A Passion for Porcelain brings together papers delivered at an international symposium held in 2018 at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada, in honor of Meredith Chilton, C.M., one of the foremost scholars and curators of 18th century European porcelain. Authored by leading scholars in the field, the essays take us on a journey from Sèvres, France to Japan via Boston, US, where we encounter both revered artists and anonymous makers, together with passionate collectors past and present. The contributions also explore the medium of porcelain in the context of artistic rivalry and gift exchange, as an object of fashion and scientific curiosity and as a symbol of status and power. Together they reveal the versatility of the medium, changing perceptions and endless possibilities for porcelain scholarship.
Aesthetic seduction, superb workmanship, and historical interest are the three central themes in the collection of Fondation Gandur pour l’Art (Geneva), created in 2010 and still expanding. The aim of this first volume is to catalog the works in the collection, whose decorative aspects are every bit as important as their narrative content. The works are for the most part sculptures – statuettes and ornamental reliefs – although two-dimensional decorations depicting figurative scenes associated with classical antiquity or Christianity are no less important.
The periods represented by the sculptural works discussed in this book reflect the scope of the whole collection, which ranges from the 12th to the 18th century. And since the goal of the collection is to document centuries of cultural exchange between France and neighboring countries, all the works included in the book come from these latter regions. The hybrid styles are closely linked, and this is an aspect of considerable importance, as is the originality certain pieces display and, last but not least, their aesthetic quality.
The book is arranged by topic, which brings out the great originality and extraordinary richness of the collection, as well as the extremely varied nature of the subjects, narrative episodes, and figures portrayed. More specifically, the topics are divided into five sections: ancient gods and heroes; biblical and allegorical figures; scenes from the life of the Virgin; episodes from the life of Christ; and saints and intercessors. Each work has its own entry that describes the historical and geographical context in which it was made, analyzes its iconographic content, and includes a bibliography and a list of the exhibitions where the work was exhibited.
The selection, preparation and application of materials in architecture represent key decisions in the design process, today as in the past. This book features projects by Archea Associati, a firm of architects and designers founded in Florence in 1988, that demonstrate how materials can be used in innovative ways, while still honouring their traditional characteristics. Glass, terracotta, concrete and wood are just a few of the elements they work with. Examples of ancient and contemporary materials are featured throughout this well-illustrated volume. A gallery of photographic images accompanied by drawings and descriptive texts illustrate each building, alternating between details and general views, from the basic elements to the complete work as a whole.
From the late 15th to the mid-16th century, an impressive corpus of architecture, sculpture, and painting was created to embellish monastic sites affiliated with the Benedictine Cassinese Congregation of Italy. A religious order of humanistically trained monks, the Cassinese engaged with the most eminent artists and architects of the early modern period, supporting the production of imagery and architecture that was often highly experimental in nature: from Raphael’s Sistine Madonna in Piacenza to Andrea Riccio’s Moses/Zeus Ammon, from Andrea Palladio’s church of San Giorgio Maggiore (Venice) to the superbly crafted choirstalls of San Severino and Sossio (Naples).
Applying a network framework to the congregation’s infrastructure of monasteries makes clear that the circulation of sophisticated Renaissance art and architecture constituted only a segment of the monks’ investment in the arts. Monks also served as custodians of an antique monumental heritage and popular votive images, assuring the survival of ancient buildings and artifacts of limited aesthetic value that supplied opportunities for early modern masters to confront an array of artworks for the reinvention of reformed Christian art and architecture.
Text in English, Italian and German.
Luigi Valadier, son of the French-born Andrea, obtained his silversmith license in 1760 and became one of the most celebrated artists in Europe, working for the noble families of Rome (Borghese, Odescalchi, Chigi, Orsini), cardinals and popes and a broad international clientele which included the Duke of Northumberland, Madame du Barry, the Balì of Malta, Jacques-Laure Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, the King of Sweden, Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria, the Count of the North, heir to the Russian throne, etc. His workshop situated near Piazza di Spagna employed dozens of craftsmen and produced not only silverware but also bronze statues, often copies of ancient sculptures, magnificent clocks, vases in precious marbles, lamps, huge candelabras, furniture, desers, reliquaries and liturgical vessels, and much more. In 1785 while completing commissions for the Borghese prince and working on the cast of the enormous bell of St Peter’s, he committed suicide by drowning in the Tiber river, possibly due to the severe economic challenges from which his extraordinary workshop was suffering.
Delhi Then and Now comprises two masterful essays that trace the story of Delhi from the days when it was known by other names Indraprastha, Firozabad, Dinpanah to its reincarnation as New Delhi. Historian Narayani Gupta takes us through the city of Sultans, Mughal emperors and viceroys, while journalist Dilip Bobb shows us the face of New Delhi as it is now. A rich portfolio of archival photographs and illustrations, together with vibrant new pictures, edited by Pramod Kapoor, capture Delhi in all its glory past and present.
Delhi Then – A city of empires and dynasties, Delhi through the ages has evoked nostalgia of its history written on the red sandstone walls. From Quila Rai Pithora to the palace on Raisina Hill, the changing face of Delhi is remarkably discernible in these photographs – a special collection that give words to the spoken and unspoken history of this city. Delhi Now – A city of dreams and desires, Delhi’s urban landscape is incomplete without the stones of seven ancient cities which give it a distinct meaning, a distinct outlook. A modern city on the move, the colors and digital vibrancy of the photographs capturing Delhi in all moods and moments, is as imposing as the grand old structures of yesteryears. A twin city of old-world charm and new extravagance, Delhi has evolved through the ages and is looking forward to an era that will be remembered down the ages.
Kashmiri cuisine is one of the most delectable and ancient cuisines in the world because of the many foreign influences. People are still a trifle inhibited about cooking it, because, like any delicacy, it demands a delicate sense of the instinct after you have measured ingredients by the spoon or the ladle. But Sarla Razdan’s book will chip away the inhibitions and introduce you to a world that cannot be described at the inadequate level of mere words.
Kashmiri Cuisine: Through the Ages
is not just a cookbook but also showcases the splendour of Kashmir through beautiful vintage and new photographs bringing alive the history and culture of the place. A collection of authentic, comprehensive and easy-to-make recipes, popular within the Kashmiri community, makes this book indispensable to all lovers of good food. A section on low calorie Kashmiri food is a treat for the health conscious!
In the 30 years since the first British Museum book dedicated to the scientific study of early metallurgy was published, there has been great progress in understanding the diversity of processes by which ores were mined and smelted as well as significant advances in the methods of their study. In particular, the experimental replication of ancient processes has assumed ever greater importance.
This book arose from the conference ‘Metallurgy: A Touchstone for Cross-Cultural Interaction’ which took place at the British Museum. The papers largely relate to mining and extractive metallurgy. The inception and nature of the first smelting technologies of copper and tin in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, and of zinc in China and iron in Africa, the Middle East and Britain are discussed together with insights into the archaeology and experimental replication of the processes. The authors are from major institutions worldwide, reflecting the international interest the subject now commands.
When the American art world turned toward abstract art and action painting, Francis Cunningham remained focused on figurative art and the human form. His interest never waned. This book chronicles his development over an astonishing seven decades. Presented in a nonlinear order, the arc of his work is there for the discerning eye to see. Landscapes, still life, and human forms are interrelated. Cunningham’s work reveals the connection between abstraction and representation. Their coexististence is the material and subject of this book, disclosing a new understanding of American painting by a living artist.
Accompanying over 180 high quality reproductions, the artist’s many facets are explored in essays by art historians and art critics, including Christopher Knight, Edward Lifson, John Walsh, and Valentina De Pasca, as well through the reminiscences of one of his life models, Regina Hawkins-Balducci.
Cunningham attended the Art Students League of New York, where he studied drawing and anatomy with Robert Beverly Hale and painting with Edwin Dickinson. He became an influential master instructor, cofounding the New Brooklyn School of Life Drawing, Painting and Sculpture (1977-1983) and the New York Academy of Art in 1983. At his current age of 90, he continues to paint in his studio in Manhattan and in the rural western part of Massachusetts, known as the Berkshires.
This is the first monograph devoted to his work.
The Bindu has been the leitmotif in S.H. Raza’s work, growing in meaning over many years. To this primordial symbol he was introduced as a boy of eight years, in his native village of Kakaiya in Madhya Pradesh. The intensity of the experience remained, pursuing him as a lodestar, surfacing many years later when he was in France with dynamic force as The Black Sun.
Raza’s concern with nature was to explore the elementary principles of time and space which govern the universe. To express these fundamental concepts which form the basis of Indian thought, he used the principles of pure geometry. His use of the point, line square, circle and triangle compose part of a universal language, explored equally by the pioneers of abstract art in 20th century Europe and traditional shilpins in ancient India. This revised edition traces the evolution of a vision over fifty years of painting by an artist who retained his Indian sensibility. His images are improvisations on an essential theme: the mapping out of a metaphorical space in the mind which is India.
is a behind-the-scenes account of today’s aristocracy, as they reinvent the country house way of life. Each family does this in its own way, maintaining the tradition of individualism, even eccentricity, which is so much associated with country houses. Dylan Thomas’s superb yet intimate photographs capture both the inhabitants of these houses and the spaces they occupy – from State dining to family kitchen, walled garden to attic. This feast for the eyes is accompanied by an equally mouth-watering text by Clive Aslet, based on interviews with family members and his long experience of the subject through his years as editor of Country Life. The result is an exclusive tour of a dozen spectacular homes.
On the Trail of Buddha – A Journey to the East is a unique sojourn in search of the richness, depth, and breadth of the spiritual, philosophical, and cultural linkages that bind India to the East Asia civilizations of China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. From the wandering monks of Asia to the temples and monasteries they visited; from the statues and frescoes in grottoes and temples to those in the museums; from the emperors who embraced Buddhism to the relics of Buddha spread far and wide; from the diverse ethnicities of the people to their common gods and goddesses – the book touches upon the entire gamut of the East-Asian culture and its deep-rooted linkages with the Indian civilization, which will be an eye-opener for many.
Pahari paintings from the Horst Metzger collection, now in Museum Rietberg Zurich, are outstanding works by Indian masters who worked in the sub-Himalayan region between 1680 and 1850. This lavishly illustrated catalog of the works, which owes itself to a collaboration, yet again, between Prof. B.N. Goswamy and Dr Eberhard Fischer, is filled both with scholarly authority and poetic utterance. The passion with which Horst Metzger assembled this distinguished collection is matched by the text, for it throws open windows to a world of reflection and delight, close observation and soaring imagination. Together, the two scholars have, in earlier years, authored Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India (1980) which accompanied one of the most celebrated and groundbreaking exhibitions in the field. Three decades later (2011), they were together again – along with Dr Milo Beach – editing and writing for the monumental, two-volume, Masters of Indian Painting: 1100-1900 which served as a guide to another path-breaking exhibition, shown at the Museum Rietberg Zurich and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Contents: B.N.Goswamy: Horst Metzger – The Collector; Catalogue; The Horst Metzger Collection in the Museum Rietberg; Bibliography; Ludwig Habighorst: Horst Metzger – My friend, the Collector.
This beautifully illustrated book offers a sweeping pictorial vision of the Netherlands, with its iconic windmills, canals, and tulips portrayed alongside images of agricultural innovation, dance festivals, Dutch design and modern architecture. The rich history of the stubborn but tolerant Dutch people comes through clearly in the work of photographer Frans Lemmens and his partner Marjolijn van Steeden. Their approach – a photo of the Netherlands every day of the year – has turned this book into a truly unique photo document: a feast for the eyes and an ode to a special and beautiful country.
Everything is black and white. Takamatsu’s hand-painted monochrome images are created using a mixture of watercolor and opaque white pigments in gouache. “White and black metaphorically express the ambiguity of positive and negative, good and evil, race and religion,” the artist writes. After meticulously painting multiple gouache layers, Takamatsu colors each individual pixel of the object a different shade of grey, resulting in an astonishing sense of depth and surrealism. “His hologram-like, female characters look digitized,” writes Hi-Fructose, “though they’re executed entirely by hand.” This extreme attention to detail allows the viewer to experience Takamatsu’s fantastical depictions of Japanese women in an immersive presentation.
Bangkok arrests the visitor with a bewildering juxtaposition of old and new, high-tech and impromptu, sacred and profane. While modernizing apace and a myriad outside influences, the Thai capital draws equal vigor from its historical communities, cultural diversity and contemporary urban tribes. Author of Very Thai and Time Out Bangkok, Philip Cornwel-Smith takes an alternative look at the subcultures of his adopted town in this practical thematic handbook. With the aid of maps, listings and references, the visitor can engage with Bangkok’s contradictory character according to their mood or interest.
Explore the city’s contrasting environments, architectural fabric, ethnic patchwork and intertwined beliefs. Encounter distinct social scenes, where the hip or hi-so, local or bohemian and see how traditional roots infuse the current Thai flowering in arts and entertainments, fashion and food lifestyle and spas. Photography by Philip Cornwel-Smith and others enhances this insiders’ guide to a city like no other.
To wander is to travel without a fixed route or destination, to move expectantly through the world. Wander, the second volume in Sean Palfrey’s photography book series, explores the joy of following a winding course.
Palfrey is a renowned pediatrician and child health advocate, who travels the world with his work and for pleasure. His fascination with people, places, and stories informs both his artistic and professional practices. Wander traces Palfrey’s journeys across continents and cultures over five decades and features seventy photographs of remarkable places, from the mountain ranges of South Africa to the beaches of Chile, the woods of Canada to the deserts of New Mexico, to name a few. In the text accompanying each photo, Palfrey recounts his experiences and meditations in lyrical narratives.
Wander depicts and describes vastness, intimacy, beauty, and loss. Palfrey affirms photography’s capacity to spark our imaginations: “Every photo here has a story, a backstory, a then-story, and a since-story.”
A multidisciplinary artist of the 20th century, Guy de Rougemont (1935-2021) flourished throughout his career in painting, sculpture, the decorative arts and ceramics, in a constant play on color, line and form. The monumental wrapping of the columns at the Musée d’Art Moderne in 1974, the highly acclaimed paving of the entrance to the Musée d’Orsay in 1986, and the paving of the Ministry of Finance in 1987, as well as the 30-kilometer stretch of the A4 motorway in 1977, are all still making their mark, the result of the artist’s desire to make art part of the lives of passers-by. Guy de Rougemont was constantly reinventing himself, between public and private space, urban and domestic, between Pop Art and Minimalism. Among his most famous works: his cloud table, his colored totems, his serpentine lines, his tapestries for the Mobilier National, his cutlery and other more confidential works earned him a major retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 1990. He became an Academician in the painting section in 1997.
Text in English and French.
“Offers readers a chance to look again at modern British architecture through the eyes of all sorts of experts.” – Architectural Digest
“Very sophisticated and thoroughly researched.” – Bevis Hillier
“An eclectic selection with an unsurprising bias towards Modernism.” – Design Insider
This is a compact guide to Britain’s best buildings of the last 100 years, with an intriguing twist: the choices come from a wide range of experts with strong and sometimes unexpected opinions. The contributors include architects Norman Foster, Piers Gough, Charles Holland and Richard Rogers; critics and historians such as Elain Harwood, Bevis Hillier, Jonathan Meades, Alan Powers, Alice Rawsthorn and Peter York. Everyone involved contributed their ten choices, and all these lists are reproduced at the end of the book. In the main section featuring 75 key buildings, everything selected more than once is illustrated and examined in more detail.
The result is a fascinating cocktail of undisputed greats and genuinely surprising entries. Alongside the work of Wells Coates, Denys Lasdun, James Stirling and John Outram, you’ll find post-War prefabs, Preston Bus Station and the ruins of St Peter’s Seminary in Cardross. Whether you’re after a slightly unorthodox selection of Britain’s finest modern buildings, or just curious about what major architects and critics consider as their favorites, this book is your ideal guide.
All the following contributed a list of their favorite buildings: John Allan, Stephen Bates, Keith Bradley, Peter Clegg, Nigel Coates, Richard Hywel Evans, Kathryn Ferry, Jenny Fleming, Norman Foster, Piers Gough, John Grindrod, Ivan Harbour, Claire Harper, Elain Harwood, Birkin Haward, Simon Henley, Bevis Hillier, Charles Holland, Owen Hopkins, David Jenkins, Owen Luder, Jonathan Meades, David Nixon, Stefi Orazi, James Perry, Alan Powers, Alice Rawsthorn, Richard Rogers, Jonathan Sergison, Anne Ward, Peter York, Paul Zara.
My Sweet Home captures Okhla, a neighborhood in South Delhi, from the perspective of 20 children who live there. The children have written and created art about their homes, terraces, mosques, and the villages that their families come from, in a workshop conducted by the authors. This volume brings to light the many stories from this teeming, thriving corner of Delhi, often bypassed in common discourses on the city. This book also tries to resolve the many misunderstandings that people have of the place as a Muslim ghetto, through the experiences of some of its younger residents. These stories and drawings reflect the relationships that the children have with their neighborhood, prompting an intangible connection between the reader across region, religion, and nationality, to bring them closer to this misunderstood, misrepresented community.