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Haydn Williams with other contributions
'Enamels of the World 1700-2000', consisting of some twelve hundred
works, is the largest and most comprehensive private collection known.
It provides an unparalleled opportunity to appreciate the richness and
diversity of the art of enamelling during the past three centuries, ranging
from the imposing work of Qing dynasty China and Meiji Japan, to
the magnificent creations of Romanov Russia and the royal courts of
Europe and the East. Formed with the innovative criterion of
considering the subject in a globally, it covers work from all major
centres of production, allowing the enamelwork of a specific country
to be viewed within its own context and as part of a wider history.
This volume presents over three hundred pieces from the collection.
The survey starts with an account of the evolution and refinement of
the different enamelling techniques. Thereafter it studies the subject
thematically, considering the impact of patronage and travel, as well as
the role of nationalism in the development of historical revivalism. The
enamelwork of China, Japan, the Islamic Lands and Europe are examined
both in terms of local development and the assimilation of foreign
influence. The history of three firms is reviewed in greater focus -
Jean George Rémond, Fabergé and Cartier. Representing different
periods within three hundred years covered by the collection, the
character of these firms, though largely shaped by the genius of their
directors, was also formed by the era in which they flourished.
Whether looking at the subject in general or in detail, the
reader is presented with an illuminating display of the great technical
skill and creative ingenuity of the enamellers of the world.
The volume is accompanied by a CD that presents the Khalili
Collection of 'Enamels of the World 1700-2000' in its entirety.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Haydn Williams, editor and principal author of this book, worked at Sotheby's
for twenty years, where he was head of the department of Portrait Miniatures, Objects
of Vertu and Russian Works of Art. He has published articles and lectured upon
the areas of his expertise, in particular on portrait miniatures and Fabergé.
DETAILS
452 pages; fully illustrated in colour
32.0 x 24.5 cm
hardback
2009
1-874780-17-X
£49 $75
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