metal

Like many jewelry companies in Europe and America, Adolph Scott Ltd. Birmingham, jewellers of England, sold not only personal jewelry of all kinds, but many other objects made from metals and silver. They sold pocket and wristwatches, many types of bracelets, brooches, religious medals, and rings. This catalog features cigarette cases, eyeglass frames, mirrors and compacts, calling and business card cases, chain bags and purses, cigarette holders, flasks and silver baby rattles, even gold and silver safety pins.

Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) was one of the most celebrated designers at the turn of the 20th century, known for his metal and glass work. But Tiffany was also a notable artist, who created beautiful drawings and paintings as well as three-dimensional works. This richly illustrated biographical account features the portraits and landscapes Tiffany painted as he traveled the world. It includes drawings and photographs relating to every aspect of his artistic career, from stained glass and jewelry to vases and textiles.

Searching for a book on the history of metals? Then look no further than John Wadsworth William Sullivan’s The Story of Metals. Published in 1951 by the American Society of Metals as part of the Series for Self-Education, The Story of Metals offers an accessible glimpse into the evolution of the use of metals from mining to metallurgy and minting.

This exhibition catalog explores the 2010 monumental work Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, created by internationally acclaimed contemporary Chinese artist and social activist Ai Weiwei. The work is a reimagining of a Qing dynasty zodiac water-clock system at the Old Summer Palace near Beijing, which was looted in 1850 during the Second Opium War. Ai reinterpreted the original fountainheads in a gold series and a bronze series, as his first monumental public art installation.

One of the best-known artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet, and playwright who spent most of his adult life in France. Picasso is often remembered for his cubist paintings, but he continued to experiment with new styles and materials throughout his life. During the 1950s and 1960s, Picasso commissioned Francois Hugo, great-grandson of French writer Victor Hugo, to execute a series of plates, dishes, and medallions in gold and silver. The plates were modeled after Picasso’s original ceramics designs.