silver

The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, has an important collection of Greco-Bactrian and Bactrian gold and silver vessels, many of which were likely in the Siberian collection of Tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725). In 1940, Kamilla Trever (1892-1974), a curator at the Hermitage and a Russian historian specializing in the history and culture of Transcaucasia, Central Asia, and Iran, published this important but obscure Russian-language work on the collection.

Who doesn’t love a little sparkle? You’ll find plenty in this gorgeous book. Along with histories of important jewelers from the late-19th through the 20th centuries, it features photographs of masterworks created by these artists and craftspeople. The book also highlights a number of specific jewelry styles, such as Art Nouveau by Lalique and Egyptian revival by Cartier. Other jewelers presented in the book include Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, Fabergé, and Bulgari—with illustrations of their dazzling pieces crafted from gold, silver, platinum, gems, pearls, and enamel.

Published in Sheffield, England, in 1955, Frederick Bradbury’s (1864-1949) British and Irish Silver Assay Office Marks serves as a guide for assay office marks from England and Ireland, as well as for imported silver and gold plates from the mid-16th century to 1954.

Printed by John Edward Taylor in 1852, Arthur Ryland’s (1807-1877) Assay of Gold and Silver Wares provides insight on the development of legislative practices designed to protect and regulate the assaying and minting of gold and silver coinage—or to fight against the practice of counterfeiting. Ryland examines assaying practices in England, Ireland, and Scotland, and explores legislation and laws designed to protect lawful coinage and to punish individuals found guilty of counterfeiting.

A new process for refining gold and silver from various ores is described for the first time in English in this text. The amalgamation process was invented by Baron Ignaz Edler von Born (aka Inigo Born), and after a trial of the process was conducted in front of observers in Schemnitz, Slovakia, the book describing the process was published in 1786. It was then translated by Rudolf Erich Raspe, a ne’er-do-well who was originally from Germany.

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.

This charming binder served as the exhibition catalog for Man Ray’s second show at the Hanover Gallery in London (April-May 1969). The exhibition featured mid-career painting and sculpture from the 1940s and 50s, with clear stylistic references to Man Ray’s peers, such as De Chirico, Picabia, and Kandinsky. The metal ring binder is polished aluminum, silk-screened in bright red. The yellow-bordered pages include an essay by Man Ray, 17 illustrations (7 in full color), and a checklist.

The gift of a single poster has swelled into a respected and comprehensive collection of more than 25,000 rare film posters, lobby cards, and photographs, resulting in what is now the Separate Cinema Archive. Started in 1972 and collected and maintained by the archive’s founder and professional photographer, John Kisch, the collection chronicles the historic and blustery journey of the Black film industry, Black actors and directors, and the struggle for African-American equality. Kisch collaborated with film historian Dr. Edward Mapp to create this companion book for the Archive in 1991.