Schmuck/Jewellery 1840-1940: Highlights from the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim

摘要

Essays by Dr. Falk introduce the three major sections of the book: 'The Revival Period" (Historismus), "Art Nouveau" (Jugendstil), and The 20s/30s" (20er/30er Jahre). In his three decades (from 1971 to 2003) as director of the world's only museum devoted entirely to the history of jewelry, Falk helped shape a massive collection encompassing more than 4000 years of jewelry history. Falk, who is also a master goldsmith, ably communicates his immense historical and practical knowledge to both casual readers and jewelry aficionados, and brings to life 100 dynamic years of changing styles-from Romanticism and revival styles to Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Many historical aspects of the Schmuckmuseum's collection presented in the Preface will be new to English readers; its origins can be traced to 1767, when it was begun in Pforzheim's School of Applied Arts as a teaching aid for its students and for designers in the city's jewelry factories. The close collaboration of art and industry has been the key to the success of mass-produced works by manufacturers at Pforzheim, throughout Germany, and in other European countries. Throughout the book, examples of one-off pieces appear alongside manufactured jewelry, and Falk's historical analysis comes with a decided emphasis on evolving technical accomplishment.