One of the most important collections of medieval sculpture and metalwork ever assembled, available to the public for the first time This is the definitive catalogue of one of the most important collections of medieval art that exists in private hands, not previously accessible to the public. Comprised of outstanding European sculptures of the medieval period, as well as some Late Antique and Byzantine pieces and related works of the post-medieval era, this stunning volume includes detailed descriptions of many items rarely or never before seen in print. The featured objects are made from wood, stone (including alabaster and marble), terra- cotta, and metal— mostly consisting of crucifix figures (corpora) and other functional metalware, such as aquamanilia (water vessels for the washing of hands) and candlesticks—all of which are beautifully showcased by specially commissioned photography.

Over 200 photographs and illustrations of decorative sculpture and useful metalware at the forefront of the Art Deco movement. Art Deco's most significant artists, as well as their predecessors and modern counterparts, are discussed, including an introduction to the designs of Hagenauer, WMF, the Bauhaus, Ferdinand Priess, Chiparus, Brancusi, and Brandt.

This is an accessible historical and technical guide to the materials and techniques of European sculpture, based on the collections at the V&A. Casting, carving, and modeling practices are explored from medieval times onwards. Each chapter concentrates on a specific material or category. Beautiful color photography highlights the works and illustrates contemporary workshop practices.

For decades specialists in the history of Romanesque art questioned the usefulness of traditional stylistic terminology. It has been regarded as being of limited relevance insofar as it fails to reflect the complexity and plurality of the times and events that it refers to. Neither is it useful for alluding to the functional, formal or iconographic specificities circumscribed within a given time period because, in reality, the visual features and statements under scrutiny flourished across two or more stylistic periods. Despite these deficiencies and limitations, we still have no better way of referring to the art of the period other than a lengthy phrase which is often made yet more cumbersome by the addition of a geographical or political term. Of the various media that were used for and made possible these artistic innovations, particular attention has been paid to stained glass, miniatures or enamel. Nevertheless, monumental sculpture underwent certain developments that were comparable to the aforementioned media but also other changes that were completely distinct from them. As a result, because late Romanesque sculpture covers a period extending from 1150 to 1220, it is still impossible to state with any certainty what this complex network represented. We propose a panoramic scientific analysis of a singular artistic landscape, focused on the intersections and challenges posed by this central issue in medieval European artistic production. To narrow down this field of study, this book will focus preferentially on the innovations and solutions adopted in the cathedral workshops of Atlantic, Continental and Mediterranean Europe.

J. Paul Getty had a passion for the exquisitely made furniture and decorative objects of eighteenth-century France, which he began collecting in the 1930s. Gillian Wilson, curator of decorative arts since 1971, has broadened and strengthened the collection, adding Boulle furniture, mounted oriental porcelain, tapestries, clocks, ceramics, and more. In the 1980s and 1990s the Museum continued to enlarge its decorative arts holdings, creating a European sculpture department in 1984 and adding glass, maiolica, goldsmiths’ work, pietre dure, and furniture from Italy and Northern Europe. This book is a revised and expanded edition of Decorative Arts: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue of the Collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum (1993). In addition to more than forty recent acquisitions—among these four wall sconces from Versailles that once belonged to Marie Antoinette and an elaborate upholstered bed from the collection of Karl Lagerfeld—it includes the results of years of research. Designed for scholars, students, and devotees of the decorative arts, this volume provides a comprehensive look at the Getty's fine collection.

Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1826) has long been recognized as the greatest European portrait sculptor of the late eighteenth century, flourishing during both the American and French Revolutions as well as during the Directoire and Empire in France. Whether sculpting a head of state, an intellectual, or a young child, Houdon had an uncanny ability to capture the essence of his subject with a characteristic pose or expression. Yet until now, Houdon's exquisite sculptures have never been the subject of a major exhibition. This lavish exhibition catalogue will immediately take its rightful place as the definitive work on Houdon. With more than one hundred color plates and two hundred black and white halftones, Jean-Antoine Houdon: Sculptor of the Enlightenment illustrates every stage of the sculptor's fascinating career, from his early portrayals of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to his stunning portraits of American patriots such as George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, John Paul Jones, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. Indeed the images we hold dear of legendary Enlightenment figures like Diderot, Rousseau, d'Alembert, and Voltaire are based on works by Houdon. More than mere representations, these sculptures provide us fascinating, intimate glimpses into the very core of who these figures were. Houdon's genius animated even his less illustrious subjects, like his portraits of his family and friends, and filled his sculptures of children with delicacy and freshness. Accompanying the images of Houdon's masterworks are four insightful essays that discuss Houdon's views on art (based in part on a newly discovered manuscript written by the artist) as well as his prominence in the highly varied cultures of eighteenth-century France, Germany, and Russia. From aristocrats to revolutionaries, actors to philosophers, Houdon's amazingly vivid portraits constitute the visual record of the Enlightenment and capture the true spirit of a remarkable age. Jean-Antoine Houdon finally gives these gorgeous works their due.

This book presents the first full length study in English of monumental bronzes in the Middle Ages. Taking as its point of departure the common medieval reception of bronze sculpture as living or animated, the study closely analyzes the practice of lost wax casting (cire perdue) in western Europe and explores the cultural responses to large scale bronzes in the Middle Ages. Starting with mining, smelting, and the production of alloys, and ending with automata, water clocks and fountains, the book uncovers networks of meaning around which bronze sculptures were produced and consumed. The book is a path-breaking contribution to the study of metalwork in the Middle Ages and to the re-evaluation of medieval art more broadly, presenting an understudied body of work to reconsider what the materials and techniques embodied in public monuments meant to the medieval spectator.

This critical survey of the Art Nouveau movement reveals the diversity of this style across the breadth of the European continent. With the inclusion of Eastern Europe and the full range of artistic media, the book shows how this movement changed the face of European art and design from Paris to Prague. Clearly structured by country, it traces the emergence of Art Nouveau, highlighting the particular interpretations of the style in each country. Countries covered include: Belgium; Spain; Britain; Austria; Hungary; and Russia. Each chapter contains sections on political and cultural contexts, specific visual characteristics and key artists and designers. It analyzes the contribution of both well-known artists and designers such as Gaudi; Van de Velde; Mackintosh; and Mucha, and brings to light many others whose contributions have been largely inaccessible. With a bibliography and glossary, this text should provide a useful introduction to this subject.