Earth and Fire: Italian Terracotta Sculpture from Donatello to Canova [Hardcover]

Bruce Boucher (Editor), Carlo Milano (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

This book is an ambitious work that surveys the development of a major sculptural medium in Italy across four centuries. It is the first work of its kind to consider the varieties of fired clay sculpture, especially in the context of the sculptural process. Whenever possible, clay models have been juxtaposed with finished works in order to show changes between a sculptor's initial concept and the final product. Over eighty objects are considered, ranging from drawings and sketch models to enamelled terracottas and marbles. The entries are supplemented by a series of essays, addressing major aspects of clay sculpture from the Renaissance to Neoclassicism. There is also a survey of recent information gleaned from the conservation of terracotta sculpture. The book is the catalogue of a major exhibition mounted by The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Many of the works have been especially conserved and examined for the exhibition and the result will be a major contribution to the study of European sculpture.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

What drawing has been to painting, terra cotta (fired clay) has often been to Italian sculpture of the 400 years from the Renaissance through the neoclassical period. This superbly executed exhibition catalog for a current show mounted by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, deftly, coherently, and revealingly unfolds what was formerly only the narrowly appreciated and understood role of clay in the best years of the Italian sculptural tradition. Boucher (history of art, University Coll. London) cogently synthesizes a body of significant art historical material unjustly relegated to the byways of the discipline. Emerging from this collaborative effort is not only a more profound comprehension of the manner in which terra cotta has been employed in preparatory "sketches," working models, and finished works of art but also an understanding of its importance in the creative processes of artists as great as Michelangelo, Bernini, and Canova. Aside from an excellent series of independent essays, which together reveal terra cotta's historical centrality, the catalog proper documents this same narration with some 80 exquisite examples. Libraries in any way concerned with the achievement of Italian art will require this exploration into a former terra incognita. Robert Cahn, Fashion Inst. of Technology, New York City
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

The book is the catalogue of a major exhibition mounted by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Many of the works have been especially conserved and examined for the exhibition and the result will be a major contribution to the study of European sculpture. Published in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300090803
• ISBN-13: 978-0300090802
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 10 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,479,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Introduction to 16-18th c. Italian Terracotta Sculpture, October 2, 2009

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Maarten Henkes - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Earth and fire : Italian terracotta sculpture from Donatello to Canova (ART HISTORY, SCULPTURE) (Paperback)

This is the best book I have found on the subject. It has an excellent text and is well illustrated with large photographs-just what I think a sculptor is eager for.