed, loved, and the catalyst to the healing journey. What is home? Driven by this question at its core, this reflective tale explores what it means to feel at home in a place, as well as in your own body.
Focusing on his evocative and profound references to children and their stories, Children's Stories and 'Child-Time' in the Works of Joseph Cornell and the Transatlantic Avant-Garde studies the relationship between the artist's work on childhood and his search for a transfigured concept of time. This study also situates Cornell and his art in the broader context of the transatlantic avant-garde of the 1930s and 40s. Analisa Leppanen-Guerra explores the children's stories that Cornell perceived as fundamental in order to unpack the dense network of associations in his under-studied multimedia works. Moving away from the usual focus on his box constructions, the author directs her attention to Cornell's film and theater scenarios, 'explorations', 'dossiers', and book-objects. One highlight of this study is a work that may well be the first artist's book of its kind, and has only been exhibited twice: Untitled (Journal d'Agriculture Pratique), presented as Cornell's enigmatic tribute to Lewis Carroll's Alice books.
The Best British Detective Books: 270+ Murder Mysteries, Crime Stories & Suspense Thrillers is a monumental anthology that showcases the breadth and diversity of British detective fiction. Encompassing over 270 narratives, this collection spans a variety of literary styles, from the deductive reasoning of Sherlock Holmes to the ingeniously plotted psychological mysteries that characterize early 20th-century British literature. The anthology does not only entertain but serves as a pivotal study in the evolution of detective fiction, highlighting seminal works that have shaped the genre. Each story, carefully curated, stands as a hallmark of the narrative intrigue and complexity for which British detective stories are renowned. The contributing authors, including luminaries such as Arthur Conan Doyle and G.K. Chesterton, hail from a vibrant period in literary history, marked by the burgeoning of detective fiction as a genre. Collectively, their backgroundsa blend of journalism, medicine, and literaturereflect the interdisciplinary origins of detective storytelling. Their works, aligned with the cultural and intellectual currents of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, offer insights into the societal anxieties and moral dilemmas of their time. This anthology thus not only enriches the reader's appreciation of detective fiction but also offers a lens through which to view historical and cultural shifts. Inviting both aficionados and newcomers to the genre, this collection offers a unique opportunity to dive into the rich tapestry of British detective literature. Through its comprehensive scope, the anthology promotes an understanding of the genre's development while fostering an appreciation for the artistry and ingenuity of its authors. Readers are encouraged to explore this collection for both its scholarly value and its sheer entertainment, discovering the timeless appeal of mysteries that continue to captivate and intrigue audiences worldwide.
Sunnylands, the Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage, California, is one of America's great estates. This richly illustrated book chronicles its extensive history, and individual essays by distinguished specialists document each major collection and the home's significance as an example of California midcentury modernist architecture.
