This volume explores the history and development of the American silver industry. It chronicles the work of firms such as Tiffany, Gorham, Meridan Britannia, and Reed and Barton, along with that of makers such as Whiting, Wendt, Wood and Hughs, Scheibler, and Gale.
This book commemorates the remarkable gift of over 400 works from the collection of Barbara and David Kipper to the Art Institute of Chicago. These outstanding pieces of jewelry and ritual objects offer a material record of vanishing ways of life. Used as portable forms of wealth, as personal adornment, and in religious practice, they represent a broad spectrum of cultures. The majority comes from the Himalayan region, including Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and Mongolia, and other pieces hail from Afghanistan, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The catalogue showcases stunning works--including delicate amulet boxes, other Tibetan Buddhist artifacts, and ornate Turkmen jewelry--through dramatic photography undertaken specifically for this publication. With five essays placing the objects in the contexts of their native regions, Vanishing Beauty offers a beautiful presentation of creativity and craftsmanship from across Asia.
"Twentieth-Century Pattern Design combines photographs - including many newly published images - with soundly researched text, creating an essential resource for enthusiasts and historians of modern design. The book also serves as a creative sourcebook for students and designers, inspiring new flights of fancy in pattern design."--Jacket.
LOSE YOURSELF in the mysterious allure of the Far Easy with Antique Trader Oriental Antiques & Art, 2nd Edition by Mark Moran and Sandra Andacht. This wide-ranging guide to Asian treasures provides you with the information you need to catalog and evaluate your collection. Each section includes historical backgrounds, current values, and detailed descriptions of plethora of objects ranging from apparel and textiles, rugs and carpets, Chinese porcelain and pottery, to furniture, paintings, Japanese armor and weaponry, and Southeast Asian ceramics. • Chinese Porcelain & Pottery • Japanese Ceramics • Furniture • Ivory, Horn, Shell, Tortoiseshell • Lacquer • Rugs & Carpets • Glass • Jewelry • Cloisonne
This collection reflects the evolution of a revisionist argument. The price revolution was indeed a monetary phenomenon, but Professor Flynn's position is not based upon mainstream monetary theory. Silver mines financed the Spanish Empire and Japan's consolidation. Ming China was the world's primary silver customer; Europeans acted as middlemen globally, including massive trade over the Pacific via Manila. American mines nearly led to the destruction of nascent capitalism in Europe (reverse of arguments by Hamilton, Keynes, Wallerstein and others). Silver-market disequilibrium caused silver's gravitation toward China; bullion did not flow to Asia due to European trade deficits. Such conclusions stem from application of the Doherty-Flynn model developed in the mid-1980s. Economic theory is normally applied to economic history; in contrast, development of the Doherty-Flynn model was a response to inadequate conventional theory. Theory emerged from history; its application back to history yields startling historical reinterpretations.
First Published in 1998 , The Dictionary of Enamelling is the first book to provide a comprehensive guide to this most diverse of the decorative arts.Indispensable for anyone interested in the evolution of enamelling technique, the book includes some 400 entries covering every aspect of its history. There are entries on key pieces, individual enamellers, designers, schools, techniques, and the major achievements are described in every era. The knowledge and insight of Erika Speel’s account are supported and enhanced by a brilliantly researched collection of 200 illustrations, 100 in colour, portraying the most dazzling and important pieces, a unique visual record of enamelling history. The Dictionary of Enamelling will be invaluable to people who collect, study, create and enjoy enamels.