European Sculpture And Metalwork

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.

This beautiful book features masterpieces of sculpture in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum dating from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century. Celebrated works by the great European sculptors - including Luca and Andrea della Robbia, Juan Mart©Ưnez Monta©ł©♭s, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Jean-Antoine Houdon, Bertel Thorvaldsen, Antoine-Louis Barye, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Edgar Degas, and Auguste Rodin- are joined by striking new additions to the collection, notably Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's remarkable bust of a troubled and introspective man. The ninety-two selected examples are diverse in media (marble, bronze, wood, terracotta, and ivory) and size - ranging from a tiny oil lamp fantastically conceived and decorated by the Renaissance bronze sculptor Riccio to Antonio Canova's eight-foot-high Perseus with the Head of Medusa, executed in the heroic Neoclassical style. Incorporating information from the latest scholarly research and recent conservation studies, sculpture specialist Ian Wardropper discusses the history and significance of the highlighted works, each of which is reproduced with glorious new photography.

Welded sculpture evolved as an art-form in the 1930s as artists began to adapt an industrial method for aesthetic purposes.This historical survey explores the plentiful and varied approaches to sculpture possible through welding and its companion processes. Many twentieth-century artists have produced a prestigious body of welded sculpture, often contributing to the development of this method by experimentation.With its strong European artistic roots, welded sculpture has transcended several 'isms' and trends, by-passing ephemeral styles and marketing mechanisms. This book presents a detailed examination of a technique, its artist exponents, and its associated social and political milieux over the last three quarters of the twentieth century. It records and comments on the history of welded art as it has occurred in our time, contributing to and expanding artistic parameters.Artists featured in this book include Pablo Picasso, László Moholy-Nagy, Harry Bertoia, Phillip King, Anthony Caro, Lynn Chadwick and Eduardo Paolozzi, to name but a few.

"Metalwork describes the interaction of function, form and decoration through the ages; the gradual evolution of towns specializing in metalware into international manufacturing and trading centers; the new demands created by the increasing sophistication of city life; the rise of the guilds, which were to play an essential part in preserving a rigid economic and social structure and were eventually to wield considerable political power; and most important, the craftsman's ever-changing role in society."--Publisher.

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.

This book offers definitions of the techniques, processes, and materials used in the production of postclassical European sculpture. Concise and readable explanations of the technical terms most frequently encountered by the museum-goer are presented in an easily portable format. With numerous illustrations drawn from the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum - most of them in color - this volume will be indispensable to all readers wishing to increase their enjoyment and understanding of European sculpture.