Dover Jewelry and Metalwork Series

"So thoroughly is the American ethos embodied in the works of American silversmiths that it has given to their product a typical identity and it never can be mistaken for that of any other country." — Charles Messer Stow in the Introduction. Forsaking the flourishes and ornamentation favored by their European contemporaries, early American gold- and silver smiths pioneered a new American aesthetic sensibility in creating for their well-heeled clients finely worked, luxurious metalware for the table, which was marked by a simplicity and forthrightness of design. These accomplished artisans have left us not only a stunning legacy of priceless silverware but also an opportunity to examine the culture, lifestyle, and values — in short, the developing ethos — of young America. For social and cultural historians as well as Americana buffs, the study of silversmithing in this book will provide a unique perspective on a spirited new nation. For serious connoisseurs of American gold and silver ware, silver dealer Stephen G. C. Ensko's American Silversmiths and Their Marks is a rich and definitive directory. Ensko has compiled an exhaustive list of over 3,000 gold- and silversmiths working between the years 1650 and 1850. Biographical details and location of their shops are given wherever possible. Maps of the great metropolitan centers of smithing (Boston, New York, and Philadelphia) with shop locations noted are appended.   Over 200 of the finest examples of the work of early American artisans are displayed in sharp, clear black-and-white photographs. Items include tankards, cups, candlesticks, sugar boxes, inkstands, tea sets, porringers, plus a pitcher, sauce dish, teapot, and other works by famous New England patriot Paul Revere. The usefulness of this work is perhaps most apparent in the practical listing of identifying marks associated with gold- and silversmiths. With over 3,000 entries, this feature alone renders American Silversmiths and Their Marks indispensable to enthusiasts interested in tracking down and identifying antique pieces.

Nearly 200 beautiful examples of wrought iron gates, screens, balustrades, and other architectural adornments.

Through the peak period of Art Deco creativity in the 1920s, many artists and studios produced portfolios of original designs for commercial use. Often these original works went unsigned and, after inspiring their limited, exclusive audience, disappeared. Here is one such portfolio (most likely French or German, 1925‒30) recently rediscovered and now reproduced as an original and probably unique document of the Art Deco years. Over 800 royalty-free jewelry designs and motifs dazzle with Art Deco invention: buckles, buttons, clips, belts, mirrors, pendants, cigarette cases, rings, chains, necklaces, watchbands, brooches, studs, clusters of intricate, delicate, sharp-edged Art Deco charms, many graced with the too-often forgotten humor and wit lying just beneath the geometry. Jewelry designers, collectors of Art Deco, and period specialists will find equal amounts of inspiration and aesthetic delight in this rare, precisely executed collection of fresh, authentic Art Deco design, now rescued from oblivion. Artists, designers, and crafters will find it a valuable Art Deco treasury.

This magnificently illustrated volume showcases elegant examples of ironwork designs by five centuries of Italian masters. Spanning the fourteenth through the eighteenth centuries, the collection encompasses both simple and elaborate ornaments for doors, windows, gates, balcony and staircase railings, and other architectural features. A remarkable variety of motifs are depicted--from gracefully executed florals and foliated elements, to exquisite swirls and curls, and striking portrayals of mythical beasts. A dazzling treasury of ornamental ironwork, this archive of royalty-free motifs will delight lovers of antiques, commercial artists, and anyone intrigued by decorative flourishes from the past.

Perhaps the most prized of all gems, diamonds have a long and fascinating history. In this engrossing, profusely illustrated volume, that history is covered in detail — from early discoveries in the Golconda mines of India (probably the site of the first diamonds ever unearthed) and digs in Brazil, to the South African diamond rush and development of major mining companies. Over 200 illustrations include step-by-step photos showing how these valuable stones are mined and the intricacies of cutting and faceting, while reproductions of museum paintings and photographs depict famous individual diamonds as well as outstanding rings, bracelets, brooches, pins, earrings, watches, tiaras, and other traditional and modern diamond pieces. Here also are stories of the most famous and infamous diamonds: the Koh-i-Noor in the Tower of London, the Hope in the Smithsonian Institution, the Regent in the Louvre, the Orloff in the Kremlin, and many other celebrated jewels. More than a dramatically told story of diamonds, this volume will also serve as a practical guide for anyone who owns a diamond or plans to buy one. It explains and illustrates different diamond cuts, the role of carats, and how to buy diamonds — for sentiment, beauty, show, flawlessness, or investment. Anyone who has ever been captivated by the matchless brilliance of these rare gems will find this book an informative, highly readable addition to their personal library.

Extremely pliable yet amazingly durable, metal offers infinite decorative options. Here are 1,000 prime examples of French metal masterworks, painstakingly reproduced from an extremely rare and valuable edition. From the everyday to the ornate, items include: Weather vanes Tiles Waterspouts Trims Basins Pike heads You'll also find hundreds of other images, offering a wealth of inspiration and useful historical designs.

This classic study begins with a general analysis of precious stones followed by descriptions of their cutting and mounting and the ways in which their value and authenticity are assessed. The remainder of this volume focuses on the diamond: its characteristics; its natural occurrences and artificial production; and its use in jewelry. 52 figures.

Sumptuous treasury of 320 lavish examples of architectural ornamentation from the 1920s and '30s by Paul Kiss, Raymond Subes, Edgar Brandt and other artisans. Meticulously reproduced photographs from three rare portfolios depict magnificent designs for doors, grilles, gates, lamps, balustrades, chandeliers, screens, mirrors, and other objects.

Over 1,000 designs in rare 19th-century catalog of impressive architectural ornaments and statuary — rendered in zinc, brass, and copper — includes rosettes, historical figures, angels, gargoyles, knights, eagles, griffins, cornices, friezes, much more. Captions supply measurements and prices. Great browsing for antique and nostalgia buffs; excellent source of royalty-free illustrations.

The Art Nouveau movement that flourished at the turn of the 20th century had profound influence on the decorative arts, including jewelry. The style's sweeping, rhythmic curves and use of stylized floral and animal forms lent themselves well to adaptations in precious stones and rare metals. Lalique, Mucha, and Tiffany were perhaps the most famous designers of Art Nouveau jewelry, but there were many lesser-known artists of superior abilities, among them Maurice Dufrène (born 1876), who created the present work. Dufrène later adopted a simpler style, becoming a leading decorative artist of considerable influence. He was frequently represented in the Salon d'Automne and played a major role in planning the Pris Exposition Universelle of 1937. The work features over 300 spectacular Dufrène pieces: pendants, combs, buckles, rings, bracelets, brooches, umbrella handles, penknives, buttons, clasps, and scissors in detailed photographs reprinted from rare, turn-of-the-century folios. The elegant, royalty-free illustrations are exquisitely detailed with flower, foliage, and butterfly motifs, and are readily adaptable to any design use.

Magnificent study by expert on age-old craft provides a spirited overview. 140 illustrations include grilles, doors, and gates; stair railings and balustrades; small handles, hinges, door-knockers, and keyhole plates; Elizabethan-era firedogs; weather vanes; much more, many never catalogued before. Rich source of inspiration, royalty-free graphics, information.

Around the turn of the twentieth century, artists and craftsmen throughout Europe and America were profoundly affected by a new art style that took its inspiration from nature. Generally referred to as Art Nouveau, it exerted its influence on painters, illustrators, architects, ironworkers, furniture designers, interior decorators, potters, jewelry designers — in fact, nearly every kind of artist-craftsman. While Art Nouveau is a broad and varied style, it is almost uniformly characterized by abstract, asymmetrical, curvilinear design. The thrust of this "new art" was twofold: to elevate the status of the "crafts" to equals and partners of the "fine arts"; and to bring a designed object into a harmonious relationship with its environment through the use of lines — either expressive or controlling — that were natural, vital, and most importantly, organic. Among the most imaginative realizations of these pervasive rhythms and serpentine patterns was the ironwork that was created during this period and still exists in major European cities (chiefly Paris and Brussels). Gates, railings, balconies, doorways, staircases, elevator cages, grilles, lampposts, and many other architectural features reveal the sinuous forms, foliate motifs, expert craftsmanship, and rich detail characteristic of the style. No other existing work documents so extensively and accurately the full range of Art Nouveau ironwork. Derived from now unavailable sources, this new anthology attests to the enduring qualities of both the design and its constructive material. Graphic designers, illustrators, architects, artists, and craftspeople of all disciplines will discover numerous ornamental ideas, authentic motifs, and design solutions among the 137 royalty-free photographic illustrations. Collectors and enthusiasts unfamiliar with this particular area of Art Nouveau will delight in the exquisite craftsmanship, ornamental felicities, and juxtaposition of strength and beauty as they observe these unyielding iron creations fashioned into delicate germinating buds and wandering tendrils. Captions for the photographs provide the building, city, architect, and designer of the ironwork. These latter include such notables as Victor Horta, Paul Hankar, Louis Majorelle, Charles Plumet, and Emile Robert. Their work and that of many others is preserved in this fine selection of photographs.

This collection of 122 photographs from the early 20th century displays the range and beauty of Art Deco ironwork. From lamps, hotel sideboards, and sinuous staircase balustrades to screens that look almost Moorish and balcony railings where detailed animal figures seem about to spring to life, each piece is a unique masterpiece of decorative art. This photographic treasury is a rich source of inspiration and an invaluable resource for architects, creative ironworkers, and lovers of antiques.

Weather vanes were used by the ancient Greeks a hundred years before the birth of Christ; by early Scandinavians on their ships; and were common throughout England since William the Conqueror, and throughout Europe since the French Revolution. American vanes were recorded since the seventeenth century — among the first known is the copper cockerel, made in 1656 for the Dutch Reformed Church at Albany. The weather vane found a welcome home in the expanding America of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It was a jaunty bit of decoration that served an important utilitarian function and enlivened the whole landscape with its humorous and homespun motifs, bold and vigorous design, and spirited air of American individualism and independence. By the late nineteenth century weather vane design and manufacture had reached full maturity. There were several firms throughout the United States specializing in weather vanes, some of which issued catalogs displaying their wares. Among the largest and most important of these companies was A. B. & W. T. Westervelt of New York City, whose extensive illustrated 1883 catalog, featuring over 550 copper weather vanes and finials, is herein reprinted. This excellent primary source by one of the principal manufacturers of American weather vanes offers an extraordinarily wide range of styles and motifs, including: horse with sulky and driver, cow or bull, gun and cap, goddess of liberty, dog, ram or sheep, Indian chief, hook and ladder with number, oxen, ocean steamer, Roman banneret and scroll, rooster, cannon, fish, pen, locomotive and tender, initials, lion, liberty cap and arrows, malter's shovel and brew barrel, and many more. Vanes are illustrated with line engravings, are especially well suited to reproduction (all royalty-free), and are accompanied by relevant information on size, materials, and original prices. Indispensable for the architect, antique collector, and historian, this collection of authentic weather vane designs will also prove to be an unusually rich source of royalty-free art and graphic inspiration for the artist, designer, and crafter.

A practical guide to recognizing, identifying, and appreciating the finest American silverwork. Photographs and drawings of masterworks from leading collections show some of the finest work by Jacob Hurd, Jeremiah Dummer, Peter van Dyck, Edward Winslow, John Coney, Paul Revere, and other renowned silversmiths. 52 halftones, 14 black-and-white line illustrations.

This monumental, profusely illustrated volume by two noted authorities is probably the largest single collection of data on the subject of pearls. Its enormous amount of detailed information covers their origin and history, structure, and form; the pearl fisheries of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas; fascinating facts and lore on pearl-culture and pearl-farming; the gem's mystical and medicinal properties; famous pearl collections around the world; and much more. Over 180 illustrations enhance the highly readable text, sure to intrigue any lover of gems.

There is probably no item that is so common to almost all cultures and ages of man, yet so frequently overlooked, as rings. Nearly everyone wears (or has worn) rings; yet what person today could tell you anything about their origins, original uses, history, or even the customs behind modern engagement, wedding, and graduation rings? Here is a book that will answer these and many more questions about rings and is certain to expand and enhance your appreciation of them. From the fabled ring of Prometheus — made from a link of his chain and a chunk of the rock to which he was bound — up to today, rings have had numerous functions, associations and meanings. Originally used as signets and seals, they began to be worn as jewelry, used for religious and magical purposes, and given as tokens and mementos for events stretching from birth to death. The notorious poison-bearing rings of the Borgias, the rings worn by the followers of Charles I after his execution, which had the king's portrait secretly hidden beneath a table-cut diamond, and many other famous rings of history are covered in this book along with a host of ring lore; lords and ladies scratching messages to each other on panes of glass with their diamonds, the legend of Solomon's ring, which reappeared in a fish after having been lost for forty years, and Plato's reprimand to Aristotle over his excessive use of rings. The book also covers methods of ring making, from earliest times up to today, the materials and gems used in rings, and rings from many cultures and archaeological excavations around the world. Origins for many customs concerning rings are explained, and numerous examples of verses and inscriptions found on rings are given. Also included are hundreds of photos of rings of all sorts and varieties, and a selection of historical paintings that illustrate rings as they were worn. Tracing the origins and development of so common an ornament is fascinating and enlightening. The ring wearer will begin to feel himself a part of one of the oldest and richest customs of man. The artist and antique collector will appreciate more fully the craftsmanship involved in making rings as well as the colorful and abundant lore associated with them.

A superb treasury of decorative wrought iron, this well-illustrated volume presents an informative survey of the ancient craft's practice throughout England. Its history can be traced simply by admiring the crisp black-and-white illustrations of gates, railings, screens, and other elaborately rendered works. 241 black-and-white illustrations.

This magnificent display of all 166 plates from an extremely rare set of portfolios depicts scores of examples of the ironworker's art, among them beautiful gates, balustrades, balcony railings, window grilles, church screens, and lantern holders. A superb collection of royalty-free images for use by designers, architecture enthusiasts, and lovers of antiques.

Over 300 outstanding illustrations — thoughtfully selected and excellently reproduced — depict ornate altar screens, doors, chandeliers, balcony railings, candelabra, tombstone crosses, pulpits, gates, window screens, and more. Brief captions identify the types, origins, and dates of pieces in this excellent collection for artists, interior designers, craftspeople, and lovers of antiques.