Five thousand illustrations with descriptions on the same page.

The classic in the field, indispensable for the beginning collector, the connoisseur, the dealer, the student, and the decorator. Tells the reader where and what to collect, analyzes the special problems of the small collector, lists 21 precautions for the beginner.

This bibliography of the study of household furnishings used in the United States from the seventeenth century to the early twentieth century contains twenty-one sections. Each section begins with an essay that outlines the development of scholarship in the files and points toward new directions for research with annotated entries on the most significant works. Three chapters present the basic reference tools and surveys of art and architecture. These are followed by chapters devoted to such topics as furniture; metals, including silver and gold, pewter, and Britannia metal; ceramics and glass; textiles; timepieces; household activities and systems; and craftsmen and the Arts and Crafts Movement in America. Includes an author/title index.

This book is for art market researchers at all levels. A brief overview of the global art market and its major stakeholders precedes an analysis of the various sales venues (auction, commercial gallery, etc.). Library research skills are reviewed, and advanced methods are explored in a chapter devoted to basic market research. Because the monetary value of artwork cannot be established without reference to the aesthetic qualities and art historical significance of our subject works, two substantial chapters detail the processes involved in researching and documenting the fine and decorative arts, respectively, and provide annotated bibliographies. Methods for assigning values for art objects are explored, and sources of price data, both in print and online, are identified and described in detail. In recent years, art historical scholarship increasingly has addressed issues related to the history of art and its markets: a chapter on resources for the historian of the art market offers a wide range of sources. Finally, provenance and art law are discussed, with particular reference to their relevance to dealers, collectors, artists and other art market stakeholders.