Textiles: The Art of Mankind

Description

The definitive volume celebrating the richness, subtlety and endless creativity of the textile arts. * Over one thousand colour images reveal the beauty and huge variety of textiles in stunning detail. * By juxtaposing historical and contemporary pieces from around the world - from ancient embroidered panels to cutting-edge, digitally printed fabrics - the author highlights an unbroken story of skill and invention stretching back thousands of years. * Detailed captions and hundreds of close-ups illustrate the allure of textile materials, as well as their possible manipulations and surface treatments. * Six chapters cover such themes as imagery, structure and decoration, while an extensive list of resources provides valuable information about artists, museums and associations around the world.

Mary Schoeser is a leading authority in the field of textiles and is Honorary President of the UK Textile Society. As an adviser on historic textiles and wallpaper, she has worked with organizations such as English Heritage, the National Trust, Liberty in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Schoeser has organized many textile exhibitions, including a collaboration with the Design Museum at the University of California, Davis, to highlight elements of their collection researched in connection with this book. Her previous publications include International Textiles and World Textiles.

'As good as it gets ... a wonderful resource and reference book ... this wonderfully illustrated book is a rich visual feast ... clear and thought-provoking' - Selvedge 'Can be picked up often as a reference, an inspiration, or for personal refreshment ... an extraordinary accomplishment that pays tribute to this field and its practitioners' - Surface Design Journal 'The writer's knowledge of the field and her practical experience of making are evident throughout ... a sumptuous - and well-writtendesign resource aimed at inspiring textile art and design of the future' - Textile History 'With its sumptuous cloth cover and more than 1,000 colour images of historical and contemporary textiles, this fascinating journey through the history and meanings of textiles cannot fail to impress' - Embroidery