Publisher's Syopsis
'The History of Ornaments' is a comprehensive account of ornament from 1500 BC to the 18th century.  The text and illustrations demonstrate how ornament developed from prehistoric naturalistic adornment of tools, show the great influence of Egyptian and Assyrian art on early Aegean and Greek ornamentation, and trace the development of ornament in Europe from classical antiquity and early Christian art in Byzantium through the Middle Ages and Renaissance to the exuberant, almost frivolous style of the rococo.
In the text, that also shows how closely the development of ornament is linked to the flowering - and later decline - of the great Middle Eastern and European civilisations, and highlights the importance of individual patrons and artists.  The author also discusses and illustrates in detail the great influence that early Christianity and later the Roman Catholic Church had on the art of ornamentation and the revolution in the Renaissance, which changed art - and with it ornamentation - from a mainly ecclesiastical to a secular one.
 
Studio Editions; 1989. Hardcover with unclipped dust cover. Dust cover slightly rubbed to edges and corners. Small mark and tear to top spine. Spine a little sunned. 'The History of Ornament' was originally published in 1915. Contents includes; Introduction, Antiquity, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and a list of plates. Excellent condition. Preowned. ISBN: 9781851701759.