Tiaras - A History of Splendour [Hardcover]

Geoffrey C. Munn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2001

Tiaras have always inspired a great fascination and the most beautiful and influential women have been painted, photographed and admired whilst wearing them. Even in the twenty-first century they are still worn and continue to inspire special poise and elegance. This lavishly illustrated book includes new photographs of a variety of Royal tiaras together with those of French and Russian Imperial provenances. Geoffrey Munn has been granted special access to the photographic archives of many famous jewellers, including Cartier, Boucheron and Faberg,, for his research. Other makers include Castellani, Fouquet, Garrards, Giuliano, Lalique, and Tiffany. Among the contemporary pieces illustrated are tiaras belonging to Jamie Lee Curtis, Vivienne Westwood, Elton John and Madonna, made by Slim Barratt, Galliano and Versace.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...lavish and beautifully illustrated new study...[Geoffrey Munn's] text is perfectly balanced between sober art and historical chops (as when discussing three tiaras designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria) and giddy appreciation (discussing a tiara made for drag comedienne Dame Edna Everage" Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Geoffrey Munn is the Managing Director of Wartski Ltd, a firm of antique dealers in London specialising in European precious metalwork. He is co-author of Pre-Raphaelite to Arts and Crafts Jewellery and author of both Castellani and Giuliano - Revivalist Jewellers of the 19th Century and The Triumph of Love - Jewellery 1530-1930. He is also the jewellery specialist on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Antique Collectors Club Dist; First Edition edition (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851493751
• ISBN-13: 978-1851493753
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 1.5 x 10.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary history of an ancient jewelry form August 4, 2002

By Catherine S. Vodrey

Format:Hardcover

Geoffrey Munn's superb "Tiaras" is a treat in every possible sense of the word. I'll be perfectly frank in admitting that I bought the book purely to drool over the photographs (which are sumptuous). And yet without intending to be educated, I ended up learning a great deal from Munn's concise and accurate text.

Munn has served as the jewelry consultant and appraiser for the BBC version of "Antiques Roadshow" for some years, and his expertise is immediately evident in "Tiaras." He gives a detailed-but-never-overwhelming history of these crown-like adornments, from ancient Egypt and Rome (where they began as wreaths of foliage worn by nobility) all the way through the 20th century.

You would think that only bejewelled tiaras would be represented here, but this is not the case. Of course there are magnificent examples in all manner of precious metals and faceted gemstones, but there is also a variety of unusual pieces, such as . . .

. . . a black-and-white banded agate tiara designed specifically for use when the wearer is in mourning;

. . . an improbably lovely washed beechwood (yes, wood!) tiara designed by Queen Elizabeth's nephew, Viscount Linley, a famed furniture designer, and modeled here by his lovely wife;

. . . a rock-crystal tiara hand-engraved with Russian arabesques and set with a shimmering array of rose-cut and brilliant diamonds;

. . . a foliate-and-floral tiara in which the three-dimensional elements decorating the piece are set "en tremblant," meaning that they quiver as though alive with every subtle movement of the wearer's head;

. . . a French Art Nouveau tiara hand-carved from cow horn and set with glowing moonstones to resemble a thickly forested grove thronged with, perhaps, fireflies;

You will learn all sorts of wonderful things here, such as the impact of Art Nouveau on the formerly always-symmetrical tiara form; the influence of Art Deco in bringing the naturalistic Art Nouveau influence back into line with the advances of the Machine Age; the ability of many tiaras to be taken apart and broken down into necklaces, bracelets, and brooches; and the impact upon tiaras of the pendulum of fashion.

The photographs are really quite something to behold. The gemstones are fiery and brilliant, casting off every bit of light they catch. The pictures are crisply detailed and utterly saturated with color. The tiaras are shown both on their own and on the heads of some of their lucky owners. The book is an utter delight.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for royalty and historical jewelry fans March 12, 2002

By Jessica Kerr

Format:Hardcover

This is a beautiful book with lots of photos (many in color) of tiaras from the past to the near present, focusing mainly on the 1800-1960s (although the Spenser tiara that Diana wore is shown and described). The author provides detailed descriptions of the jewelry, from close-up detailed photos to its origin and history. He has photos of the Romanov tiaras and other jewelry, as well as Empress Josephine's and Empress Marie-Eugenie's. He also includes the English royal tiaras - from Queen Victoria, Princess Margaret, and Elizabeth, among others. He also includes some of more the more beautiful, but less well-known tiaras from the Greek, Romanian, and Spanish royal familes.

If you love jewelry and/or if you follow royal families, take a peek at this book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tiaras - the perfect history May 30, 2002

By Sarah Lewis

Format:Hardcover

This is the first comprehensive history of tiaras as objects in their own right, not as items in histories of particular jewellers. The book is sumptiously produced with fantastic illustrations - the photos are incredible - and the text is engrossing. If you are interested in jewellery then this book is essential! As well as looking in great detail at royal jewels, aristocratic jewels are also considered as well as ones made of modern materials such as plastic.