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Books > Arts & Architecture > Art forms, treatments & subjects > Decorative arts & crafts > General
Situated at around 3,300 ft above sea level in the mountains of the
Swiss Jura region, the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds experienced
significant economic development towards the end of the 19th
century, which went hand in hand with much building activity. There
are few other places in Switzerland in which the influence of art
nouveau is so clearly visible. Significantly inspired by the
painter and architect Charles L'Eplattenier (1874-1946), and his
art and decoration course at the local school of applied arts in
1905, a local variant of art nouveau developed, the so-called Style
sapin or "fir style." Protagonists of this movement accorded
special importance in their works to the use of symbolic motifs
that reflect the nature of the Jura landscape and especially its
fir forests. This book offers a comprehensive survey of the Style
sapin and builds bridges into the 21st century. It places the "fir
style" within the international context of art nouveau and also
addresses in detail the local facets of this movement, which has
left traces that are still visible today in watchmaking, applied
arts, and architecture. Moreover, it draws attention for the first
time to the previously scarcely acknowledged female artists of the
Style sapin. Text in French.
The Spitz book of hours is one of the finest French books of hours
in the collections of the Getty Museum. It is also one of the most
original and inventive manuscripts painted in the International
style. The Spitz Master, its primary illuminator, allows the
narrative of the miniatures to fill the borders, bringing its pages
alive in a fresh and engaging manner.
In new art-historical research, Gregory Clark places this
manuscript's vivid, even witty, imagery in the turbulent context of
Parisian culture around 1420. Clark also examines the book of hours
in the context of medieval culture, the book trade in Paris, and
the role of Paris as an international center of illumination. The
Spitz Master: A Parisian Book of Hours is the first study devoted
entirely to the manuscript and reproduces all the book's glowing
miniatures in full color. It will serve as a lively introduction to
the Spitz Hours for scholars and the general public alike.
This important book forms part of the Handmade in Britain
partnership between the V&A and the BBC. Published as the
culmination of a year-long season of programming over three series,
it explores the history of making in Britain, looking across all
media within the decorative arts. Handmade in Britain expands on
the programmes, featuring key objects and makers in the V&A's
collection as well as contributions from contemporary
practitioners. It traces Britain's status as an unsophisticated
importer of luxury Renaissance goods, to becoming one of the
leading worldwide exporters of decorative arts by the end of the
nineteenth century, and discusses present-day making - particularly
the relationship between industrialized and craft-based processes
and practice. It also shows how the history of making in Britain is
not a London-centric story, but one of regional centres across the
country often suited to different manufacturers for specific
reasons. Like the programmes, the book takes each tradition in
turn, looking at ceramics, metalwork, wood, textiles and stained
glass.
Over 150 motifs reflecting the eye-catching intricacies of Celtic design, ideal for use in graphics layouts, needlework designs and other arts and crafts projects. Often incorporating sinuous interlacements of animal, floral and abstract motifs, the designs have been clearly and boldly drawn to provide the clearest possible image for reproduction. The collection includes a variety of interesting shapes and sizes.
Walter Turpening has been designing and perfecting seating for
crafters and artistic creators (particularly weavers, knitters,
handspinners, and musicians) for 20-plus years. His signature
cotton-cord, curved, woven seats on fine woodworked frames are
sought after by crafters, and he operates on an average two-year
waiting list. He has also been teaching his techniques for many
years, and this book is a compilation of his design journal and
instructions for his methods, including the wooden furniture
designs and weaving designs, plus his methods for measuring the
recipient and their intended end use of the furniture for perfect
ergonomic comfort. At 73 years young, it is Walt's desire to share
his treasury of knowledge for the benefit of woodworkers and
crafters.
Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture, Revised &
Expanded Second Edition is a complete sourcebook of working shop
drawings for 61 classic pieces of American furniture. Whether known
as Craftsman, Arts & Crafts, or Mission, these sturdy,
straightforward and immensely popular designs have graced American
homes for more than 100 years. The author, a master cabinetmaker,
measured original Craftsman antiques to create these detailed
plans. This revised new paperback edition is compiled from three of
his previous books: Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture; Shop
Drawings for Craftsman Inlays & Hardware; and More Shop
Drawings for Craftsman Furniture. Every type of furniture is
represented here: from trestle tables, love seats, and nightstands
to corner cabinets, rockers, tabourets and more. With perspective
views, elevations, sections, details, and cutting lists, this book
gives woodworkers the heart of the Craftsman aesthetic, along with
all the information needed for workshop success. A bonus section on
inlays and hardware offers original designs that add color,
lyricism, and a graceful flourish to ever-popular Craftsman
furniture.
Traditional Japanese packaging is an art form that applies
sophisticated design and natural aesthetics to simple objects. In
this elegant presentation of the baskets, boxes, wrappers, and
containers that were used in ordinary, day-to-day life, we are
offered a stunning example of a time before mass production.
Largely constructed of bamboo, rice straw, hemp twine, paper, and
leaves, all of the objects shown here are made from natural
materials. Through 221 black-and-white photographs of authentic
examples of traditional Japanese packaging--with commentary on the
origins, materials, and use of each piece--the items here offer a
look into a lost art, while also reminding us of the connection to
nature and the human imprint of handwork that was once so alive and
vibrant in our everyday lives. This classic book was originally
published under the title "How to Wrap Five More Eggs" in 1975.
The eminent American designer George Nelson praised the work
featured here, saying, "We have come a long, long way from the kind
of thing so beautifully presented in this book. To suit the needs
of super mass production, the traditional natural materials are too
obstreperous . . . and one by one we have replaced them with the
docile, predicable synthetics. . . . What we have gained from these
new] materials and wonderfully complicated processes to make up for
the general pollution, rush, crowding, noise, sickness, and
slickness is a subject for other forums. But what we have lost for
sure is what this book is all about: a once-common sense of fitness
in the relationships between hand, material, use, and shape, and
above all, a sense of delight in the look and feel of very
ordinary, humble things. This book is thus . . . a totally
unexpected monument to a culture, a way of life, a universal
sensibility carried through all objects down to the smallest, most
inconsequential, and ephemeral things."
Now, over thirty years later, this revived classic on the art of
traditional Japanese packing may leave us with the same response,
and the same appreciation for the natural and utile packaging
presented in this book.
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