Michael Snodin

Victoria and Albert Museum

Joanna Norman

Nigel Llewellyn

Taking examples from all media and genres, this comprehensive book, now available in paperback, explores this emotionally powerful and geographically pervasive style, tracing its development from Rome, centre of papal and princely power. Carefully selected and rarely seen objects from public and private collections illustrate traditions of ornament, performance and visual art, while stunning spreads examine how churches and palaces became showcases for the pomp and splendour of Baroque art.

Style in the Age of Magnificence

Baroque, 1620-1800

English Silver Spoons

T. L. J. Howard

Maurice Howard

In a wide-ranging and richly illustrated book, the authors begin by tracing the ways ornament has been used over the last five centuries, the rules of decorum and etiquette associated with it, and the social, moral and spiritual values it has represented. They examine how architecture set the agenda for ornament in the Renaissance, and how printed images carried a common vocabulary of ornament throughout the Western world. They survey the personal side of ornament, both in dress and in the domestic interior - a private expression of the self and a public statement of social and cultural status. They look at ornament in the public domain - from the lavish decoration and symbolism of a town pageant to the logos of today's corporate industry - and show how the ever-evolving role of ornament is to invent and embody the collective spirit of communities at work and at leisure. They conclude by discussing how the Western tradition of ornament has responded to and absorbed 'exotic' African and Asian motifs: Moresque motifs of the Near East and such familiar designs as the 'Paisley' and Willow" patterns.

A Social History Since 1450

Ornament

Adam Silver Reassessed

Presents the first comprehensive English book about Carl Larsson, Sweden's best-loved artist, and his wife Karin, a textile designer, who revolutionized interior design and established a Swedish-inspired style that continues to attract a worldwide following. Original. 10,000 first printing.

Creators of the Swedish Style

Carl and Karin Larsson

Michael Snodin

About

Books

Join the club