tableware

This beautifully illustrated volume gives an historical overview of European dining customs from the Middle Ages through present day. Many pages feature artworks depicting dining scenes paired with photographs of food and drink related objects from the time period to provide a sumptuous picture of “la table” through the ages. The French text gives detailed information on eating habits as well as tablewares including porcelain, glassware, silverware, textiles, and even furniture.

Any glass collector worth their salt should consider adopting this charming book on pressed glass salt dishes. “Lacy glass” is the term given to the first glass products pressed in America and on the European Continent, from about 1825-1850. This volume contains actual-size drawings of each salt dish described. Glass is often difficult to photograph accurately due to the refraction of light by facets on the pieces. But even producing these drawings required the making of molds and castings of each and every lacy salt dish to capture the intricate details.

This volume includes biographical information on Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) as well as a history of the Wedgwood Pottery and its wares. Wedgwood started producing pottery in about 1759 and is credited with the industrialization of pottery manufacturing. His unique glazes, including the classic jasper, distinguished his pottery from others of the period. Wedgwood pottery became popular not only in England but throughout Europe and America. The author of this volume worked as a chemist at Wedgwood for five years and his passion for the company and its pottery comes through in his writing.