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by Edwin Atlee Barber (Author)
A landmark survey of craft, commerce and taste across American life. A treasure of American craft. Atlee Barber's The Pottery And Porcelain Of The United States presents an historical review of American ceramic art from the earliest times to the present day, tracing the development of early American porcelain, the growth of regional kilns and the refinement of forms through the 19th century ceramics period. Equal parts antique pottery reference and readable cultural narrative, the volume functions as a porcelain collectors guide for identification and provenance and as a pottery and porcelain compendium that places United States pottery within the wider currents of decorative arts in America. Barber writes with the eye of a connoisseur and the clarity of an educator; his attention to marks, manufacture and materiality makes the work useful to decorative arts enthusiasts, dealers and collectors, while serving as a practical resource for museum curators and a solid foundation for an art historian's collection. Collectors will appreciate the practical attention to marks and provenance, while dealers and students will gain context for attribution and dating. The book is accessible to those new to the field yet precise enough to support research in historical ceramic art. Of lasting literary and historical significance, Barber's account does more than catalogue makers and forms: it documents changing taste, industrial invention and the social role of ceramics across American life, making a distinctive contribution to American ceramics history. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike. Accessible to casual readers and to classic-literature collectors seeking authoritative period works, this edition offers practical guidance for collectors and curators alongside the considered historical narrative that appeals to scholars, dealers and devotees of decorative arts in America. As a piece of cultural history the book also illuminates trade networks, immigrant craftsmanship and regional taste, threads that continue to inform museum displays and scholarly collections.
