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The World of Ornament

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A recommendation by charlesyesuwan

charlesyesuwan's recommendation

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The striking cover of David Batterham’s World of Ornament is sure to improve the appearance of any dwelling. And this book pairs beauty with brains: It dips into two of the greatest encyclopedic collections of ornament (Auguste Racinet’s L’Ornement and M. Dupont-Auberville’s L’Ornement des tissus) to chronicle the history of embellishment. Batterham spans design through the 19th century, offering brief but substantive text to introduce each motif, then dissecting interior photographs by the ornaments they display. He is culturally inclusive, too, featuring works that range from primitive African carvings to Spanish embroidery and sacred Arab inscription paintings. To further prove that this 528-page tome is smarter than the typical coffee-table filler, it includes a DVD-ROM containing high-resolution scans of all ornaments for unrestricted use. (via Elements of Living)