by Vivian B. Mann and Richard I. Cohen (1996)
From Court Jews to the Rothschilds 1600-1800 is a groundbreaking study that examines the role of Jews as agents in the service of many kinds of patrons, from local nobles to emperors. In addition to collecting and commissioning precious jewelry and works of art for the court, they provided all manner of goods, including military equipment and supplies. Many Jews also made important contributions to architecture by financing and implementing large building projects. Some maintained the ruler's mint, collected taxes, and assisted in diplomatic negotiations. Court Jews often became extremely wealthy and powerful members of society, some of them adopting the lifestyles, dress, and even architecture of their patrons, while remaining true to their religious origins. In many cases they were generous benefactors of their own communities, establishing schools and synagogues, printing books, commissioning ceremonial objects, and acting as patrons of the arts. . This book is illustrated with stunning photographs of objects commissioned by and associated with Court Jews from collections all over Europe, America and Israel. It charts the development of the Court Jew phenomenon from early Islamic times through to the early 1800s, with particular emphasis on the 17th and 18th centuries. It includes short biographies of outstanding figures - among them several women, such as Gluckl of Hameln and Esther Liebmann - with an account of their achievements and of their relationship to Jewish communities and to general society. This is the first book to discuss the cultural transformation of Court Jews in the context of Baroque art and architecture, and the first to illustrate such a diverse representative selection of works.
Bernard DeVoto
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize. Across the Wide Missouri tells the compelling story of the climax and decline of the Rocky Mountain fur trade during the 1830s. More than a history, it portrays the mountain fur trade as a way of business and a way of life, vividly illustrating how it shaped the expansion of the American West.
Alina Payne
"In the late 19th century, a centuries-old preference for highly ornamented architecture gave way to a budding Modernism of clean lines and unadorned surfaces. At the same moment, everyday objects--cups, saucers, chairs, and tables--began to receive critical attention.Alina Payne addresses this shift, arguing for a new understanding of the genealogy of architectural modernism: rather than the well-known story in which an absorption of technology and mass production created a radical aesthetic that broke decisively with the past, Payne argues for a more gradual shift, as the eloquence of architectural ornamentation was taken on by objects of daily use. As she demonstrates, the work of Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier should be seen as the culmination of a conversation about ornament dating as far back as the Renaissance. Payne looks beyond the usual suspects of philosophy and science to establish theoretical catalysts for the shift from ornament to object in the varied fields of anthropology and ethnology; art history and the museum; and archaeology and psychology"--
George Heard Hamilton
This revised and up-dated history confines itself to Russia west of the Urals, the Russia whose artistic beginnings lay in the response of a newly settled people to the impact of Christianity and the Byzantine Empire. In the first centuries the arts flourished and developed in the independent states and principalities, but gradually native schools in centres like Novgorod and Kiev gave way to centralization based on Moscow. From the emergence of Russia under Peter the Great until the late 19th century, specifically Russian qualities gave way to Western European inspiration and advice. However, as the 19th century developed, there was a reaction from foreign domination and this led to the rediscovery of native traditions.
Megan Aldrich
In this richly illustrated book, Megan Aldrich traces the story of the Gothic Revival from its beginnings in the small, experimental buildings of the eighteenth century to its ultimate phase in the lavish buildings of the late nineteenth century. The book concentrates on the domestic forms of the style, from its use in castles and country houses to its influence on villas and cottages from the old world to the New World. This book is essential reading for all those interested in architecture and design. It covers the influence of the Gothic style, not only through the work of the great designers such as Burges, Pugin, Viollet-le-Duc and Wyatt, but also through many lesser-known figures. The worldwide influence of the Gothic Revival is amply demonstrated in the large selection of illustrations showing wall, floor and window treatments, as well as furniture. An invaluable source of ideas, this book illustrates much new material and celebrates an important chapter in the history of design.