Ring:Carousels and Merry-Go-Rounds  by Veronica Moriarty Carousels and merry-go-rounds are the oldest extant fairground rides and among the most popular. According to some researchers carousel-like devices date back more than 1,500 years to Byzantium where a drawing from 500 AD shows riders swinging in baskets tied to a center pole. A more popular theory traces carousels back to the Crusades of the 12th century when Italian and Spanish crusaders observed Arabian and Turkish horsemen playing a game in which scented clay balls were tossed back and forth between riders. >> Read the full article...		12/1/2004
		Neuschwanstein: Dream Castle of Mad King Ludwig II  by Rosanne Pellicane, ASID King Ludwig II of Bavaria, also known as The Dream King, The Mad King and The Swan King, lived a life that seemed to be full of mystery and intrigue. His excessive romanticism led to the construction of his most lavish and fanciful castle, Neuschwanstein. Built to resemble ¡§old German knights¡¦ castles,¡¨ Neuschwanstein continues to fulfill our own fantasies of medieval grandeur. >> Read the full article...		12/1/2004
		Faking It: 20th Century Costume Jewelry  by Veronica Moriarty The ¡§New Jewelry¡¨ of the 20th century wasn¡¦t imitative; it was confident, original and, in some cases, very beautiful. It eagerly seized upon and incorporated new materials, technologies, and fashions along with traditional and even overlooked materials. Haute couture and fine jewelry was still available, but it no longer held the monopoly on glamour as even the wealthy had fallen under the spell of ¡§faking it. >> Read the full article...		10/1/2004
		Vienna Secession: Defining Modern Design  by Francine Proulx In 1897, Viennese graphic artists, painters, architects, and designers, stifled by the constraints of the Academy of Fine Arts, seceded in their desire to break away from traditional classicism, to recognize the international art trends and to integrate the fine, decorative, and applied arts. One of the most notable among the group Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), created the Vienna Secession with its motto, ¡§To the age, its art. To the art, its freedom.¡¨ >> Read the full article...		10/1/2004
		The Mackintosh Effect On Arts & Crafts  by Francine Proulx It is only in recent years that Mackintosh’s place in design history, particularly his influence on American Arts & Crafts, has been recognized. His artistic sensibility created an individual style combining the ebonized wood and Asian influence of Aestheticism with the Arts & Crafts simplicity of form and the organic flow of Art Nouveau in a unique way, laying the foundation for the Modern Movement. >> Read the full article...		9/1/2004
		Moroccan Jewish Art & Culture   by N.R. Reitano Traveling through 11th century Morocco an Arab geographer, al-Bakri, recorded a proverb of the Maghreb people: “Fez is a town without people.” This disquieting expression imagines the overshadowing of Muslims by a growing Jewish population, one whose commercial success and ties to distant parts of the world might threaten the economic interests as well as the cultural and religious integrity of their Muslim neighbors. >> Read the full article...		8/1/2004
		Moroccan Ceramics: Pottery Rich in History  by Adele Kenny Moroccan pottery is rich in history and tradition. Since the 5th century BC, this region has pioneered the most important pottery making techniques of today. >> Read the full article...		8/1/2004
		Morocco: Ancient Tapestry Of Culture, Trade & Art  by Rosanne Pellicane, ASID The geographic lay of the land has made Morocco a natural crossroads for multiple cultures. While passing through, each wave of new invaders has left behind a unique set of characteristics, weaving their eccentricities into the eternal fabric of the country.  >> Read the full article...		8/1/2004
		The Pottery Of Provence   by Adele Kenny Provençal pottery has been traced back thousands of years. In Provence, l’art de la table or “table art” has been based on rustic earthenwares and faïence for many generations. Today, a combination of traditional forms and modern taste distinguishes the personality of Provençal pottery. >> Read the full article...		7/1/2004
		Mad Wine  by Veronica Moriarty The range of champagne-related antique collectibles available to the inebriate, perhaps more than any other, crosses the boundaries of decorative arts and collecting. In 1728 Louis XV, who had christened champagne as "vin des sacres" (sacred wine). >> Read the full article...		7/1/2004
		Maiolica: Ceramic Seduction  by Veronica Moriarty The manufacture of Maiolica was big business, and by the 16th century production had sprung up throughout Italy. The decoration of Maiolica was an exacting task and required the talents of highly skilled artisans and artists. >> Read the full article...		6/1/2004
		Venetian Glass  by Adele Kenny Blown glass has been made on the small islands of Murano for at least 700 years. Murano’s islands lie on the edge of the Adriatic Sea in the lagoon of Venice, about three quarters of a mile north of the larger Venetian islands. Although much of the earliest Venetian glass history is subject to conjecture, it is clear that as Murano took on an industrial “personality,” it gained distinction as the glassmaking capital of the world. >> Read the full article...		6/1/2004
		Pompeii: Footprint Of Neo Classical Splendor  by Rosanne Pellicane The ruins of Pompeii have provided a unique combination of fine art and architecture of the two prevailing super-powers of ancient times, Rome and Greece. The Grand Tour was the social obligation that began in the 17th century to send young British noblemen and gentlemen abroad to complete their education. England and France simultaneously embraced the Neo Classical movement and applied the basic principles with equal fervor. >> Read the full article...		6/1/2004
		The Lure Of Island Décor  by Rosanne Pellicane French, Dutch, Spanish, and English explorers sought the natural resources of the islands and exploited African labor to develop their riches and line the coffers they returned to their native lands. This cauldron of cultures produced a legacy as colorful as the tropical landscape. Unorthodox combinations of styles and cultures delighted the eye and encouraged innovative designs that would have met with scorn back home. >> Read the full article...		5/1/2004
		La Vida Y La Muerte - Long Live Death  by Veronica Moriarty The idiosyncratic folk art of the Day of the Dead has long inspired Mexican artists, including the printmaker Jose Guadalupe Posada whose biting satiric etchings and lithographs depicted contemporary social and political personalities as calaveras and all sharing the same destiny—death. >> Read the full article...		5/1/2004
		Chinese Porcelain  by Adele Kenny Introduced to Europe during the fourteenth century, Chinese porcelains were considered objects of great beauty, rarity, and luxury. Use of underglaze decoration dates from around c. 1330, and the era of the Yongle (1403-34) and Xuande (1426-35) reigns is considered the classical period of blue and white, when embargos on the import of cobalt imposed during the time of Ming emperor Hongwu were lifted. >> Read the full article...		3/1/2004
		Romanticism: When Form Follows Fantasy  by Rosanne Pellicane, ASID Officially, Romanticism entered the record books as a driving force in the mid-18th century. Twisting and turning, its influence gradually gathered steam over the next 100 years or so until Romanticism became totally subsumed within the excesses of Victoriana. Proposed dates may indicate Romanticism’s place on the official time line but in the crystallization of every era’s personal imagery, from Cleopatra to Star Wars, there are associations with Romanticism. >> Read the full article...		2/1/2004
		Early American Pewter  by Barbara Aoki Poisson During the colonial period, most people couldn’t afford pricey silver wares, which cost about ten times more than pewter. However, pewter was still expensive; the price of one dish or tankard often equaled or exceeded what a skilled tradesman earned for a day’s work. The very poor were forced to rely on wooden utensils and humble pewter was quickly elevated to a symbol of gentility, much in the same way that silver was esteemed in Europe. A colonial home that boasted a “garnish of pewter” (a twelve-piece set of plates, dishes and chargers) was fortunate indee. >> Read the full article...		1/1/2004