The Art of Ceramics: European Ceramic Design 1500-1830 (Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design & Culture) [Hardcover]

Dr. Howard Coutts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001 | Series: Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design & Culture

The great age of European ceramic design began around 1500 and ended in the early nineteenth century with the introduction of large-scale production of ceramics. This beautiful book is the first complete history of European ceramic design and decoration during this period, presenting it not only in art-historical terms but also in the context of the era's social, cultural, economic and scientific developments. Howard Coutts considers the main stylistic trends - Renaissance, Mannerism, Oriental, Rococo and Neoclassicism - as they were represented in such products as Italian Maiolica, Dutch Delftware, Meissen and Sevres porcelain, Staffordshire, and Wedgwood pottery. He pays close attention to changes in eating habits over the period, particularly the layout of a formal dinner. And he discusses such fascinating topics as the development of ceramics as room decoration, the transmission of images via prints, fashion and marketing of ceramics and other luxury goods, and the intellectual background to Neo-Classicism. Comprehensive, engrossing, and lavishly illustrated, the book is essential reading for anyone interested in ceramics and their history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...[G]enerously illustrated...with excellent examples of wares...This book is filled with valuable information,...presented in a readable style. -- Choice

From the Publisher

Published in association with the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, New York

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1ST edition (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300083874
• ISBN-13: 978-0300083873
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 10 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,501,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent overview of European ceramics., November 2, 2009

By 

Ivor E. Zetler (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Art of Ceramics: European Ceramic Design 1500-1830 (Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design & Culture) (Hardcover)

If you are seeking a well written and illustrated introductory volume on European ceramics, this book would be ideal. It should also appeal to the more informed ceramics enthusiast given that Howard Coutts's text is detailed, easily readable and comprehensive. He covers the development of the main areas of European ceramics such as Italian maiolica, porcelain discovery in the west, French rococo, English ceramics and the classical revival. There are many excellent quality color reproductions of superior standard examples of various styles of ceramics. The general printing quality is additionally very good.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After exhaustive review, I chose this book., April 17, 2010

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LD (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Ceramics: European Ceramic Design 1500-1830 (Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design & Culture) (Hardcover)

I had hoped that this book would have a lot of color pictures of high end porcelain. It does. I checked it out of the library along with European Ceramics, Wedgewood, Royal Austrian Porcelain, Nymphenburger Porzellen, and English Pottery 1620-1840. Personally I ended up buying The Art of Ceramics-European Ceramic Design 1500-1830 because it covers English and European porcelain with detailed history and a lot of pictures. Many of the pieces in the book are also shown in the more expensive books. European Ceramics (less text) and The Art of Ceramics have a lot in common and you won't be disappointed with either. The other books are specific to their manufacturer or country. I was satisfied that other books I own display the same or similar items and that the rest were encompassed in this book. The description of 320 pages is incorrect. there are 256 pages.