Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This wide-ranging surveys the Western tradition of ornament from Renaissance interiors to gypsy caravans to the decoration of airliners. Placing ornamental design in a social context, it traces the various ways ornament has been used, the rules of decorum and etiquette associated with it, and the social, moral and spiritual values that ornament has conveyed and represented through the past five centuries.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Ornament is often unfairly dismissed as being superfluous embellishment. Yet if we examine the message conveyed by the choice and use of ornament, we can derive a great deal of information about the character of the owner of the house or object. Writing from England, where the meaning and use of ornament have been vigorously studied and debated, art historian Snodin and curator Howard have chosen to start their ramble through ornament at the year 1450, when printed images on paper began to circulate throughout Europe. The interchange of ideas and reworking of classical motifs is a theme the authors pursue over 300 years. Neither a dry history of style nor a dense philosophical treatise, this book is an amiable examination of ornamented jewelry, home furnishings, architecture, and dress. High points include the tattoos of King George V, the origins of paisley patterning, the correct proportions of columns, and triumphal arches constructed of chairs‘all given social context that helps us understand the power of ornament as social message.‘David McClelland, Philadelphia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

The stated aim of this expertly written book is to open up discussion of ornament in the area of what might be defined as social history in Europe since the mid-15th century. This is explored through a series of six thematic chapters. Among the topics discussed are ornament and printed image, architectural decoration, the human figure, domestic interiors, and ornament in public and popular culture. Victoria and Albert Museum becomes alive in this large, scholarly book, which is illustrated with excellent color or black-and-white images on nearly every page. The authors maintain that the desire for ornament is common across the world and that it is determined by social and environmental conditions. Thus, ornament is "both functional and contextual, it serves to relate one thing to another." There exists the human urge to decorate. So, ornaments are "far from meaningless; they reveal a great deal of the character of the wearer or owner of the house ...." Highly recommended. General; undergraduate (including two-year technical) through professional. I. Spalatin East Texas State University

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Michael Snodin is the author of numerous books & the Head of the Designs Section in the Department of Prints, Drawings, & Paintings at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

(Bowker Author Biography)