A Visual Dictionary of Decorative and Domestic Arts

With roots in the quest for orderly terminology by pioneer conservator (and Monuments Man) George Stout, beginning in 1938, and continuing through the Getty's Art and Architecture Thesaurus of the 1980s, a 21^st-century vocabulary is now available in A Visual Dictionary of Decorative and Domestic Arts. We thank respected conservator Nancy Odegaard and talented graphic illustrator Gerry Crouse for this guide to 'just the right word' to describe the indescribable details of candlesticks, frames, historical jewelry, and much much more.

-- Joyce Hill Stoner, PhD, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Material Culture, University of Delaware

This visual dictionary is an excellent resource for curators, registrars, and collection managers for use in condition checking artworks or cataloging collections.

-- Diana Pardue, Chief Curator, Heard Museum

As anyone involved in the cataloging of decorative arts knows, there are myriad ways for objects to be described. Nowhere, however, can one turn to an easily understood and comprehensive compendium of commonly employed terms. This volume sets out to change that by defining easily understood descriptive terms for common classes of material objects. These terms are then tied to exploded drawings of common classes of decorative arts to show the reader how they might be employed. Finally, a resource that provides a common descriptive terminology for everyday use. A must for the bookshelf of museum curators, serious collectors and auction professionals.

-- C. Wesley Cowan, Vice Chair, Hindman LLC and Founder Cowan’s Auctions