The curious course of silver through human history unfolds in this rich and engaging book, accompanied by striking illustrations from the British Museum. From the practical aspects of working silver to its role in magic, myth, and ritual in cultures as disparate as the Vikings and the Bedouins of North Africa, this exquisite book offers a full and fitting reflection of this precious metal s power to move us.

First Published in 2005. Silver is unique among the decorative arts in that its raw material is both inherently valuable and infinitely reusable. Its ownership has been a social bench-mark and its form has exercised the skills of sculptors, designers, chasers and engravers, but ultimately it could be, and normally was, melted down and refashioned quite without sentiment. Because of this constant recycling, the survival of any individual object is quite random and unrelated to its uniqueness or otherwise in its period. Hitherto plate historians have focused on individual objects almost to the exclusion of the context - social or economic - from which they came but now that context is seen as crucial in understanding historic plate. So in the first section of this book each chapter considers contemporary attitudes and usage.

The silver described in this book represents a unique selection of typical and rare pieces from the finest period of London silver-making, illustrating the development of style in the eighteenth century from Queen Anne to Rococo and early Neoclassicism. All the silver was produced or hallmarked by three generations of the Courtauld family. There are chapters on the Courtauld family; the making and marketing of silver; silver for the new hot drinks (tea, coffee, chocolate), for candlesticks and correspondence, for dining and display; and on early Huguenot silver. Helen Braham is curator of sculpture and the decorative arts at the Courtauld Institute Gallery, London.

Colonial Williamsburg's extensive collection of silver drinking vessels is the legacy of three distinct sensibilities and reflects different philosophies of collecting over six decades.

The history of American silver offers invaluable insights into the economic and cultural history of the nation itself. Published here for the first time, the Art Institute of Chicago's superb collection embodies innovation and beauty from the colonial era to the present. In the 17th century, silversmiths brought the fashions of their homelands to the colonies, and in the early 18th, new forms arose as technology diversified production. Demand increased in the 19th century as the Industrial Revolution took hold. In the 20th, modernism changed the shape of silver inside and outside the home. This beautifully illustrated volume presents highlights from the collection with stunning photography and entries from leading specialists. In-depth essays relate a fascinating story about eating, drinking, and entertaining that spans the history of the Republic and trace the development of the Art Institute's holdings of American silver over nearly a century.

The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts covers thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western culture. With over 1,000 entries, as well as hundreds drawn from the 34-volume Dictionary of Art, this topical collection is a valuable resource for those interested in the history, practice, and mechanics of the decorative arts. Accompanied by almost 100 color and more than 500 black and white illustrations, the 1,290 pages of this title include hundreds of entries on artists and craftsmen, the qualities and historic uses of materials, as well as concise definitions on art forms and style. Explore the works of Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, and the Wiener Wekstatte, or delve into the history of Navajo blankets and wing chairs in thousands of entries on artists, craftsmen, designers, workshops, and decorative art forms.

The exhibition focusses on an Islamic inlaid handbag made in Mosul, northern Iraq about 1300. The bag was made for a lady in the courtly circles of the Mongol Ilkhanid dynasty established in west Asia by Genghis Khan's grandson, Hulagu. The bag, inlaid with gold and silver, features intricate geometric patterns and roundels with images of musicians and horsemen. No other object of this kind is known.