The first comprehensive catalogue of the Getty Museum's significant collection of French Rococo ebenisterie furniture. This catalogue focuses on French ebenisterie furniture in the Rococo style dating from 1735 to 1760. These splendid objects directly reflect the tastes of the Museum's founder, J. Paul Getty, who started collecting in this area in 1938 and continued until his death in 1976. The Museum's collection is particularly rich in examples created by the most talented cabinet masters then active in Paris, including Bernard van Risenburgh II (after 1696-ca. 1766), Jacques Dubois (1694-1763), and Jean-Francois Oeben (1721-1763). Working for members of the French royal family and aristocracy, these craftsmen excelled at producing veneered and marquetried pieces of furniture (tables, cabinets, and chests of drawers) fashionable for their lavish surfaces, refined gilt-bronze mounts, and elaborate design. These objects were renowned throughout Europe at a time when Paris was considered the capital of good taste. The entry on each work comprises both a curatorial section, with description and commentary, and a conservation report, with construction diagrams. An introduction by Anne-Lise Desmas traces the collection's acquisition history, and two technical essays by Arlen Heginbotham present methodologies and findings on the analysis of gilt-bronze mounts and lacquer. www.getty.edu/publications/rococo

Go behind the scenes of generations of the British royal family, exploring both the glamour and domestic life inside the spectacular 300-year-old Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is renowned for its architecture, splendid interiors, internationally important collections, and, of course, its royal residents. This lavish book thoroughly explores Kensington's physical beauty and its history, presenting new material drawn from archives, newspapers, personal letters, images, and careful analysis of the building itself. Originally a fashionable Jacobean villa, Kensington was dramatically rebuilt in 1689 by Christopher Wren for the newly crowned monarchs, William III and Mary II. The palace became the favored London home of five sovereigns, yet also survived fires, partial collapse, bombings, and periods of neglect. Queen Victoria recognized the national significance of her birthplace and childhood home, turning the palace into her own memorial as well as a home for members of her extended family and their descendants. With over 450 illustrations, including specially commissioned reconstructions and historic plans, this volume explores the personal tastes and fashions of the British monarchy over the course of 300 years and provides insight into the 20th- and 21st-century royal family's domestic life. Published in association with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

A great finish can make even a simple project look terrific. A bad finish can ruin the most well-built, sophisticated piece of furniture. Finishing can be a daunting and mystifying task to many woodworkers and DIYers who fear wrecking their projects at this late stage in the process. This collection of articles from Fine Woodworking brings together the best information on a rich variety of finishing techniques. Nowadays, finishing wood doesn't just embrace fine clear finishes like shellac and French polishing, but also bright pigmented lacquers, dyes and stains, milk paint, and crackled paint. Finishing Wood features a whole section on the hot new trend of coloring wood. Also included is timeless information on preparing a surface before you apply a finish (a critical first step) as well as tried-and-true methods for applying all the traditional finishes, whether by brush or by spraying.

The Why and How of Woodworking reflects the growing appreciation for the handmade, a movement toward simplifying and uncluttering. There is a growing understanding of the need to fill our lives with meaningful and useful objects. How can woodworkers answer that call? Mike Pekovich explains how to make work that is worth the time and effort it takes to make it, work that makes a difference, and work that will add to the quality of our lives. Explains the basics of woodworking, from choosing lumber with care, cutting joinery accurately, and preparing and finishing the surfaces. A simple approach to building boxes and furniture that are built to last. Includes information on designing and building cabinets, boxes, chests, casework, and tables.

An essential resource for any designer, crafter, artist, or historian, The Complete Pattern Dictionary is the most comprehensive, practical, and beautiful directory of patterns throughout history, covering all periods, styles, and cultures. Throughout history, patterns have come in countless permutations of motif, color, and scale. From the first rhythmic marks pressed onto clay vessels, to the latest digital design, pattern-making has been an essential part of the decorative arts since time immemorial. With 1500 illustrations of patterns from all ages and cultures, The Complete Pattern Dictionary is not only a visual feast, it is the most comprehensive resource available on the subject. The book is arranged thematically according to pattern type, with chapters on Flora, Fauna, Pictorial, Geometric, and Abstract designs. Each pattern includes the name of the pattern, the year of its creation, and a brief description. The categories are supplemented by in-depth features highlighting the work of key designers including William Morris, Sonia Delaunay, Charles and Ray Eames, Lucienne Day, and Orla Kiely, as well as sections detailing the characteristic motifs of key period styles from Baroque to Art Deco.

Published annually from 1906 until 1980, Decorative Art, The Studio Yearbook was dedicated to the latest currents in architecture, interiors, furniture, lighting, glassware, textiles, metalware, and ceramics. Since the publications went out of print, the now hard-to-find yearbooks have become highly prized by collectors and dealers. Decorative Art 1960s looks at the birth of pop in a decade of unprecedented social, sexual, and political change. All the restless energies bubbling throughout the world during the 1960s made their way into the design style of the decade. Liberation was in the air, men were rushing to the moon, and the sky was the limit as far as visual creativity was concerned. The concept of lifestyle really came into its own, and although the early years of the decade still saw a rivalry between the well-crafted object and the industrially manufactured, by its end both ethnic and pop iconography had gained equal foothold in the aesthetic. Light was also predominant in shaping interiors. Freedom of choice and personal expression were the buzzwords for the young consumer, and so the likes of Panton, Sottsass, Paolozzi, Parisi, Sarpaneva, and Lomazzi did what they could to oblige.

The 18th century has been hailed for its revolution in consumer culture, but Material Literacy in Eighteenth-Century Britain repositions Britain as a nation of makers. It brings new attention to 18th-century craftswomen and men with its focus on the material knowledge possessed not only by professional artisans and amateur makers, but also by skilled consumers. This book gathers together a group of interdisciplinary scholars working in the fields of art history, history, literature and museum studies to unearth the tactile and tacit knowledge that underpinned fashion, tailoring and textile production. It invites us into the workshops, drawing rooms and backrooms of a broad range of creators, and uncovers how production and manual knowledge extended beyond the factories and machines which dominate industrial histories. This book illuminates, for the first time, the material literacies learnt, enacted and understood by British producers and consumers. The skills required for sewing, embroidering and the textile arts were possessed by a large proportion of the British population: men, women and children, professional and amateur alike. Building on previous studies of shoppers and consumption in the period, as well as narratives of manufacture, this collection documents the multiplicity of small producers behind Britain's consumer revolution, reshaping our understanding of the dynamics between making and objects, consumption and production. It demonstrates how material knowledge formed an essential part of daily life for eighteenth-century Britons. Craft technique, practice and production, the contributors show, constituted forms of tactile languages that joined makers together, whether they produced objects for profit or pleasure.

A complete step-by-step guide to essential woodwork techniques, from choosing and cutting timber to planning, measuring, marking, cutting, shaping and joining. Essential troubleshooting tips are supplied throughout. Learn how to control power tools with accuracy, and select and use the 10 essential hand tools that will give your work a beautiful, hand-finished quality. Choose from a selection of projects - simple furniture and decorative items complete with cutting lists and full instructions - to practise the techniques. Be inspired by a gallery of finished examples from professional woodworkers to take your woodwork further. You will also find a wood identifier section that describes the key characteristics of different types of timber and suggests how to use them. Dip into this brilliant resource to build new skills, repair existing items and create fantastic projects.

With his informative commentary and over one hundred meticulous illustrations, Aldren A. Watson offers an introduction to the tradition of country woodworking in Country Furniture. Sample workshop designs, practical advice on tools and equipment, and an overview of reliable woodworking methods all lend to our understanding of a fascinating, time-tested craft. From the sawmill to the workbench, Watson carefully illustrates the step-by-step process of furniture design, carefully delineating the fine details and instructing us on how best to accommodate our desired designs. In addition to his detailed practical information, Watson offers insight into the captivating history of country furniture and provides us with interesting anecdotes about the furniture makers themselves. Part how-to, part history, part reference (an excellent visual glossary is included), Country Furniture offers a unique explanation of sought-after, time-tested woodworking techniques from perfecting a dovetail joint to carving, finishing, and assembling a Windsor chair."

th-century handbook, written by a working artist of the day, reveals secrets and techniques of the masters in drawing, oil painting, frescoes, panel painting, gilding, casting, more. Direct link to artists of Middle ages. Translation, introduction by D. V. Thompson. ...delightful flavor...--N.Y. H

Animal Puzzles for the Scroll Saw - 2nd Edition is a newly expanded version of the wildly popular pattern book that scroll saw artists have come to love With over 50 patterns for upright standing and interlocking puzzles, woodworkers will have plenty of charming puzzles to sell at craft shows or to give to loved ones as special gifts. And with a handy getting started section that includes information to ensure success, new scrollers will learn how to choose wood, blades, to transfer patterns and more. Experienced scrollers will find useful information to customize patterns and to create their own patterns from personal photographs. New realistic patterns include a playful scene of 4 cats, a smart beagle, a lovely cairn terrier, a soulful American cocker spaniel, a fun rough collie, an alligator, adorable panda bear, Frisian pony, caribou, sly red fox, bison and others - each with full color photographs of the finished puzzles.

Cutting-edge stamping techniques and designs! Since the publication of Lisa Niven Kelly's first book on metal stamping, the craft has undergone a revolution, with more design stamps available than ever before. This hotly-anticipated followup, authored together with Taryn McCabe, gives you even more new ways to create personalized stamped jewelry. Inside you will learn fresh techniques such as mandala stamping, and find patterns for more than 20 projects: a trendy chevron necklace, chandelier earrings, garden-themed cuff, and more. Easy-to-follow, full color step-by-step photos accompany all basic techniques, as well as the jewelry projects, to guide your way. Discover the unique looks you can achieve working with a variety of metals--silver, copper and brass--while advancing your metalsmithing skills. Whether you're new to metal stamping or your hammer is in need of fresh inspiration, New Stamped Metal Jewelry has the instruction and inspiration you're looking for.

The Utrecht Psalter, one of the great survivals of the Carolingian Renaissance, was made about 820-835 at the Benedictine monastery of Hautvilliers and decorated with 166 dynamic, almost impressionistic pen drawings which are masterly interpretation of the Psalter text. In 1996 it was exhibited in Utrecht, alongside related manuscripts such as the Aachen and Ebbo Gospels, the Byzantine Khludov Psalter and the later English Harly and Eadwine Psalters, copied in Canterbury when the Utrecht Psalter was for some centuries in England. Five scholarly essays, designed for a wide-ranging readership, include a discussion of Carolingian cultural achievements; an analysis of the Psalter itself and its place in the history of book production; an overview of medieval Psalter illustration in both Byzantium and the West; and an exa- mination of the English copies of the Utrect Psalter in the later Middle Ages. This publication focuses on the Utrecht Psalter and incorporates five scholarly essays, designed for a wide-ranging readership, including a discussion of Carolingian cultural achievements; an analysis of the Psalter itself and its place in the history of book production; an overview of medieval Psalter illustration in both Byzantium and the West; and an examination of the English copies of the Utrect Psalter in the later Middle Ages. 'This is a hugely rewarding book, beautifully produced, scholarly and extre mely readable. It not only serves as an excellent guide to the complexities of the Utrecht Psalter, but is an interesting contribution to the continuing debate on the nature of the relationship between text and image in medieval art.' The Art Book.

Since 1898, Model Engineer magazine (originally weekly, now fortnightly) has proved a remarkable source of knowledge for all manner of engineering practices. Its readership has always included many highly experienced engineers, some of considerable eminence, who have answered readers' questions and contributed valuable information in order that everyone the construction and use of machines should be able to extend his scope and skills. The answer to virtually any engineering problem can be found somewhere in its pages, it is said. Many of the magazine's most helpful nuggets of knowledge have appeared in brief notes or articles, often many years ago, and have never been republished. This book offers a selection of fascinating hints and tips culled from the magazine's wide time-scale (from the 1890s to the 1960s) but as relevant today as when they were first printed. They may save the reader time and possibly money; certainly they will interest and instruct anyone who works with metal.

Joining metals by one form or another of soft or hard soldering, or brazing with various alloys, are run-of-the-mill jobs in model and light engineering workshops - so much so that little thought is given as to whether there might be a quicker, more efficient or less expensive means of achieving the required end. In Soldering and Brazing respected engineering writer Tubal Cain examines in detail the processes, equipment and materials, and explains what is happening in the joints as they are made with practical examples, test pieces, tabulated data etc. This is a thorough, comprehensive and, above all, useful book.

Nothing beats seeing your woodworking on display or the reaction you get when you give your work as a gift. The problem is finding enough time to complete all of the projects you want to do. This book will help. Small Woodworking Projects is a collection of approachable projects from Fine Woodworking magazine that will tempt and satisfy even the most discriminating of woodworkers. You don't need a giant workshop, formal training or tons of free time to build the useful, attractive pieces in this collection. All you need are basic woodworking tools and skills. Projects range from boxes perfect for gift giving, to tools for the workshop, to items perfect for the home- all varying in complexity. With the exploded drawings, detailed plans and clear step-by-step instructions Fine Woodworking is known for, this is a must have collection for every woodworker.

Alysn Midgelow-Marsden shows how to use both textile-based and mixed media techniques to create beautiful artworks using metal in the form of shim, foil and woven fabric alongside many other materials. She shares her expertise in an inspiring variety of techniques from free machine stitching to gilding, embossing, needle felting, beading, printing, applique, making stitched foil fabric and using dry decal transfer images. There are seven beautiful projects to inspire and instruct textile artists everywhere, including a lampshade, bauble pods, decorative panels and a tablet cover. Artists can take inspiration from the individual surfaces that make up the pieces, the completed projects, and from the developments from each project, which have full, instructive captions. This is an invaluable resource for textile artists looking for new and beautiful ideas. This book was previously published as part of the Textile Artist series.

At one time, most towns of any size had somewhere a small foundry that would undertake small casting jobs, often more out of interest and good neighbourliness than for commercial gain. Regrettably, those days are no more and the model engineer in many areas must either adapt commercially available castings or send away to a specialist foundry that will undertake small jobs, often at some expense and with some delay. The alternative is to make your own patterns and castings, which is in fact much easier than you may think. The Backyard Foundry covers basic principles, materials and techniques, pattern making, moulding boxes, cores and core-boxes, electric, gas and coke furnaces, and includes step-by-step procedures with examples of locomotive cylinders and wheels. Sources of specialised materials and even the design of an outdoor furnace suitable for small-scale commercial work are given. Each stage and subject is covered in detail so that even the inexperienced can undertake casting with confidence. Although the book is written primarily for the model engineer, anyone wishing to make mouldings or castings will profit from its pages.

Surpassing the conventional "cookbook approach" to woodturning, this remarkable collection of eight projects highlights the important roles that passion and state of mind play in woodturning projects. Each project--accompanied by step-by-step photos and a bill of materials--is not only designed to help woodworkers improve their skills, but also to act as a starting point for them to brainstorm more effectively about their own pieces. The exercises gradually increase in difficulty, building towards the "Inside Out Vase," a sleek and elegant project pierced by four lancet windows. Along the way, turners will learn about gouge orientation, turning hollow forms, turning a ball, and many other essential woodturning techniques.