Solnechnye, zvezdnye i lunnye chasy v sobranii Gosudarstvennogo Ermitazha (Sundials, Nocturnals and Moondials in the State Hermitage Collection)
St. Petersburg: Herm, 2018. Sewn cl. The late deputy director of exhibitions at the Hermitage had many areas of expertise, and his knowledge of mechanisms to tell time makes possible this catalogue covering several centuries (primarily 16th–19th); various fields such as the history of technology and artistic metalwork; and a range of countries: England, France, Italy, Germany (especially Augsburg and Nuremberg), Poland, and Russia (with isolated pieces or fragments of Near Eastern and Ancient devices). The beauty of many works demonstrates the closeness of mechanical design to that of art metal and jewelry and even sculpture (several works are of ivory). Catalogue entries give detailed commentary on each work and often revise attributions and establish analogies with pieces in other European collections. Details of provenance enhance the interest in some works given (for example, diplomatic gifts to Peter the Great in the early eighteenth century). 239 p., 31 cm, approx. 250 color illus., Rus. with title page and summary in ENGLISH. Item #2699
ISBN: 9785935727680
Price: $82.00