A sumptuous volume that tells the story of how three iconic designers in prewar Europe created and marketed jewelry as art Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique--these great designers came together only once to display their goods in what was probably the most opulent exhibition ever mounted. At the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the three strove to position themselves ahead of their many competitors in the luxury market, each presenting his jewelry and home adornments as high art. Their success is explored in this splendidly illustrated catalogue, which elucidates the prewar pinnacle of European culture. The array of displayed objects was mesmerizing: Tiffany glass, Easter eggs to dazzle the Czars, realistic insects created in precious materials as sinister decorations. Many of these bore influences of the advanced art of the time, such as Art Nouveau, Viennese modernism, and symbolism, and of styles from around the world. Four essays discuss the works in the context of their times, illuminate the high societies served by the three masters, and trace the cultural trends behind their extraordinary creations. A treasure of accompanying photographs shows the individual exhibits, scenes from the World's Fair, and the glitterati who wore the jewelry. Published in association with the Cleveland Museum of Art Exhibition Schedule: Cleveland Museum of Art (October 19, 2008 - January 19, 2009) Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (February 7 - May 31, 2009)

Today we associate the Renaissance with painting, sculpture, and architecture—the “major” arts. Yet contemporaries often held the “minor” arts—gem-studded goldwork, richly embellished armor, splendid tapestries and embroideries, music, and ephemeral multi-media spectacles—in much higher esteem. Isabella d’Este, Marchesa of Mantua, was typical of the Italian nobility: she bequeathed to her children precious stone vases mounted in gold, engraved gems, ivories, and antique bronzes and marbles; her favorite ladies-in-waiting, by contrast, received mere paintings. Renaissance patrons and observers extolled finely wrought luxury artifacts for their exquisite craftsmanship and the symbolic capital of their components; paintings and sculptures in modest materials, although discussed by some literati, were of lesser consequence. This book endeavors to return to the mainstream material long marginalized as a result of historical and ideological biases of the intervening centuries. The author analyzes how luxury arts went from being lofty markers of ascendancy and discernment in the Renaissance to being dismissed as “decorative” or “minor” arts—extravagant trinkets of the rich unworthy of the status of Art. Then, by re-examining the objects themselves and their uses in their day, she shows how sumptuous creations constructed the world and taste of Renaissance women and men.

This book focuses on the production and circulation of portable luxury goods in the early Iron Age (1200-600 BCE). The study is particularly interested in community formation as mediated by artthough not at the national level, as is customary with most studies of antiquity. Rather, it is concerned with the complex networks that gave rise to extended communities across a range of spaces near and far. It tells a story about many communities coming together, overlapping, interacting, and reforming through various relationships between human beings and objects. It studies these processes for the early Iron Age Levant (including present-day Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan), focusing on portable luxury arts, in particular ivories and metal works."

Frida Kahlo was not only an iconic artist, she was also a bold beauty and an avant-garde fashionista whose timeless sense of style continues to inspire and influence the worlds of fashion, media, and art today.

This collection of essays explores the diverse ways in which Netherlandish art and luxury goods permeated the artistic landscape of Renaissance Spain. Covering a wide range of approaches and perspectives, the book includes studies on carved altarpieces, stone sculpture, painting, tapestry, architectural design, prints and mathematical instruments. Through the lens of artists, patrons, collectors, merchants and other intermediaries, special attention is paid to local cultures of collecting and display. Together, the essays provide a fascinating and multifaceted view of the reciprocal relationships between the Low Countries and Spain from the fifteenth to the early seventeenth centuries. With contributions by Maite Barrio Olano, Ion Berasain Salvarredi, Iain Buchanan, Krista De Jonge, Raymond Fagel, Noelia Garcia Perez, Dirk Imhof, Nicola Jennings, Ethan Matt Kavaler, Jesus Muniz Petralanda, Eduardo Lamas-Delgado, Abigail Newman, Stephanie Porras, Antonia Putzger, Koenraad Van Cleempoel, Paul Vandenbroeck and Elena Vazquez Duenas.

Soon after the Portuguese opened the first direct sea route from Europe to Asia, they established trading centers in India and Sri Lanka. By the early 1500s, the courts and the cities of Europe had become avid consumers of luxury goods imported form South Asia. This book shows how the trade in exotica spurred the development of an extraordinary hybrid art, at once Indian and Portufuese. Many of the feautred objects have never before been properly identified or presented to the public. AUTHOR: Pedro Moura Carvalho is Aga Khan Fellow at Harvard University. 57 illustrations

While readers will come away from Chinese Art with a nuanced understanding of Chinese culture, the volume is also a work of art in its own right—a must-have collectible for any devotee of Chinese art and culture. Assouline’s Ultimate Collection is an homage to the art of luxury bookmaking—the oversized volume is hand-bound using traditional techniques, with several of the plates hand-tipped on art-quality paper and housed in a luxury silk clamshell.

The vast medium of jewelry and fashion artefact design continues to be a central pillar of fashion luxury goods industries and artistic practice, but there is a lack of discussions on the researches, value and roles of it. Design is an expression of values and attitudes, and a tangible form of guiding the thoughts and desires of individuals and members of society. In the contemporary society, when science, technology and craftsmanship reach a stage, whether products and services become luxurious or not, its quality, uniqueness, artistry and rarity are all achieved through design. This book represents the articles from 20 outstanding design researchers from 11 countries, including many works from international designers, who are engaging with and pushing the boundaries of the medium. It contributes to these international debates on contemporary fashion and jewelry design while providing an accessible overview and a concise reference book.