Search results for ""miniature masterpieces""

Netsuke have once again come to the fore in the popular imagination of the public. In part this is due to the phenomenal success of Edmund De Waal’s 2010 book, Hare with the Amber Eyes, which highlights a treasured netsuke collection that was challenged by war and the vicissitudes of time. Intricately carved from various materials including ivory, wood and metal, these small toggles served a practical purpose in Japan: a netsuke was used to fasten a man’s sash, an integral part of Japanese costume. Up until the seventeenth century netsuke were relatively insignificant objects that were rarely of artistic interest, but as time passed they evolved in terms of both materials and workmanship, and were then used by men to flaunt their wealth or as an expression of status. Today netsuke are considered an art form in their own right and are prized by collectors around the world. They are found in a variety of forms and depict a wide range of subjects – including figures of human and legendary form, ghosts, animals, botanical subjects and masks. Skilfully worked, these miniature carvings are of great artistic value, but they also provide a window into Japanese culture and society. This book brings together one hundred of the most beautiful and interesting netsuke from the extensive collection of the British Museum, each of which has its own special charm and story to tell. Uncovering the stories behind these netsuke and coupling them with stunning new photography, this book reveals why these tiny objects have captivated so many, the meaning they have held for those who wore them, and what they can tell us about Japanese everyday life.

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Create miniature fairy houses and more whimsical treasures rich with detail and hidden features! Learn to use fabric paint, fabric fusing, and other techniques to make 3D works of art.

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From bestselling author Johanna Basford - a new pocket-sized colouring book of mini masterpieces.We don't always have a whole afternoon or even an hour to dedicate to our creative practice. Small Victories is the perfect book for when you want to pick up a pencil and complete a colouring page in a single sitting. Choose from pages of multiple individual drawings and select a few to colour, or little vignettes and smaller motifs that are easier to complete in one creative moment - all featuring Johanna Basford's trademark whimsical illustrations.From tiny toadstools, dinky cakes to celestial and floral miniscapes, this book guarantees more of those feel-good vibes you get from finishing a creative project.

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A beautiful set of 100 postcards featuring the art of Mokuhanga. Packaged in a beautifully illustrated box, this set of 100 postcards showcases the timeless beauty of Japanese Woodblock art. From serene landscapes to captivating portraits, immerse yourself in the rich heritage of Japanese artistry. Not just postcards, but miniature masterpieces that are perfect for sending across the seas or pinning to your wall.

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A beautiful set of 100 postcards featuring the art of the Golden Age. Step back in time with this boxed set of 100 postcards that showcase the timeless beauty of the 20th century masters. From Art Deco glamour to Art Nouveau elegance, these nostalgic artworks capture the visual splendour of a bygone era. Not just postcards, but miniature masterpieces that are perfect for sending across the seas or pinning to your wall.

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From the astounding to the downright unbelievable, this little volume of mind-blowingly tiny artworks showcases the talents of 24 artists from around the globe. Makers, crafters, art enthusiasts, and fans of tiny works will delight in this homage to all things infinitesimally small. Replete with more than 200 images of miniature masterpieces— including intricately carved pencil leads, fantastical dioramas floating in test tubes, ceramic vases smaller than a sixsided die, crystal cityscape shells designed for hermit crabs, and more—Think Small is sure to make a big impression.

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The Graphic Design Sourcebook delves into the vast array of graphic design that surrounds us wherever we go, and has done so ever since printing was invented. Yet everyday graphics have mostly been ignored as an art form. From Victorian song sheets to French perfume labels, early matchboxes to decorative greetings cards, appealing cigarette packets to enticing holiday brochures, colourful advertisements to racy night club tickets, these miniature masterpieces deserve artistic recognition. With over a thousand images, The Graphic Design Sourcebook is both an inspiring source book and a treasure trove of ideas; a true cornucopia of communication.

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Light of Devotion: Oil Lamps of Kerala, an in-depth study of the medieval oil lamps of Kerala and beyond, contributes a new chapter to the history of Indian art. These art objects are primary sources for a broader discussion of the ritual use of Hindu oil lamps, their related and unique cultural history, their motifs, style and subject matter. From an understudied region, they include miniature masterpieces in bronze of figural and mythic representations. Many of the pieces presented are previously unpublished. Hindu traditions and the underlying philosophy of these votive offerings to temple deities represented by the flaming oil lamps will interest those who study history of religions, art history and South Asian studies. The author has included oil lamps found not only in Kerala but also examples discovered in an international array of museums and collections. These lamps and their inscriptions offer a key to unlock the problem of the dating of Keralan bronze sculpture.

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This volume, the second catalogue of the Wyvern Collection, celebrates an outstanding group of medieval ivory carvings and small sculpture, the finest assemblage of its kind in private hands. The book has pieces from every period of the Middle Ages, including rare examples from the Early Christian era; spectacular panels from the workshops of tenth-century Constantinople; objects produced by the celebrated carvers active in south Italy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries; and several important pieces from the Romanesque period. At the heart of the collection is an outstanding group of Gothic ivories whose highlights include one of the most important secular medieval ivories discovered in recent years. The collection also features a number of small amber, hardstone, jet, wood and mother-of-pearl carvings. In addition to their virtuoso craftsmanship, many of these objects have illustrious histories as part of famous aristocratic or ecclesiastical collections. This is a precious opportunity to study these miniature masterpieces.

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This book is a precious small volume on precious small boxes. Most of them were used to hold snuff, powdered tobacco, and were meant to be looked and admired from a close-up. These miniature masterpieces were a key accessory for every stylish man and woman in the eighteenth century. They reflect the culture and fashion of the period. Gold is the defining material of the fifty masterpieces presented here. Therefore the most surprising aspect for those first encountering such pieces is not only the variety of forms and decoration, but also the materials of these boxes, from porcelain to precious stones, enamel and mother-of-pearl. Echoing the shape of a gold box the volume features some of the most beautiful boxes in the famous collection of Sir Arthur Gilbert and his first wife Rosalinde. The collector couple ran a fashion business in London before moving to Los Angeles in 1949. Their passion for elegance, colour, beauty and craftsmanship is palpable in every single box. Gold Boxes explores the culture of the snuffbox for everyone intrigued by the period, its art and fashion, or rich symbolism.

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The “Begram ivories” are widely considered to be miniature masterpieces of Indian art and are one of the largest archaeological collections of ancient ivories. They were excavated at the site of Begram, in northern Afghanistan, in 1937 and 1939 and belong to a period when Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India were united under rulers of the Kushan dynasty. Divided soon afterwards between the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul and the Musée national des arts asiatiques–Guimet in Paris, the collection in Kabul suffered a disaster during the civil war which ravaged the country during the early 1990s. Some of the pieces were successfully concealed by museum staff but most were stolen, hundreds have since been reported in different collections and very few have yet been recovered. In 2011 a group of twenty bone and ivory plaques was generously acquired for the National Museum of Afghanistan by a private individual. These were scientifically analysed, conserved and exhibited at the British Museum and returned to Kabul in 2012. This book describes their story from excavation to display and return, with individual object biographies and detailed scientific analyses and conservation treatments. It also discusses how these objects have attracted very different interpretations over the decades since their discovery, and how the new analyses shed a completely fresh light on the collection. It is lavishly illustrated in full colour, and includes many previously unpublished views of the objects when they were originally exhibited in Kabul. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the archaeology of Afghanistan, Indian art, polychromy, museum studies, object biographies or the history of conservation.

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Andre Chervin (b. 1927) is a world-renowned jeweller and founder of the premiere New York atelier, Carvin French. Recognized today as masters of fine jewelry-making whose dazzling creations have been sold by top retail houses such as Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, Verdura, Cartier, and Bulgari, Chervin and his firm enjoy a stellar reputation among the clients who wear their refined jewellery. Unbeknownst to his many fans, Chervin also created a collection of precious objets d'art, dating from 1957 through 2013. Expressive of his artistic imagination, passion for raw materials and bygone techniques, and inimitable sense of style, these captivating treasures have never been shown to the public. Until now. Enchanting Imagination: The Objets d'Art of Andre Chervin and Carvin French Jewelers introduces Chervin's miniature masterpieces-one-of-a-kind lamps, clocks, boxes, personal accessories, and table decorations fashioned from gold, silver, gems, and minerals, like rubies, diamonds, sapphires, jade, lapis lazuli, amethyst, and quartz. Conceived by Chervin and fabricated under his watchful eye, each object evolved over the course of many years, taking five, ten, even twenty-five years, to complete to perfection. AUTHORS: Debra Schmidt Bach is curator of Decorative Arts and Special Exhibitions at New-York Historical Society. Jeannine Falino is an independent curator, and a leading expert on modern and contemporary jewellery and American decorative arts. SELLING POINTS: . Marks the first complete presentation of this virtually unknown facet of Chervin's career and output since his first years in the USA, a truly opulent and visual tour-de-force . Shines a light on a whole world of jewellery design and making, featuring rare materials and specially-trained artisans, that is fast being lost to the world . Will have key long-term backlist appeal, especially as there is really no other work out these on this unknown side of Chervin's career and this facet of jewellery design, materials, and technique 110 colour illustrations

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