History of art & design styles: c 1600 to c 1800

The Baroque art of the 17th century was characterised by unbridled emotion, intricate decorative flourishes and a dramatic use of light, reaching its summit in works such as Bernini's magnificent altarpiece, "The Ecstasy of St. Theresa". This is a work on the influential Baroque and Rococo art movements.. ..More

A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. ..More

This all-encompassing history of the European Golden Age traces the vast changes in art, science and religion that gave birth to modernity.. ..More

Shah Abbas I was one of Iran's most influential leaders. This book brings together an array of treasures that were given to Iran's shrines during Shah Abbas' reign. It traces the story of the Safavid dynasty (1501-1722), a period of dynamic religious and political development in Iran.. ..More

Shah Abbas was one of Iran's most influential leaders. During his rule (1587-1629), he left a far-reaching mark on the society and artistic heritage of Iran. This book looks at this mercurial character and his crowning artistic achievement.. ..More

Offers an introduction to the developments in art and architecture that emerged from seventeenth-century Western Europe. This study encompasses the socio-political and cultural background of the period.. ..More

Jan Vermeer. ..More

NBA finalist Francine Prose takes on a great artist whose life was brief and paradoxical, more loathed in his own time than any modern artist since. This is a study of why revolutionary art can be reviled in its own time and revered in another.. ..More

This text looks the controversy surrounding the late career of the French architect, Louis Le Vau, via an exploration of one of his most acclaimed works, Mazarin's College. It covers the mixture of baroque and classical styles, and the various aspects of Le Vau's creative personality.. ..More