Synopsis
'In the relation of money to art, the man who has money will rule the man who has art…for starving men are weak.' Colin Platt's magnificent new book explores the connection between the rich and powerful patron and the talented artist.
Marks of Opulence is a magisterial survey of European art and artistic patronage from 1000 until the birth of modernism. Tracing the history from the discovery of silver in the Harz mountains, through the catastrophic effects of plague in the 14th century, to the studied magnificence of papal and royal courts in the 16th and 17th centuries, Platt shows how the great and the good have always used art to bolster political power.
Arguing that the acquisitive instinct – felt by all of us in different ways – is central to the history of Western art, Platt traces how art began to move out of the palaces of the aristocracy into the homes of merchants, bankers and industrialists. From the mid-19th century onwards, and in the pre-war Belle Époque in particular, it was the immensely wealthy 'robber barons' and their widows – in London and Paris, in Berlin and Vienna, in Moscow and Barcelona, in Philadelphia and New York – who collected the work of the most innovative artists and broke the hold of the Academies on Western art.
Professor Platt's ambitious sweep through a thousand years of artistic endeavour in the West argues throughout that a superfluity of money is the chief driver of high achievement in the arts, and for the transforming power of great riches.
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About the Author
Colin Platt is Professor of Art History at Southampton University. He is the author of many books including King Death : A History of the Plague, The Architecture of Medieval Britain, which was awarded the Wolfson Prize for History, and the classic The Medieval Town. He lives in Devon.
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Marks of Opulence: The Why, When and Where of Western Art 1000â"1914
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
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Hardback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001763503
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Marks of Opulence: The Why, When and Where of Western Art, 1000-1900 AD
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HarperCollinsPublishers, London, 2005
ISBN 10: 0002571005
ISBN 13: 9780002571005
Used
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First Edition
Seller: LEFT COAST BOOKS, Santa Maria, CA, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st. xx, 330 pages, [32] pages of plates, illustrations (some colour), map; 24 cm. Near fine. Tight, clean copy. Remainder mark/tail edge. Fine DJ. Another copy available. *** "Marks of Opulence is a magisterial survey of European art and artistic patronage from 1000 until the birth of modernism. Tracing the history from the discovery of silver in the Harz mountains, through the catastrophic effects of plague in the 14th century, to the studied magnificence of papal and royal courts in the 16th and 17th centuries, Platt shows how the great and the good have always used art to bolster political power. Arguing that the acquisitive instinct - felt by all of us in different ways - is central to the history of Western art, Platt traces how art began to move out of the palaces of the aristocracy into the homes of merchants, bankers and industrialists. From the mid-19th century onwards, and in the pre-war Belle poque in particular, it was the immensely wealthy 'robber barons' and their widows - in London and Paris, in Berlin and Vienna, in Moscow and Barcelona, in Philadelphia and New York - who collected the work of the most innovative artists and broke the hold of the Academies on Western art. Professor Platt's ambitious sweep through a thousand years of artistic endeavour in the West argues throughout that a superfluity of money is the chief driver of high achievement in the arts, and for the transforming power of great riches." - Publisher. Size: 8vo. Seller Inventory # 025548
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Marks of Opulence : The Why, When and Where of Western Art 1000-1914
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Marks of Opulence: The Why, When and Where of Western Art 10001914
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MARKS OF OPULENCE The Why, When and Where of Western Art 1000-1900 AD.
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London: HarperCollins, 2004
ISBN 10: 0002571005
ISBN 13: 9780002571005
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Seller: Books On The Green, Lydd, KENT, United Kingdom
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Included. 1st Edition. 1st edition. Hardback in dustwrapper. With numerous colour illustrations. Contents: pages very good and clean. Boards in very good, clean shape. Dustwrapper: slight shelf-wear, otherwise very good and bright. A very good, tight copy. 330 pp. Seller Inventory # 30982
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Marks of Opulence: The Why, When and Where of Western Art, 1000-1900 AD
Published by
HarperCollinsPublishers, London, 2005
ISBN 10: 0002571005
ISBN 13: 9780002571005
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: LEFT COAST BOOKS, Santa Maria, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st. xx, 330 pages, [32] pages of plates, illustrations (some colour), map; 24 cm. Tight, clean copy. First Edition, First Printing. Dust jacket protected in a mylar cover. *** "Marks of Opulence is a magisterial survey of European art and artistic patronage from 1000 until the birth of modernism. Tracing the history from the discovery of silver in the Harz mountains, through the catastrophic effects of plague in the 14th century, to the studied magnificence of papal and royal courts in the 16th and 17th centuries, Platt shows how the great and the good have always used art to bolster political power. Arguing that the acquisitive instinct - felt by all of us in different ways - is central to the history of Western art, Platt traces how art began to move out of the palaces of the aristocracy into the homes of merchants, bankers and industrialists. From the mid-19th century onwards, and in the pre-war Belle poque in particular, it was the immensely wealthy 'robber barons' and their widows - in London and Paris, in Berlin and Vienna, in Moscow and Barcelona, in Philadelphia and New York - who collected the work of the most innovative artists and broke the hold of the Academies on Western art. Professor Platt's ambitious sweep through a thousand years of artistic endeavour in the West argues throughout that a superfluity of money is the chief driver of high achievement in the arts, and for the transforming power of great riches." - Publisher. Size: 8vo. Collectible. Seller Inventory # 046852
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Marks of Opulence: The Why, When and Where of Western Art 10001900 AD
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Condition: Good. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has hardback covers. In good all round condition. Dust Jacket in good condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,450grams, ISBN:9780002571005. Seller Inventory # 8829986
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Marks of Opulence
Published by
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ISBN 10: 0002571005
ISBN 13: 9780002571005
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First Edition
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Winner of the Wolfson prize for history, The why, when and where of western art 1000-1914, 330 pages. Seller Inventory # 008442