Serebrianaia filigran’ vostoka XVII–XIX vekov v sobranii Ermitazha (Oriental Silver Filigree of the 17th to the 19th c. in the Collection of the Hermitage)
St. Petersburg: Herm, 2005. Sewn pb. The Hermitage Museum has an excellent collection of silver filigree, one of the best in the world: this is the first catalogue to publish careful research on attribution and dating, especially knotty for an art that was usually anonymous. Jewelers in India and China made most the works published here. In the introduction the author explains how the art developed, noting the intricacies of trade that enabled a European demand to shape the style of an Asian art. The Hermitage has a great variety of forms, such as an ornate toilet set belonging to Catherine the Great and a seventeenth-century flask acquired by Peter the Great, its handles shaped like dragons. Works originating in China are often purely decorative, and the craftsmen impart a whimsical fancy to the forms. Works from India can be categorized as applied art and usually fill some purpose besides being intricately beautiful. The catalogue publishes over thirty works for the first time. 136 pp., 8 5/8 x 11 ins., 119 color illus., sewn pb., Rus. with summary in ENGLISH. Item #1897
ISBN: 5935721805
Price: $65.00