Synopses & Reviews
Covering the Renaissance to the modern day, this concise history of Western ornament is an easy-to-use reference guide. The lively text and rich illustrations introduce the ideas and influences that underpin Western ornament from gargoyles to cellphones. The book follows a thematic approach, looking at shapes, symbols, and patterns deriving from the natural world as well as key architectural styles. Ornament has been central to Western culture for thousands of years and surrounds us every day, whether on buildings, clothes and accessories, cars, and even computers. Behind the desire to decorate lies the need to give meaning to the things we make and live with: to make them distinctive and give them value. The V&A Book of Western Ornament tells the story of European ornament from 1450 to the present and from its decorative origins to its relevance in the consumer culture of today. The sources of ornament mirror the preoccupations of the age: architectural in the Renaissance, exotic in the great age of discovery, and stylized in the Modern Age. This highly accessible handbook offers basic definitions and examples that contribute to a clearer understanding of this ever-popular subject.
About the Author
Michael Snodin is Head of the Designs Section of the V&A's Department of Word & Image and Senior Curator of the V&A+RIBA* Architecture Partnership. He has written and lectured extensively on design and led the team responsible for the V&A's acclaimed new architecture gallery, which opened at the end of 2004.