European Decorative Arts

"The world-renowned collection of European decorative arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is full of sumptuous surprises ... the objects ... vary in scale from a salt cellar in the shape of a small crustacean to the fine wood paneling of an entire dining room. Their dates of manufacture span more than a thousand years ... Presented here with an introduction to the topic and individual texts on each piece, these diverse works are organized chronologically and by styulistic movements to highlight their hidden histories"--Publisher's description.

J. Paul Getty had a passion for the exquisitely made furniture and decorative objects of eighteenth-century France, which he began collecting in the 1930s. Gillian Wilson, curator of decorative arts since 1971, has broadened and strengthened the collection, adding Boulle furniture, mounted oriental porcelain, tapestries, clocks, ceramics, and more. In the 1980s and 1990s the Museum continued to enlarge its decorative arts holdings, creating a European sculpture department in 1984 and adding glass, maiolica, goldsmiths’ work, pietre dure, and furniture from Italy and Northern Europe. This book is a revised and expanded edition of Decorative Arts: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue of the Collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum (1993). In addition to more than forty recent acquisitions—among these four wall sconces from Versailles that once belonged to Marie Antoinette and an elaborate upholstered bed from the collection of Karl Lagerfeld—it includes the results of years of research. Designed for scholars, students, and devotees of the decorative arts, this volume provides a comprehensive look at the Getty's fine collection.

Spanning three centuries of creativity, from the High Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution, this volume in The Met’s How to Read series provides a peek into daily lives across Europe—from England, Spain, and France to Germany, Denmark, and Russia. Featuring 40 exemplary objects, including furniture, tableware, utilitarian items, articles of personal adornment, devotional objects, and display pieces, this publication covers many aspects of European society and lifestyles, from the modest to the fabulously wealthy. The book considers the contributions of renowned masters, such as the Dutch cabinetmaker Jan van Mekeren and the Italian goldsmith Andrea Boucheron, as well as talented amateurs, among them the anonymous young Englishwoman who embroidered an enchanting chest with scenes from the Story of Esther. The works selected include both masterpieces and less familiar examples, some of them previously unpublished, and are discussed not only in light of their art-historical importance but also with regard to the social issues relevant to each, such as the impact of colonial slavery or the changing status of women artists.

Kunsthåndværk i gotik og renaissance

Included in the examples are works from the Charleston and Old Slave Mart museums and the ironwork of Philip Simmons.

Focuses on 64 objects from the museum's collection.

Winters introduces Richard Flagg and Erma Flagg's collection of some hundred objects made during 1450 to 1900. Most of the beautifully crafted, highly decorative, yet functional pieces are examples of Renaissance and Baroque marvels; they include clocks (a particularly varied and sumptuaous collection), sculpture, inlaid boxes, china and glassware, tankards, metalwork, and furniture. Each of the 77 individual chefs-d'oeuvres documented in this catalog, celebrating the gift of the Flaggs to the Milwaukee Art Museum, are exceptional examples of artisty combined with technical achievement. Such is the case with a 15th-century Cassone from Florence replete with intarsia and coat of arms, signaling a marital alliance between the nobility. Another magnificent piece, highlighted through an individual entry in the catalog, is a 15th-century limestone tympanum, possibly from the Burgundy region of France, showing the enthroned Virgin and Child. The physical properties of this volume are as elaborate as the objects it defines; lavish full-page color plates illustrate the pieces, lengthy catalog entries provide detailed information, and the whole is supplemented with appendixes consisting of checklist and glossary. 69 colour & 29 b/w illustrations