Synopsis
This book looks at the manufacture of a whole range of functional objects from the Renaissance to the mid-nineteenth century, before the production of such pieces became almost entirely industrialised. It includes tools and implements employed in sciences, crafts and trades, as well as in domestic and personal life, and explains the context that led craftsmen to fashion these pieces with such dexterity and attention to detail that the end-products can be considered true works of art. Exceptional scientific instruments from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are strongly represented, focusing especially on Germany. There are detailed reproductions of astrolabes, topographical instruments, sundials and balances, often commissioned by princes and aristocrats for inclusion in their personal 'cabinet of wonders'. In the field of medicine, the book features many examples of surgical instruments, which initially emerged to meet the pressing needs of army surgeons on the battlefield and then developed into a variety of highly specialised pieces. The examples of craftsmen's tools, where functional considerations were clearly paramount, illustrate how their practical purpose was integrated with highly symbolic decoration and careful choice of materials. In the home, the book looks at wrought-iron pieces used in the preparation of food at the hearth, which would often have played a central role in domestic life. There is also a section on the personal objects produced in France in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to cater for the ever-increasing sophistication of urban society. This created a demand for leisure equipment, needlework tools, writing, smoking and personal grooming accessories, and the 'travel kits' used by an ever more mobile population.
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About the Author
Luigi Nessi is an architect specializing in material culture. His collections have been displayed at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan and the Museum der Kulturen in Basel. Alessandro Cesati is an architect and art dealer. He is the author of Clavis, Chiavi, serrature, forzieri dalla collezione Conforti and Fire-Steels. He is a former cocurator of the Milan exhibit of the Nessi collection. Richard J. Wattenmaker is the director of the Smithsonian Institution's archives of American art. He is the author of Maurice Prendergast. He lives in Washington, D.C. Peter Plassmayer is the curator and director of the clock and watch collection at the Dresden Institute of Mathematics and Physics. Marie-Véronique Clin is a curator at the Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine in Paris. Claudine Cartier is head curator at the Inspection Générale des Musées. She is the author of L’héritage industiel, un patrimoine.
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Search results for Antique Tools and Instruments: From the Nessi Collection
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Antique Tools and Instruments: From the Nessi Collection
Published by
5continents October 2008, 2008
ISBN 10: 8874391242
ISBN 13: 9788874391240
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Hennessey + Ingalls, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Used - Very Good. Utensils, tools, and instruments manufactured from the Renaissance through the mid-19th century are featured in this lavish collection of photographs and writings that highlight the artistry of objects used in the sciences, crafts, trades, and home. Cultural commentary offers a contextualization of the objects with a focus on such issues as the relationship between the object and the way it is portrayed in paintings, engravings, and illustrations; how the functional purpose guided the choice of materials and the addition of symbolic decoration; and how certain objects reflect a shift from artisan-based craft to industrial production. Astrolabes, surgical instruments, sundials, and implements for smoking are among the objects exhibited in this rarely displayed private collection. Very nice clean, tight copy free of any marks. wrapped in complimentary Brodart dust jacket protector. Seller Inventory # 309547
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Antique Tools and Instruments
Seller: Yes Books, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. This copy with dust jacket is new and still in the original shrink wrap. Seller Inventory # 014073
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Antique Tools and Instruments from the Nessi Collection
Seller: Mullen Books, ABAA, Marietta, PA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Black paper boards with gold gilt lettering on spine, illustrated flyleaves, black and color illustrated dust jacket with orange lettering, 363 pp., color illustrations. "In Europe, from the Renaissance to the middle of the nineteenth century, tools and implements used in sciences, crafts and trades, as well as in domestic and personal life, were in some cases craft-produced with such care and attention upon their formal features that the end-product was indistinguishable from a veritable work of art. Extraordinary instruments were produced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in particular in Germany, often commissioned directly by the princes and arstocrats for inclusion in their personal 'cabinet of wonders.' Similar care could be seen in the production of scientific and surgical implements. In craft tools, of course, considerations of functions were paramount, but they went together with variation in the choice of materials and, often, highly symbolic decorative additions. Within the home, objects in wrought-iron that were used in the preparation of food were frequently linked with the main events in home life. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as urban society became ever more sophisticated, especially in France, there was an increasing production of implements of high quality for private use: utensils for neddlework, writing and smoking as well as the necessaires for travellers." - dust jacket description. VG/G (book shows very minimal signs of shelf wear, wear from water damage on back cover, all pages clear and intact - dust jacket shows water damage on the underside, not visible from the outside, general shelf wear at corners with tiny tear in top of spine). Seller Inventory # 182680
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Antique Tools and Instruments
Seller: Mispah books, Redhill, SURRE, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Very Good. Dust Jacket may NOT BE INCLUDED.CDs may be missing. SHIPS FROM MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. book. Seller Inventory # ERICA82988743912424
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Antique Tools and Instruments from the Nessi Collection
Published by
5 Continents Editions, Milan, Italy, 2004
ISBN 10: 8874391242
ISBN 13: 9788874391240
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Old Professor's Bookshop, Belfast, ME, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Magliani, Mauro (illustrator). First Edition. First Printing. Very light scuffing to dust jacket from shelf wear, now in mylar cover. Clean and crisp within. A celebration of one collection that has focused on documenting tools and implements developed for scientific exploration, measurement, and craft production. A fascinating and stunning visual tour of an amazing collection with essays that illuminate its many aspects. Seller Inventory # 29847
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Antique Tools and Instruments
Seller: PAPER CAVALIER UK, London, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Condition: very good. Gently used. May include previous owner's signature or bookplate on the front endpaper, sticker on back and/or remainder mark on text block. Seller Inventory # 9788874391240-3
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