HENRI VEVER'S La Bijouterie Française au XIXe Siècle is an indispensable survey of the jewelry produced in Paris from the Empire to the Art Nouveau period. Ever since this extraordinary work was published in three volumes in 1906-1908, it has been the definitive source of vital information for everyone in the jewelry profession as well as those who simply revel in the intricate beauty of fabulous jewels. Now, for the first time, the entire text is available in English in this translation by Katherine Purcell. Vever, himself a highly accomplished jeweler, compiled a study which is a tribute to his colleagues, charting the histories of both the humblest and the most famous of his competitors, among them Bapst, Boucheron, Falize, Fontenay, Fouquet, Froment-Meurice, Gaillard, Lalique, Mellerio and Wièse. This highly readable contemporary account is brimful of data gathered directly from the jewelers themselves or from their descendants. It contains fascinating anecdotes concerning Imperial and Royal commissions together with entertaining tales of workshop practices. In crediting the designers, chasers, engravera and enamellers who collaborated with the famous jewelry houses, Vever acknowledged the talents of technicians who often worked anonymously. In identifying unrecorded craftsmen, he made his book a unique document . Political, economic and industrial developments are discussed, as are their repercussions on society and fashion. With his intimate knowledge of techniques, Vever was able to analyse changes that were continually taking place in manufacturing processes. He also recorded the changing styles in jewelry and their sources of inspiration, ranging from the Antique to the Orient. This book is a tribute w Henri Vever not only as a writer and a jeweler, but also as a collector, since a number of the pieces illustrated in this volume were acquired by him and generously given to the Musée des Art Décoratifs, Paris, in 1924. A unique feature of this English-language edition is the inclusion for the first time of over 130 colour illustrations of pieces, many from his collection, which appeared only in black and white in the original.
Your cart is empty.
