Full Description
The 16th and 17th centuries in Europe witnessed a significant paradigm shift. Rooted in medieval beliefs and preoccupations, the exploration so characteristic of the period stemmed from religious motives but came to be propelled by commerce and curiosity as Europeans increasingly engaged with the rest of the world. Interiors in both public and private spaces changed to reflect these cultural encounters and, with them, the furniture with which they were populated. Visually, furniture of this period displayed new designs, forms and materials. In its uses, it also mirrored developments in science, technology, government and social relationships as prints became more widely distributed, the Wunderkammer developed and there was religious strife and resistance to absolute monarchical rule.
Drawing upon a wealth of visual and textual sources, this volume presents essays that examine key characteristics of the furniture of the period on the themes of Design and Motifs; Makers, Making, and Materials; Types and Uses; The Domestic Setting; The Public Setting; Exhibition and Display; Furniture and Architecture; Visual Representations; and Verbal Representations.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Notes on Contributors
Series Preface
Introduction, Christina M. Anderson and Elizabeth A. Carroll
1. Design and Motifs, Martha H. Willoughby
2. Makers, Making, and Materials, Yannick Chastang and Adam Bowett
3. Types and Uses: Medieval Furniture in Social Context, James Yorke
4. The Domestic Setting, Claudia Goldstein
5. The Public Setting, María Paz Aguiló-Alonso and Paul Rem
6. Exhibition and Display, Michael Wenzel
7. Furniture and Architecture, M. B. Aldrich
8. Visual Representations, Jeffrey Collins
9. Verbal Representations, Deborah L. Krohn
Notes
Bibliography
Index
