Mirrors

Fülszöveg

MIRRORS
Serge Roche,
Germain Courage and Pierre Devinoy
338 illustrations, including 16 in color.
This exceptionally intriguing volume concerns itself with a rarely investigated, but nonetheless important, accessory — the mirror. Originally inspired by man's innate vanity, the saga of mirrors through the ages incorporates a liistory in miniature of the decorative arts, human ingenuity in technology and the science of optics, and a probing glimpse at magic, legend, and lore. Through the ages mirrors have reflected faces; it was believed that they could also capture something less tangible and more mysterious.
The mirror's close association with female coquetry, mythology, death and mourning is reflected in paintings, engravings, and tapestries, and in the use of the term "mirror" in the language and literature of various epochs.
Mirrors recounts the technique and processes of mirror-making from ancient times (when mirrors were pieces of highly polished metal such as tin or... Tovább

Fülszöveg

MIRRORS
Serge Roche,
Germain Courage and Pierre Devinoy
338 illustrations, including 16 in color.
This exceptionally intriguing volume concerns itself with a rarely investigated, but nonetheless important, accessory — the mirror. Originally inspired by man's innate vanity, the saga of mirrors through the ages incorporates a liistory in miniature of the decorative arts, human ingenuity in technology and the science of optics, and a probing glimpse at magic, legend, and lore. Through the ages mirrors have reflected faces; it was believed that they could also capture something less tangible and more mysterious.
The mirror's close association with female coquetry, mythology, death and mourning is reflected in paintings, engravings, and tapestries, and in the use of the term "mirror" in the language and literature of various epochs.
Mirrors recounts the technique and processes of mirror-making from ancient times (when mirrors were pieces of highly polished metal such as tin or gold) to the invention of plate glass backed by a mercury coating. The nearly 300 illustrations reproduce examples from the ancient times to the present. In the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods, artists and craftsmen designed perhaps the most extravagant frames for wall and hand mirrors, many with inlaid wood, precious metals and enamels, creating highly valued objects of extraordinary shape and beauty, which now fetch tiigh prices at salerooms and auctions.
The accompanying text offers a fascinating array of information that will capture the interest of a wide variety of readers, from designers to those who are attracted by an unusual and unique synthesis of the history of decoration, art, technology, and the outre. If one wants to know who owned the first mirrored bathroom, how many "Halls of Mirrors" (besides the one at Versailles) exist, and how mirrors have won naval battles, or adorned both headdresses and building facades, this volume will provide the answers. Vissza