Inigo Jones: Theatre of the Stuart Court

Stephen; Strong Orgel

Sotheby Parke Bernet

Persian paintings in the India Office Library: A descriptive catalogue

India Office Library

This survey of the changing styles in European silver dates from the early Renaissance, with its roots in the late Gothic, up to the products of Industrial Revolution. The subject is treated internationally and presents a more comprehensive history of the goldsmiths' and silversmiths' art of this period than has hitherto been available. The book is published in two volumes. Volume I comprises the text (which has one hundred and forty margin illustrations to indicate influences and changes in both shape and ornamentation). Volume II contains over a thousand photographs fully illustrating the text.

Art of the European Silversmith, 1430-1830

Hernmarck, Carl

Arts & Photography

The arms produced by the gunmakers of the Netherlands were as artistic and innovative as those of any country in Europe. This book is the first to give the full picture of a facet of the cultural and economic development in the Netherlands.
The Union of Utrecht in 1579 gave rise to eighty years of struggle for independence. At that time, Dutch arms production scarcely existed but in a very short time the gunmakers's craft developed and a thriving trade arose, supplying thousands of military muskets and pistols, for the home market and export. Soon the Dutch became the biggest arms manufacturers in the world.
Luxury versions of these firearms became a fashion among members of the civic guard, and before 1650 many gunmakers were selling hunting and travelling firearms of such high quality that there was a demand from customers overseas. Today the ivory-stocked pistols from Maastricht are rarities coveted by all collectors and these fine Dutch guns are to be found in museums and private collections all over the world.
This book fully describes the many types of Dutch firearms and gives details of the various characteristics from the 14th to the 19th century and the end of the flintlock era. Gunmakers and their craft, and the relationship of the trade with that of other countries, are examined and the contribution of each city of the Netherlands is discussed. Though not strictly speaking firearms, Dutch 17th- and 18th-century airguns are included since they play an important part in the early development of pneumatic arms.
This is an important and essential work of reference for all museums and collectors. It will also provide an absorbing study for all those who are interested in the lore of firearms.
The book is well illustrated with excellent quality photos and some drawings, and reproductions of some period illustrations.

Dutch Firearms

History

Arne Hoff

Europe

Sir Alfred Munnings, 1878-1959: A Centenary Tribute

Sir Alfred Munnings, 1878-1959: A Centenary Tribute

Stanley Booth

History & Criticism

Art at Auction: The Year at Sotheby Parke Bernet 1977-78 (244th Season)

Illustrates the design and development of medical, surgical, and dental instruments, functional aids, medicine receptacles, and infant and invalid feeding utensils from the Middle Ages to 1870

Antique Medical Instruments

Bennion, Elisabeth

Science & Math

The collection of Sikh portraits, formerly belonging to the Princess Bamba Sutherland (grand-daughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh), provides a unique pictorial chronicle of the Sikh dunasty founded by the legendary 'Lion of the Punjab'. F. S. Aijazuddin, drawing on material from this and other sources, describe the life and times of Ranjit Singh, his son Sher Singh, and the vicissitudes of the Rani Jindan and her son Dulip Singh, in a series of witty biographical studies. He illustrates them with portraits by European artists such as August Schoefft, who visited Lahore in 1841, Queen Victoria's court painter Winterhalter, George Beechey, Emily Eden, G.T. Vigne and captain Goldingham. He also describes the circumstances, often hazardous, in which these paintings were completed. Through these studies, the author reconstructs the history of the Punjab from the late eighteenth century to the mid nineteenth century. The main feature of this work, however, is an analysis of a large composition by Schoefft entitles The Court of Lahore, in which over a hundred separate portraits are depicted. For the first time since it was exhibited in Vienna in 1855, an accurate identification of the principal characters in the Sikh Darbar, numbering almost fifty, has been made, and the reason for their inclusion by Schoefft explained. Extensive biographical notes to each one are provided. This scholarly and lively account of Sikh ruler and their portraits in the nineteenth century is a valuable contribution both to the social and cultural history of the Punjab.

Sikh portraits by European artists

F. S. Aijazuddin

Asia

Masterpieces of Chinese Export Porcelain: from the Mottahedeh Collection in the Virginia Museum

Reference

Howard, David, et al.

Catalogs & Directories

Second edition by John Alexander Pope.1981. University Press, Cambridge. Beautiful pictures with full descriptions of ceramics.

Chinese porcelains from the Ardebil shrine

Pope, John Alexander

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