This is a fascinating illustrated book on the often elaborate and arresting labels used by British textile manufacturers when exporting to India during the Raj.
A fascinating exploration of the use of wood in human history: half a million years of tools, devices, construction, art and architecture, from wedges, planes, screws and pulleys to stave ch... read more
A splendid guide to over a hundred museums not only in Tokyo but far beyond - in Kyoto, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Shikoku, Kyushu, etc. Includes museums of traditional arts and artist's houses, as... read more
The catalogue to accompany an exhibition at Museo delle Culture di Lugano in the Villa Malpensata, home to the Montgomery Collection. Textiles, paintings, objects of quotidian use, etc.
A sumptuous reprint of d'Hancarville's catalogue of Hamilton's Greek vases, with its fabulous hand-coloured engraved plates splendidly reproduced. First published in Naples in the 1760s, the... read more
Based on a single private collection, this is the most comprehensive book there has been on the subject. Wonderful pictures, and a valuable reference work.
Looks at Jane's contribution too in this extraordinary personal and creative partnership. SFC's earlier book To See Clearly: Why Ruskin Matters was excellent.
The 'green fingers' behind JamJar Flowers chronicles the botanical history of flower pressing, from foxgloves to fritillaries, through lampshades, lilies, oshibana, jasmine, and many more de... read more
Gorgeous colour images, as well as translations and commentary on these celebrated Persian poems. Both manuscripts date from the C15th and are exquisitely illustrated. This will be ravishing... read more
Garments to tents in South Asia in the C16th-C17th. Richly illustrated, this book shows cloth participated in both political and social spheres, and reflected seasonal rhythms.
Everyday at least for that great patroness... loved not least because she paid her bills on time. This illustrated chronology of the porcelain, its commissioning and use, is a magnificent bo... read more
What distinguished 'art' from 'Art' ? Types of display, collecting, certain kinds of knowledge becoming matters of profession, etc. A specialised and fascinating study that puts the subject ... read more
Shows glass alongside paintings by the many American artists who found inspiration in Venice, and who carried aspects of the manufacture of Italian glass deep into American culture.
VF has written excellent previous books on colour and on jewels. This new one looks at textiles from sackcloth to silk, from Wales to Papua and Guatemala... Combining science with history an... read more
A gorgeous book in landscape format on the history of screens from the C8th to the C21st. Profusely illustrated, it comes in a slipcase and includes fold-out reproductions of six screens in ... read more
A lavishly illustrated work of scholarship, exploring maiolica's conversations with artifacts ranging from Islamic metalwork and Chinese porcelain to Venetian lace and glass.
A biography of the design entrepreneur whose influence may be traced in everything, from where we live to what we eat; and whose work is enshrined in his ultimate creation, The Design Museum... read more
2 vols in a slipcase: from 1921-1945, and from 1945-today. Covers the story of the packaging and marketing, with photographers such as Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton.
Published in collaboration with Maison Chaumet, this illustrated book looks at gems and jewellery from different and often unexpected angles, with contributions not only from curators but fr... read more
An illustrated survey of all aspects of the master's work, with contributions by experts on stained glass, church architecture, textile design, tableware etc...
Artisan trades of Paris - a ribbon maker, the boiseries of Feau et Cie, pastel crayons still rolled as they were in the time of Degas, etc., presented by a designer, artist and shopkeeper. M... read more
A gorgeous book, drawing from the V&As enormous collections. It contains over 500 pages of lavish illustrations, each chapter focusing on a different technique - weaving, knitting, dying... read more
Another gorgeous book from Thames & Hudson, following their previous volumes Ruby and Emerald. This is the final instalment of the series, and ranges from the C4th to the present, from Centr... read more
Chinoiserie in all its forms - wallpapers, laquers, furniture, porcelain: this book is of course completely delightful. The author wrote his doctoral thesis on the subject and is also an art... read more
From the author and publisher (Prestel) who did the superb Damascus Tiles a few years ago; covering architectural ceramics from Sultanate and Mughal India, and Pakistan.
The Director of the V&A looks at how the great ceramicist and Lunar man transformed society by creating an early form of international mass market, while also significantly contributing to t... read more
A cultural history through seven coloured lenses. Its broad frame of reference encompasses Shakespeare, Goldfinger (first name Auric), Goethe, Roman marbles, Bronze Age gold, Mayan jade... C... read more