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The Smithsonian Museum of American Art houses the world's premier collection of American art in one of the country's most beautiful buildings, the old Patent Office Building. This book illustrates paintings, sculpture, photography, and folk art, and is useful for the entire family.

History students and Victorian enthusiasts looking for comprehensive information on dining practices of Victorian America will find this book a vital resource. Revealing the history of 19th-century dining, clothing, and etiquette, the volume includes sample menus and explicit instructions explaining how to recreate a dinner, tea, breakfast, or lunch in the 21st century. Collectors of china, crystal, and silver will also find this book helpful because it provides a photograph of each piece of tableware that was used, with a history and description of the item. After explaining the different dining styles and the way they evolved into rituals of the Victorian era, a formal dinner is examined course by course. The Schollanders present the history and uses of various wines and show they were matched with different foods. They also explain the evolution of silver, crystal, and china pieces. Additionally the book includes an explanation of the seating order at the Victorian table, correct Victorian table manners, invitations and menu cards, correct dress for dinner guests, correct table settings, the role of servants, and step-by-step instructions for recreating a formal Victorian dinner, tea, breakfast, or lunch.

Persian art and architecture have a rich heritage that stretches far beyond theborders of modern-day Iran, from the Abbasid monuments of Baghdad to thesplendid Timurid buildings of Samarqand and Bukhara. When the ancient landof Persia was conquered by the Arabs, its people embraced Islam but strovealso to retain their own language and culture. The merging of influencesresulted in a distinctive artistic style that spread through the Middle East.This book follows a historical path across the Iranian world and examinesthe artistic legacies of great rulers and their dynasties, from the rebirth ofPersian art under the Seljuqs to the magnificent structures built by Timur-iLang in Samarqand and the cultural flowering that occurred under the Safaviddynasty and beyond. Palaces, mosques, madrasas, and mausoleums display amesmerizing decorative complexity, with form and ornament combining tocreate an indivisible whole. Spectacular polychrome tiles, intricate brickwork,curling arabesque motifs, and calligraphic inscriptions attain a transcendentbeauty, designed to reflect both the temporal power of the rulers who commissionedthem and the heavenly glory of creation.

An undertaking as immensely ambitious as this one deserves our attention before we even open one of its stunningly illustrated and argued twin volumes. For what Ingo Walther and his international team have done is to make sense of this most explosive of artistic centuries. Who could possibly have forecast on New Year's Eve 1899 that, one hundred years later, painting and sculpture would be only options, not prerequisite disciplines for modern artists, constantly questioning both the technical and thematic definitions of their work? The infinite laboratory of experiment that the visual arts have become over the last decades highlights not only the inherent potential for human creativity and representation, but also shows the way individuals and groups have responded to the huge social, political and technological changes of this most turbulent of times. Ranging across the full spectrum of disciplines available, including photography and new media, and thematically chaptered to highlight relationships between works and movements, this readable and encyclopaedic masterwork does just what it says on the cover. Whether you want Surrealism or Land Art, Fluxus or Bauhaus, your art book purchases can stop once you buy this. Warning: it will not fit on your coffee table!

Meet some of the finest 2D and 3D artists working in the industry today and discover how they create some of the most innovative digital art in the world. More than a gallery book or a coffee table book- Digital Art Masters Volume 4 includes 50 artists and 900 unique and stunning 2D and 3D digital artworks. Beyond the breaktaking images is a breakdown of the techniques, challenges and tricks the artists employed while creating stunning imagery. This volume, much like the previous volumes is not your standard coffee table book nor is it our usual how-to-book. This book offers inspiration and insight for the advanced amateur and professional CG artists. The Digital Art Masters series has expanded upon the competition's gallery book concept and has added the insight and experiences of professional CG artists worldwide. Divided into 5 sections, Sci-Fi, Scene, Fantasy, Character and Cartoon, Each featured artist segement will include the thought processes behind creating unique digital images and an artist portfolio for further inspiration. Find your inspiration and discover the tips, tricks and techniques that really work.