Book Description
Masterpieces of French Jewelry is a delightful testament to the power of jewelry—like all true art—to mirror changes in America's evolving social milieu. It offers an enchanting lens through which to view America's rise from frontier nation to an industrial superpower, with a new moneyed class hungry for recognition and status. French jewelry provided that and more. This sumptuously-designed full color book—the first and only one on this subject—features over 80 photographs of the most remarkable pieces that found their way into prominent American collections. It also showcases a brilliant array of styles. There are chapters devoted to jewelry characteristic of the Art Nouveau period, along with Art Deco, the Victorian Era, 1940s retro, and the 1960s through more contemporary styles. An added bonus: one-of-a-kind jewelry creations from notable artists such as Man Ray, Pablo Picasso, Matta, and Arman. The publication of Masterpieces of French Jewelry coincides with the National Jewelry Institute's exhibition, "Masterpieces of French Jewelry from Twentieth-Century American Collections," which will begin at The Forbes Galleries in New York in September 2006.
Customer Reviews:
The publisher should be embarassed!.......2007-06-12
As a previous reviewer stated, I also saw the "Masterpieces" exhibit at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco last month, and it was one of the most beautiful shows I've seen at any museum in some time. As with numerous other exhibits I've had the good fortune to see over the years, I expected a good-quality book or catalogue for purchase. Was I in for a surprise with this book! It is JUST AWFUL!
The book gets it's one-star rating because the text is interesting enough, and the typeface is legible. But why does someone buy a book on jewelry in the first place? For the pictures of course, and the pictures in this book are amateurish (the most polite word I could come up with). Most of the photographs appear to have been shot straight on with a flash, no side or backlighting. The jewelry looks flat, one-dimensional, and washed out. Basically, it all looks like cheap costume jewelry. Many photos are printed against a bright, white background. They look like they were cut and pasted in low-grade photo editing software. But worst of all are the numerous shots that are out of focus. There's no excuse for this.
It's disappointing to go to such a nice exhibit and have nothing to remember it by. It amazes me that the National Jewelry Institute approved this publication. The Institute and Running Press really blew this one.
Excellent Souvenir .......2007-04-02
This book documents the astounding pieces contained in the Masterpieces of French Jewelry Exhibit at San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of Honor thru June 10, 2007.
This exhibition honors the breathtaking inspiration, unsurpassed craftmanship and variety of French jewelry from the Art Nouveau period at the beginning of the 20th century to contemporary pieces. All the jewels in the exhibition are illustrated in this inspirational book, in full color and exaggerated detail.
The exhibition begins with several lavish Art Nouveau creations by René Lalique and Georges Fouquet, moving into the Belle Epoch, Deco and Retro styles. The book and exhibit also feature original contemporary examples by Joseph Arthur Rosenthal (JAR).
Fabulous addition to a jewelry lover's library.
A welcome, popular reference........2007-02-08
Author Judith Price is President of the National Jewelry Institute: her background has long been in French art and jewelry, so she's the perfect choice to write an authoritative review and history in MASTERPIECES OF FRENCH JEWELRY. Over a hundred photos of pieces owned by Americans - most never seen by the public before - accompany historical background which covers jewelry from the late 1800s to modern times. There's a thoughtful attention to the layout on each page that juxtaposes large-size photos of pieces with good-sized, clear text descriptions and commentary. Both specialty art and jewelry libraries and more general-interest holdings will find in MASTERPIECES OF FRENCH JEWELRY a welcome, popular reference.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
A vanity press production- .......2007-01-09
Not much jewelry and the gold Sterle' evening bag (the same one which our company owned and recently sold) is photographed upside down! I gave this book as a gift after one quick flip through. Should cost $5.00 (incl shipping)
Reads like a (super-swanky) in-flight magazine article.......2006-12-20
You might purchase this book for the tolerably decent photos of French jewelry, but don't expect a scholarly, in-depth discussion of the subject. Price's writing is almost laughably bad, consisting as it does of pointless, unhelpful captions ("The engraved goldwork on the front of the owl signals its use as an accessory of a refined lady.") and smarmy, gushing intros for a bunch of B- and C-list socialite collectors, including such luminaries as Actress, Producer, and One of America's Leading Motion Picture Executives Dina Merrill Hartley (daughter of Marjorie Merriweather Post--"one of the richest women in the world," we're told) and "the First Lady of Fiction" ...Barbara Taylor Bradford. When Price gets around to discussing French jewelry, the result is much like a high school report cobbled together from material cribbed from an encyclopedia entry--an effect weirdly reinforced by the publisher's decision to print the text in double-spaced format. Her observations are trite, obvious or altogether incorrect (and sometimes all three). Apparently, Price's presidency of the National Jewelry Institute (founded...oh, about last week) is qualification enough to write on the subject. Or maybe it's the fact (see dustjacket flap) that she lives in New York and "Paris, France."
Average customer rating:
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Designed for Delight: Alternative Aspects of Twentieth-Century Decorative Arts
Manufacturer: Flammarion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 2080135953
Release Date: 1997-06-15 |
Amazon.com
This book is aptly titled, for both the objects contained in it--things such as Dali's lip-shaped sofa and Gaultier's torso-shaped perfume vials--and the book itself will delight the reader. The furniture, vases, fabrics, and other objects are organized according to four classifications: "Body Language," "Inversion and Transformation," "Is Ornament a Crime?," and "Flights of Fancy." All are reproduced in full color and accentuated by essays elaborating the ideas. Quotes by or about the artists, placed alongside each photograph, complement the pieces. In one, Frank Gehry reveals the genesis of his paper furniture: "I got interested in paper furniture when I was designing for department stores and had to invent display furniture that nobody really had to sit on.... I would draw and my assistants and I would then make them. I never expected to sell these things until someone from Bloomingdale's saw them and suggested I develop them." This fabulous view of 20th-century decorative arts includes both well-known and obscure items, making for hours of reading and viewing pleasure.
Book Description
By the early part of this century, the principles of Modernism in design-- simplicity of form, little or no ornament, truth to materials-- were established as avant-garde ideas, and functionalism soon became an overriding concern. However, looking back from our fin-de-siècle perspective, it is evident that the history of modern design is far more varied and complex. This lavishly illustrated and beautifully designed book demonstrates the surprising ways in which Modernist designers also took alternative routes to create art beyond function.
From Art Nouveau and the Wiener Werkstätte to Pop and Post-modernism, Designed for Delight presents over 200 works from the collection of the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, in all media, focusing in particular on four aspects of the decorative arts through objects and essays. "Body Language" explores the ways in which the human body and its various parts have been used as elements of design. In "Inversion and Transformation" we see how materials have been unexpectedly inverted. Contrary to the accepted notion that Modern design should be devoid of ornament, the richly decorated surfaces and textures of objects in "Is Ornament a Crime?" argue for the everlasting appeal of floral and geometric patterns. Fantasy and illusion have been equally compelling, and "Flights of Fantasy" demonstrates how twentieth-century artists and designers incorporated the fantastic and even the irrational into their work.
Alongside scholarly inquiries on these themes, four essays reflect on the broader context of architecture, painting, sculpture, and design. The objects are accompanied by the words of the artists themselves, or of commentators from throughout the century-- including many quotations unique to this book-- Lalique and Hoffmann, Dalí and Ruhlmann, Pucci and Nikki de Saint-Phalle, Pesce, Sottsass, and Starck. Their words provide a fascinating glimpse into the processes of creation and perception. Published to coincide with a landmark traveling exhibition organized by the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, Designed for Delight is certain to become a standard reference for decorative arts of the twentieth century.
Book Description
A resplendent visual history of jewelry during the last century! Whether they are precious stones or costume jewelry, beads and baubles have never failed to fascinate. Christie's Twentieth-Century Jewelry tells the beguiling story of decorative jewelry over the past 100 years. This authoritative and beautifully illustrated guide details how jewelry fashion became inevitably entwined with the swirling rush of socio-political changes that characterized the last century-from the glittering wares of the affluent 1920s, to the cheaper yet highly innovative jewelry of the war years, to the dwindling years of the century when an exciting variety of sculptural designs proliferated. It also links the important technological advances of the 20th century with the creativity of such legendary jewelry artists as Boucheron, Cartier, Tiffany, Lalique, and Dali, along with such modern artisans as Jackie Mina, Gillian Packard, and Andrew Logan. Superbly illustrated with over 120 lavish images from Christie's archives and private collections, this book is an essential gift for history lovers, nostalgia fans, collectors, and anyone else who is fascinated by the art of beautiful jewelry.
Customer Reviews:
unfortunate.......2005-09-24
After long period of waiting sell announced that they did not , and could not get book. My answer, don't list it for sale then till you have it physically.
Christie's 20th Century Jewelry.......2005-08-03
An excellent overview of styles and the people who made them over the last 110 years. An outstanding reference text.
Book Description
A magnificent tour of canes and staffs from the late seventeenth through the twentieth century in both folk art and formal designs. Color photographs provide a sweeping survey of the varying cane forms available to collectors today, including canes with handles bearing human and animal forms, scrimshaw and glass canes, gadget and weapons canes, political, and presentation canes. There is something to peak anyone's interest among these beautiful and engaging sticks. Even historic events and relics amy be found among the canes pictured here. Both rare and common canes are presented in an impressive visual format. Cane terminology, dating techniques, and formal cane etiquette are among the topics discussed in this collector's handbook. Photographs are arranged in broad categories to provide a sense of the scope of human imagination rendered in these magnificent sticks.
Customer Reviews:
Great book!.......2000-04-26
A must for cane collectors. Some canes from really big collections are here (collections that may no longer exist in some case). Whether you like formal canes (in ivory, ebony, etc.), folk art canes, gadgets, or weapons canes (knives, guns, etc.) they are here. Lots of history, tons of useful information on identifying and dating canes. Comparisons of the differences between formal and folk art canes. Great photos show what's important.
Book Description
Fascinating panorama of styles — from diaphanous gowns of Egyptian royalty to 1920s wardrobe of American flapper. Accessories and hairstyles. Illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
What People Wore.......2007-10-05
Very informative and exactly what I was looking for: dress for nearly two thousand years and attached pictures.
Good secondary resource.......2007-05-16
The black and white illustrations are well researched, and many are reminiscent of fashion plates and other primary resources. While designers and historians should be skeptical of original illustrations because of artistic liberties and accidental changes to the shape, style, and accuracy of the garment, this book is pretty decent/trustworthy.
Gorsline also gives specific dates for the illustrations, which is very helpful in researching, and puts in helpful details like accessories (corsets, gloves, hats, shoes, etc.) and hairstyles. It mentions nationality, when appropriate, as well as the style (the name of the artist, when applicable, that inspired the illustration). It shows a range of variations within a given period, demonstrates different ways to wear various garments, and provides a wonderfully diverse sampling of clothes to give any researching a great start in their exploration. As with all secondary resources, be sure to cross-reference for accuracy.
Mixed bag.......2003-11-10
This book is the culmination of research done by Mr. Gorsline. He has recreated the illustrations based upon research done primarily in the New York Library system. Many of his drawings have a reference... but that reference isn't formatted in such a way you could actually find out anything useful. For that reason it's not a particularly good choice for serious "historical" costumers. But if you're willing to accept that limitation, it is a nice reference, particularly the collected drawings of hair and head coverings.
Great reference, especially for early clothing and hair.......2003-06-19
I received this book as a gift, and have found it very useful in creating accurate costumes, especially for the Medieval styles. The later (Victorian, Edwardian, etc.) chapters have been less useful to me because they offer limited examples of a few different garments from each time period. Fashions changed so much more quickly after the Renaissance, that a more detailed look at the styles of each decade, or each year, in each locality after the 16th century, would be much more useful. The chapters on medieval and ancient fashions, however, are extremely useful to me, because the images are taken from contemporary manuscripts and illustrations and represent a time period for which we know comparatively little about the garments most people wore, although research continues. The drawings make it easy to see the line of each garment and its shape, which is very helpful in drafting patterns for such garments, and the illustrations of hairstyles and head coverings are also very clear and understandable. This book is most useful as one book in a library of costume publications, as it does not contain much, if any, information regarding fabric weaves, colors, embroidery, etc.
Designs minus beauty.......2003-02-15
This book contains a great deal of visual information on clothing throughout the world and through the ages. It makes a good reference. However, unlike Racinet's dazzling Historical Encyclopedia of Costumes, it is not beautiful. The images are functional, but not inspirational.
Book Description
A spectacular visual narrative and guide, this paperback edition of this title details the explosion in styles and exciting technical progress that characterize the rapid evolution of design over the past 100 years.
Customer Reviews:
20th Century Furniture.......2007-09-15
This was a very helpful book to determine furniture in different periods of time. It's a good resource.
A good overview........2006-07-20
Overall, a pretty good book. Starting a little earlier than most modern books, it begins with some examples of Arts & Crafts, Nouveau and Deco which help give some interesting perspective.
The photos are large, but of varying quality. Some pics surprised me with new angles and views than I am used to. (There is a shot of a Nelson Marshmallow couch in a very large size that I had never heard of.) Some of the shots show some aging and wear and tear which is refreshing to see and sometimes adds some nice character to the pieces.
Book Description
Michael Susan Ivankovich This book will take you through the earliest years of hand-painted pictures, into the golden age of hand-painted photography, 1900 - 1940. Throughout this 40-year period there were more hand-painted pictures sold than in all the rest of history combined. Although Wallace Nutting was the most famous and bestselling photographer of this time, this book takes you beyond Nutting, into the world of E. G. Barnhill, J. Carleton Bicknell, Royal Carlock, David Davidson, Norman Edson, H. Marshall Gardiner, Gibson, William James Harris, F. Jay Haynes, Charles Higgins, Edmond Royce, Charles Sawyer, Fred Thompson, Stephen Willard, and nearly 200 other photographers in this rapidly expanding field. It will explain the intricacies of the photographic hand-painting process, provide an in-depth understanding of grading and condition, and will clearly explain an easy-to-use, five-point grading system to help you differentiate among 'good,' 'better,' and 'best' photographs. The book also provides a complete overview of the importance of regionality including New England, Florida, the western United States, Canada, and other high areas of collecting. Finally, preservation and conservation techniques are shared by author Michael Ivankovich, one of the country's leading authorities.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Guide!.......2005-09-05
At long last collectors of hand colored photos have a guide. This book is well organized, with photographers being listed alphabetically, making a particular artist easy to locate. The background and regionality of each artist is discussed, with representative works and titles of each listed as well. There are full chapters each for the discussion of unknown photographers, regionality, and the conservation and preservation of hand painted photos. Particularly helpful is the 15 step guide to cleaning and restoration. This 1/2 inch thick book is crammed full of useful information, and would have earned 5 stars except for a couple of problems. The first is the exclusion of two Western photographers. Burton Frasher, of Pomona, California, and the McCulloch Brothers of Phoenix, Arizona. Frashers Photo is an important part of CA history, and his exclusion here is a serious one. His b&w postcards are well known, and while his painted photos are less numerous, they are beautifully done and deserve mention. The McCulloch Brothers likewise did outstanding artistic work with photos of the Arizona desert, rivaling even the best work of the Bear Studios. There are also some quality control issues. Some of the photo examples did not print correctly, appear out of focus and have little colored lines around them. The paper used seems poor quality, and I felt I needed to take care in turning pages to avoid undue wrinkling. Despite these problems, I still highly recommend this book. Very useful for collectors!
Customer Reviews:
Fun To Flip Through.......2005-12-12
This coffee table style book is organized by decade and full of illustrations and photographs. Because of similar books already in our collection (e.g. HATS by Colin McDowell or HATS IN VOGUE) that were published earlier, this 1999 contribution didn't add much to the genre for us, but if you don't have one of the similar books, this is a good one to collect.
aspiring milliner.......2002-02-09
Nice overall presentation of hat styles, designers. milliners.
Brief, informative bios.
Great photos, great reference book.
Must have for hat enthusiasts as well as hat makers.
Not a source for technique.
A bit chaotic but nice; lots of information.......2001-05-09
The book covers hats, hat-makers and hat-wearers of the 20th century. It does have a chronological order, however, the contents still seem a bit jumbled. There is not much detail, but loads of information - all kinds of little tidbits and short (very short) biographies of milliners, "flashlights" on famous hat-buyers and fashion-leaders and their influence on the hat-styles of their time, little histories on single hat-styles and so forth. If you're looking for specific information - be prepared for despair. You'd have to be either very determined or very lucky to find the information you're looking for. If you want an easy-reader with great pictures, a feeling for the decades of the 20th century, the people and the hats, this is IT. The aspects and number of people and hats covered or featured is amazing. Overall, I'd recommend the book (there are not enough books on hats out there, anyway!) but would advise you to look elsewhere for detailed information.
A must for hat lovers!!!.......2000-09-13
I have always been a lover of hats and I when I picked up this wonderful book I could not put it down. The photographs are absolutly outstanding, colorful and detailed, the text wonderfully written, and a great book to have on your coffee table. Even if you don't collect hats as a hobbie this book is wonderful to cuddle up with on the couch or in front of a cozy fire.
Best book of the year.......2000-07-21
The pictures are great, the text is well written. You learn more about famous milliners like Philip Treacy or Patricia Underwood. I simply love this book.
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