The Book of the Bath

Fülszöveg

The Book of the Bath
Françoise de Bonneville
Complete relaxation, an intense feeling of well-being, an uncomplicated happiness - a good hot bath is one of the most sensual pleasures in life. More than a matter of cleanliness, it holds a mirror up to the prevailing culture - a social activity at the Roman baths, an act of purification in the Oriental hammam, contemplative in the Japanese furo and restorative in the Scandinavian sauna.
Revealing the secrets of bathrooms from the hedonistic and Epicurean world of the Roman thermae to the simmering warmth of the medieval bathhouses, from the nineteenth-century cabinet de toilette in its disguise as a boudoir to the comfort and technological efficiency of the modern bathroom. The Book of the Bath is an exceptionally well-documented and beautifully illustrated account of bathing through the ages.
Françoise de Bonneville traces the emergence of the baths as an important social institution in ancient Greece and Rome. We follow in... Tovább

Fülszöveg

The Book of the Bath
Françoise de Bonneville
Complete relaxation, an intense feeling of well-being, an uncomplicated happiness - a good hot bath is one of the most sensual pleasures in life. More than a matter of cleanliness, it holds a mirror up to the prevailing culture - a social activity at the Roman baths, an act of purification in the Oriental hammam, contemplative in the Japanese furo and restorative in the Scandinavian sauna.
Revealing the secrets of bathrooms from the hedonistic and Epicurean world of the Roman thermae to the simmering warmth of the medieval bathhouses, from the nineteenth-century cabinet de toilette in its disguise as a boudoir to the comfort and technological efficiency of the modern bathroom. The Book of the Bath is an exceptionally well-documented and beautifully illustrated account of bathing through the ages.
Françoise de Bonneville traces the emergence of the baths as an important social institution in ancient Greece and Rome. We follow in Casanova's footsteps and glimpse the magnificent but deserted bathrooms of the eighteenth century. We witness the birth of the bathroom proper, when running water was piped into houses and apartments. Above all, we see how the sophisticated practices of Japan and Scandinavia have influenced our own approach to bathing today.
Necessity and pleasure, cleanliness and sensual satisfaction, all are discussed and illustrated by an exceptional collection of paintings and photographs drawn from all over the world.
At a time when health farms and institutes of balneotherapy are springing up all over the world, and when the body - soaped, oiled, perfumed and massaged - is the object of the most devoted attention, this is the first comprehensive account of the sheer luxury of baths and bathing.
With 215 illustrations, 165 in colour
On the jacket: Bathroom, Soft and Hairy House. Photo © Katsuhisa Kida. Vissza