Materials & Techniques In The Decorative Arts: An Illustrated Dictionary

This dictionary is the only single-volume reference book devoted to the materials and techniques used in the decorative arts. Until now, such information has been passed on from craftsman to craftsman, or confined to the most specialised books. Now it is accessible to all, not only to the conservator, art historian or collector but to anyone intrigued by the skills that have created the beautiful things around us.

Ten contributors, specialists in glass, ceramics, textiles, paper, plastics, leather, metal, stone, wood and paint, have compiled the book under the expert editorship of Lucy Trench. Between them they cover an enormous range of subjects, from bakelite to stucco, ikat to lampas, dragon's blood to pate de verre.