A gold mine of inspirational motifs
By David Batterham. From the book "The World of Ornament"
Page [1] [2]
Dupont-Auberville shows, in his introduction and with the aid of specially commissioned drawings by Charles Kreuzberger, how materials and skills have influenced ornamental styles from the linens of ancient Egypt, silks from China and Persia, and the sumptuousness of the Renaissance to the elaborate richness of 17th and 18thcentury Europe. Although each period drew upon the past, it is remarkable how fresh and distinct each one seems, and looking ahead to the 20th century we can trace this inventive force continuing with the austere 'modern' lines of the 1920s, the pastel shades of the 1930s, and the jazzy 1950s and 60s.
Dupont-Auberville took his examples not only from his own collection but also from a great range of sources - museums and private collections and in some cases representations of fabrics in paintings and drawings, particularly from China. This extensive provenance demonstrates the thoroughness, energy, and scholarship to which we are being given access here. The notes to each plate (nearly all of which reproduce a number of examples) are particularly informative in relating one period to another, tracing for example the echoes of early Chinese and Persian motifs in subsequent eras. Yet for all their scholarship and meticulous attention to detail, Racinet and Dupont-Auberville were undoubtedly men of their time. And ultimately this is very much a 19th-century collection - a celebration of confidence, technical achievement, and sheer enjoyment!
Page [1] [2]
Page [1] [2]
Dupont-Auberville shows, in his introduction and with the aid of specially commissioned drawings by Charles Kreuzberger, how materials and skills have influenced ornamental styles from the linens of ancient Egypt, silks from China and Persia, and the sumptuousness of the Renaissance to the elaborate richness of 17th and 18thcentury Europe. Although each period drew upon the past, it is remarkable how fresh and distinct each one seems, and looking ahead to the 20th century we can trace this inventive force continuing with the austere 'modern' lines of the 1920s, the pastel shades of the 1930s, and the jazzy 1950s and 60s.
Dupont-Auberville took his examples not only from his own collection but also from a great range of sources - museums and private collections and in some cases representations of fabrics in paintings and drawings, particularly from China. This extensive provenance demonstrates the thoroughness, energy, and scholarship to which we are being given access here. The notes to each plate (nearly all of which reproduce a number of examples) are particularly informative in relating one period to another, tracing for example the echoes of early Chinese and Persian motifs in subsequent eras. Yet for all their scholarship and meticulous attention to detail, Racinet and Dupont-Auberville were undoubtedly men of their time. And ultimately this is very much a 19th-century collection - a celebration of confidence, technical achievement, and sheer enjoyment!
Page [1] [2]
The World of Ornament
Hardcover + DVD, 29 x 44 cm (11.4 x 17.3 in.), 528 pages
$ 200.00
$ 200.00
The most beautiful patterns in all of history
