Sudpsuez Textiles of China and Central Asia
$50.00
Description
Words by Mariachiara Gasparini, Jacqueline Simcox, Eiren Shea
A captivating journey through the rich tapestry of Asian history, this beautiful and informative book delves into the opulent world of historic textiles. Covering a period when decorative textiles were the ultimate luxury, it showcases the craftsmanship, cultural significance, and artistic expressions woven into each cloth.
It provides a comprehensive overview of the Silk Road and the exchange of ideas, goods, and techniques that fueled the flourishing textile industry across Asia over centuries, from the Byzantine Empire to the Tang and Song dynasties and beyond.
A series of engaging essays highlights the significant features of The Silk Road Textile Collection, exploring the samites of Central Asia with their luxurious silk and intricately woven animal and geometric patterns; studying the exquisite embroideries of the Liao dynasty up close; and examining the imperial textiles of the Ming and Qing dynasties, when power and prestige were expressed through sumptuous court costume.
Perfect for art lovers, historians, and all those captivated by the beauty of textiles, this impeccably packaged volume unravels the fascinating stories embedded in the fabric of ancient Asia.
Published by Prestel
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Sudpsuez Abr, Ikat Robes from Central Asia
Words by Elena Tsareva
Ikat textiles, known as abr in their lands of origin in Central Asia, are beloved by collectors, decorators and textile devotees across the world. This book presents a new approach to the intricately patterned silk textiles by focusing on complete robes from a major private collection. These items of clothing tell stories about their wearers: their home, identity and place in society. By studying the history, making, and changing fashions of ikat robes, the past is brought to life. It quickly becomes clear that the power and influence of Central Asian costume reached far beyond the borders of modern Uzbekistan, inspiring imitations and providing visual stimuli for avant-garde artists.
With stunning photography and previously unpublished research findings, this publication is a new take on ikat costume for those interested in the history of textiles and fashion, but also for those wishing to admire the sheer beauty and exquisite craftsmanship of these remarkable textiles.
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Sudpsuez Francois Halard: Art and Flowers
Words by Francois Halard
The master photographer’s compelling images of his two most intimate passions: art and flowers.
“His photography has an innate capacity to evoke emotion and tell stories that linger in the mind long after the image is seen,” writes Dries Van Noten in the foreword to this two-volume series of images.
Long revered for his personal photography of the world’s most celebrated buildings and interiors, Halard strikes a new path with two new bodies of work. Confined to his house in Arles after a shoulder injury in early 2024, Halard began photographing the objects immediately surrounding him with his Polaroid camera. In turns traditional and abstract, the Flowers series is a captivating exploration of nature’s beauty. As beautifully described by fashion designer Dries Van Noten, “The Polaroid captures a fleeting moment, blossoming into a lasting memory, while the real flower, vibrant and alive, ultimately withers away, reminding us that beauty can be both preserved and ephemeral.”
In the second series, Art, Halard has enlarged a select number of his Polaroids, which he then worked on top with paint, wax, and other materials to give the final results a strong, layered sense of history and memory. Many of the images are made of ancient statuaries or details of Renaissance paintings from Italy and Greece—the tight crop of a marble head, or the folds of 15th-century drapery. “I am delving into the idea that antiquity can be modern,” Halard states in his interview with art curator Bice Curiger, “I like to start with a specific object to turn it into another, transitory object.” Halard’s transformation of the ephemeral into the permanent, in the case of his flowers; and the permanent into the ephemeral, in the case of his Classical-inspired artworks—give power and beauty to these compelling images.
Published by Rizzoli
Delivery in 2 weeks
Sudpsuez Inside Florence, A Tale of Palazzi and Botteghe
Words by Livia Frescobaldi
Photographs by Alessandro Moggi, Eugenia Maffei
The home “is the place of return,” it is where “memory is”. I agree fully with Emanuele Coccia in his consideration that the setting of our private lives, the one that is most intimate and most familiar to us, is an expression of culture like a work of art or a monument of which we study the origins, the provenance and the material, craving to know and understand everything. -Livia Frescobaldi
Inside Florence, published by Marsilio Arte, offers an original account of Florence stemming from a love for the preservation of its places and the desire to offer an intimate and fresh look at the beauty and age-old skills of the city’s artisan workshops, which make the Tuscan capital one of the most admired cities in the world.
The splendid views, the meticulous details of the furnishings, the framing of the images, the care and attention in narrating and describing the opulence and refinement of the Florentine residences, are just some of the elements that author Livia Frescobaldi has selected to trace out an itinerary revealing her favourite places.
Through the photography of Alessandro Moggi and Eugenia Maffei, the book appears almost like a fresco with infinite scenarios, the protagonists of which are the heirs of a thousand-year-old history, in a difficult balance between modernity and tradition. There are sixteen sections for sixteen residences – ranging from palaces and gardens to former monasteries – each linked to a specific form of craftsmanship: the first pairing described is that between Palazzo Frescobaldi and the Antico Setificio Fiorentino, with a union rendered indissoluble by the customised Frescobaldi fabric, which has been in production since time immemorial. Inside Florence does not merely hold up a mirror to Florence’s architectural and artistic wealth, but is also an act of love towards those professional artisans who, as Leonardo Ferragamo states in his introductory text, ‘continue to create the history of the future with their ingenious, persevering and dedicated passion’.
Enriched and enhanced by the introductions of Eugenio Giani, President of the Region of Tuscany, and Bernabò Bocca, President of the Fondazione CR Firenze, the books stresses the uniqueness and historic nature of the city of Florence, that jealously guards its art professions and artisan workshops, its well-known palaces and more hidden ones, its gardens and spaces dedicated to contemporary times. The itinerary proposed in its pages has been planned for those who want to live Florence, rather than just visit it.
Published by Marsilio Arte
Sudpsuez Inside Sicily
An ode to the ever-changing landscapes of the Mediterranean’s largest island, this book takes readers on a captivating journey from Sicily’s dazzling coastline and the Aeolian Islands to the volcanic foothills of the majestic Mount Etna. From the gilded and frescoed ceilings of aristocratic palazzos to the muted tones of sun-bleached rustic dwellings, the extraordinary homes seen here reveal the rich tapestry of design at the heart of Sicily’s enigmatic and captivating soul. Sicily, a cradle of architectural styles, reflects its Ancient Greek and Roman heritage, enriched by Byzantine and Arab influences and crowned with the opulence of Sicilian Baroque.
This cultural tapestry comes alive in the island’s grand palazzos, rural masserie (farmhouses), and lovingly restored villas, all brought to life in this exquisite volume. Step inside Casa Cuseni in Taormina, the historic home of English painter Robert Kitson, which once hosted luminaries such as Giacomo Balla and D.H. Lawrence, whose creativity is reflected in its remarkable décor. Visit the Aeolian retreat of visionary architect Ettore Sottsass, founder of the Memphis Group, and writer and design critic Barbara Radice.
Featuring stunning interiors photography by Guido Taroni and rich insights by author Christopher Garis, Inside Sicily celebrates the island’s unparalleled fusion of traditions.
Lead Time:
2 weeks
Sudpsuez The Art of Tapestry
Words by Helen Wyld
Woven with dazzling images from history, mythology and the natural world, and breath-taking in their craftsmanship, tapestries were among the most valuable and high-status works of art available in Europe from the medieval period to the end of the eighteenth century. Over 600 historic examples hang in National Trust properties in England and Wales – the largest collection in the UK.
This beautifully illustrated study by tapestry expert Helen Wyld, in association with the National Trust, offers new insights into these works, from the complex themes embedded in their imagery, to long-forgotten practices of sacred significance and ritual use. The range of historical, mythological and pastoral themes that recur across the centuries is explored, while the importance of the 'revival' of tapestry from the late nineteenth century is considered in detail for the first time. Although focussed on the National Trust's collection, this book offers a fresh perspective on the history of tapestry across Europe.
Both the tapestry specialist and the keen art-history enthusiast can find a wealth of information here about woven wall hangings and furnishings, including methods of production, purchase and distribution, evolving techniques and technologies, the changing trends of subject matter across time, and how tapestries have been collected, used and displayed in British country houses across the centuries.
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing