The Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present (World of Art) Product Reviews
“Well written narrative…. remarkably fresh … This admirable volume is excellent value with its impeccable text and numerous illustrations.”—Journal of the Royal Society of ArtsFrom the simple shell beads worn by Palaeolithic hunters to the splendor of Renaissance gold work and the sumptuousness of Art Nouveau enamels, here is a fascinating and informative guide to the development of Western jewelry—concluding with the radical and experimental developments in the last three decades. Offering a concise survey of the entire field, this book analyzes jewelry’s changing fashions, explores its social context, and examines how it has been worn by both men and women. It shows how jewellers have responded to new sources of gems, whether emeralds from the New World or diamonds from South Africa, and to the discovery of metals such as platinum and aluminum. Masterworks by unknown craftsmen and pieces designed by individual artists as diverse as Holbein, Pugin and Calder are illustra
Complete Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present (World of Art) Product Features
Buy Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present (World of Art) Online
List Price: $ 19.95
Price: [wpramaprice asin="0500202877"]
3 users commented in " Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present (World of Art) "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackA good general overview of the subject,
This is probably the best general overview one could ask of the subject of jewelry history. Starting around 30,000 BC and ending around 1988, the book (printed 1996) covers a wide variety of styles and eras. It is lavishly illustrated in color and b/w, with excellent detail. Of course, being that it is only 200 pp or so, it’s not going to be able to go in depth anywhere, but it still manages to get its points across regarding trends, technology, and sociology and how they all affected jewelry styles.
The halfway point in this book is the Elizabethan era, so the entire latter half of the book falls outside SCA period. Very little indeed covers the period I’m most interested in, Italy of the 15th century. It also seems enamored with the “popular” eras — little attention is paid to non-European countries once the Ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman classic periods are dealt with. However, it’s still a fascinating read, and a great introduction to the subject. The bibliography is quite extensive, giving the reader plenty of places to take up additional study.
In summary, I would suggest that any history or costuming enthusiast pick this up.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Glorious Jewels!!,
Usually when I buy a book on jewelry, I merely gaze longingly at the pictures. Not so with this book! I read it from cover to cover. It help my interest and provided wonderful pictures along with the history of (mostly) Western jewelry. My only complaint is I wish that ALL the pictures had been in color!
Was this review helpful to you?
|good for a beginner,
I am a beginning collector, It gave me a big frame and lots of information. I am still looking for a good book that helps me in buying. This is more a history.As a history book it is great.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Leave A Reply