Decorative Arts: A Research Guide
Furniture; Glass and Stained Glass; Metalware; Rugs and Carpets
Introduction to the Collections
The study of decorative art objects is an old practice, but has accelerated
during the 20th century, with the founding of decorative arts, related museum
studies degree programs, and general public interest in collecting antiques
and collectibles. Materials on the decorative arts can be found mainly in
the Library’s Art & Architecture Collection. The collection has
rich retrospective holdings on furniture, glass and stained glass, metalware,
and rugs and carpets. All of the reference resources listed in this guide
are located in that department. These reference tools can help in identifying
the origins of various objects and serve as useful guides to visual images,
history, terminology, and bibliography for further study. While the staff
of the Art & Architecture Collection cannot engage in authentication
and appraisal, they are able to lead users to appropriate reference sources
for attribution and provenance research. Publications related to decorative
arts economic production and patronage may also be found in the General Research
Division. Separate research guides are available on Jewelry (link) and Pottery
(link).
Using the Library’s Catalog
Subject headings are the best general entry point. The Library catalog CATNYP
uses the Library of Congress Subject Headings. The broadest subject headings
are as follows:
Antiques
Art Objects
Decoration and Ornament
Decorative Arts
The following headings are the most direct ones for Furniture, Glass and
Stained Glass, Metalware, and Rugs and Carpets:
Furniture
Furniture—Attribution
Furniture—Styles
Furniture, Dutch Colonial
Furniture Finishing
Furniture Workers
Glass
Glass painting and staining
Glass, Colored
Cut Glass
Glass Containers
Glassware (may subdivide by country)
Art Metal-work
Flatware
Pewter
Pewter—Marks
Plate
Silverwork
Silver Bowls
Silver—Plated Ware
Carpets
Rugs
Rugs—Private Collections
Rugs—New York (State)
Rugs, Prayer
Rugs, Yoruk
Textile Fabrics
Keyword searching can be helpful, as long as broad terms are not used. Limited
keyword searches to specific words that are as unique as possible to the
search topic. The name of a manufacturer, a private collection, or a specific
process or style may be useful terms to add to a word search. Advanced word
searching can help locate titles published within a specific range of years.
General Reference Resources
A number of general reference tools have been created that cover important
aspects of decorative art and design related to furniture, glass, metalwork,
and textiles. These resources include dictionaries of terms, directories,
encyclopedias, and survey guides. They provide accurate entries that define
and explain specific forms of decorative art and their design functions.
Boger, Ada. The Dictionary of Antiques and the Decorative Arts; a book of
reference for glass, furniture, ceramics, silver, periods, styles, technical
terms, etc. New York: Scribner, 1967.
Alphabetical entries with useful line drawings; one of the oldest, most authoritative
dictionaries.
Byars, Mel. The Design Encyclopedia. London: L. King Pub.; New York: Museum
of Modern Art, 2004.
Chronicles the important developments that affected 19th and 20th century
objects design.
Fleming, John and Hugh Honour. Dictionary of the Decorative Arts. New York:
Harper & Row, 1977.
American edition of a European classic reference tool, with emphasis on Western
art objects.
Hiesinger, Kathryn B. Antiquespeak: a guide to the styles, techniques, and
materials of the decorative arts, from the Renaissance to Art Deco. New York:
Abbeville Press, 1997.
Terms for carpets, works in various metals: silver; gold; bronze; and pewter,
glass, and furniture by period. Entries identify important movements, artists
and designers through the 1930s.
Materials and Techniques in the Decorative Arts: An Illustrated Dictionary.
Edited by Lucy Trench. London: John Murray, 2000.
Scholarly yet concise alphabetical entries with pertinent illustrations.
Particularly good for explanations of techniques.
Miller, Judith. The Illustrated Dictionary of Antiques & Collectibles.
Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 2001.
Good visual survey of periods and styles with terse but informative entries.
Furniture
General
Aronson, Joseph. The Encyclopedia of Furniture. 3rd ed. New York: Crown Publ.,
1965.
2500 alphabetically arranged short entries on world furniture, from antiquity
to the early modernist period. Longer essays on major countries, types of furniture
and styles. Many black-and-white illustrations. "Glossary of Designers
and Craftsmen" in back of volume.
Blakemore, Robbie. G. History of Interior Design & Furniture: From Ancient
Egypt to Nineteenth-century Europe. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons, 2006.
Broad survey history with good line drawing illustrations. Excellent coverage
of 17th through 19th century styles.
Boger, Louise Ade. The Complete Guide to Furniture Styles. New York: Charles
Scribner's, 1959.
Broad survey history organized by historical period with subdivisions for geographic
coverage and specific styles: e.g. Louis XIV, Empire, French Provincial, Chippendale,
American Colonial, and Federal. Text followed by black and white plates of
over 500 objects, bibliography on pp. 423-429.
Edwards, Clive. Encyclopedia of Furniture Materials, Trades, and Techniques.
Brookfield, VT: Ashgate Pub., 2000.
Scholarly essay style entries with good cross-references to related terms,
including useful black and white illustrations and some bibliographic citations.
Fiell, Charlotte and Peter Fiell. 1000 Chairs. Köln; New York: Taschen,
1997.
A clear-cut visual survey history, with concise text, that covers the history
of chair design in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Lockwood, Luke Vincent. The Furniture Collectors’ Glossary. New York:
Da Capo Press, 1967.
Alphabetical list of terms for forms, functions, decoration, major figures
and styles. Line drawing illustrations.
Piña, Leslie. Furniture in History, 3000 B.C.- 2000 A.D. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.
A survey which effectively highlights the highlights of historical periods,
with emphasis on hand crafting versus industrial design.
World Furniture: An Illustrated History. Edited by Helena Hayward. New York:
McGraw Hill, 1965.
Profusely illustrated, much of it in color, this historical survey is arranged
by time period, then subdivided by country or geographical region. Provides
quick visual overview of national styles and their development, broadly treating
works in terms of their historical evolution.
English
Edwards, Ralph. The Shorter Dictionary of English Furniture: From the Middle
Ages to the Late Georgian Period. London: Country Life, Ltd, 1964.
A revised version of one part of an earlier work, The Dictionary of English
Furniture. Covers late 15th century up to 1820. Many black and white illustrations.
Essays of varying length on types of furniture, specific objects and styles.
Section on cabinet-makers, craftsmen, decorative artists at end of the volume.
Pictorial Dictionary of 19th century British Furniture Design. Woodbridge:
Antique Collectors' Club, 1977.
Begins with key dates in 19th century English furniture history; contemporary
sources quoted in the Dictionary; essays on designers and design books; pictorial
dictionary by type of furniture, primarily illustrated with line drawings and
engravings.
American
Kay, Myrna. Fake, Fraud or Genuine? Identifying Authentic American Furniture.
Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1987.
Sourcebook of identification techniques, problems in construction, inspection
processes and various clues to spotting fraudulently identified pieces. Covers
17th -19th century furniture. Chapter on "Technology as Evidence".
Many photographs, often of test cases and their details.
Bjerkoe, Ethel Hall. The Cabinetmakers of America. Garden City: Doubleday,
1957.
Introductory essay on "Cabinetmaking as it developed in America".
Brief biographical sketches of cabinetmakers. Bibliography, pp. 249-252.
Butler, Joseph T. Field Guide to American Antique Furniture. New York: Facts
on File, 1985.
Using a "Systematic visual approach," traces the history of American
furniture from 17th through early 20th century. 1700 illustrations -- line
drawings arranged in chronological sequence by type of furniture, e.g. daybeds,
sofas, chests, desks. Forms divided by style, then geographic origin.
Iverson, Marion Day. The American Chair 1630-1890. New York: Hastings House,
1957.
Illustrated essays on chairs by historic period, with sections on styles, e.g.
Windsor, Queen Anne, Hepplewhite, Turned Chairs. Appendix on museums and historic
houses with significant holdings.
Sack, Albert. The New Fine Points of Furniture: Early American. New York:
Crown Publishers, 1993.
Uses illustrated examples to show the reader good, superior and finest quality
furniture pieces. Explains details about construction and ornamental features.
Semowich, Charles J. American Furniture Craftsmen Working Prior to 1920:
An Annotated Bibliography. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1984.
Allows access to useful biographical information in more obscure sources. Alphabetical
lists by craftsmen's names of works about individuals; works about groups of
craftsmen; general works; trade catalogs; craftsman-biographical index referring
to numbered citations in first section; author-title index; subject index.
Glass and Stained Glass
Brady, Darlene and William Serban. Stained Glass: A Guide to Information
Sources. Detroit: Gale, 1980.
Bibliographical entries on general reference sources; dissertations and theses;
periodicals; library collections; archives and museums; events and resources.
Several useful indexes for authors, titles and subjects.
Florence, Gene. The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Depression Glass.
9th ed. Paducah: Collector Books, 1990.
Highly illustrated guide to all physical, historical and technical aspects
of this extremely popular glassware. Contains many identifying measurements
and information on glass craftspeople and firms.
Guide to Trade Catalogs from the Corning Museum of Glass. New York: Clearwater,
1987.
These trade catalogs serve as important guides to identifying the production
of various types of U.S. and foreign glassware: bottles and druggists' glass;
cut glass; flat glass; laboratory ware; lighting glassware and lamps; and tableware.
Indexes for companies, geographical locations, chronology and subjects.
Hartmann, Carolus. Glasmarken Lexikon 1600-1945. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche,
1997.
Covers Europe and North America with over 11,000 hallmarks, signatures and
firm marks. Includes known artists and short entries describing practices.
Jones, Robert. Biographical Index of Historic American Stained Glass Makers.
Raytown, MO: Stained Glass Association of America, 2002.
The entries cover artists from the colonial era to the mid-20th century.
McKearin, Helen and George. Two Hundred Years of American Blown Glass. Garden
City: Doubleday & Co., 1950.
Large survey history of American glass production, with background on glassmaking
in various periods, table and other fine wares, blown and mold glass, nineteenth
century bottles and window glasshouses. With many color and black and white
photographs, and selected bibliography, pp. 361-366.
Newman, Harold. An Illustrated Dictionary of Glass. London: Thames and Hudson,
1977.
Contains 2442 entries for terms about "wares, materials, processes, forms
and decorative styles, and entries on principal glass-makers, decorators, and
designers, from antiquity to the present." Introductory essay on the history
of glassmaking.
Pullin, Anne Geffken. Glass Signatures, Trademarks and Trade Names from
the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century. Radnor, PA: Wallace-Homestead,
1986.
Technical entry on “How to Look at Glass” is invaluable. Indexes
major signatures, trademarks and trade names. Has glossary of selected foreign
terms and a section on benchmark dates.
Raguin, Virginia. Stained Glass: From its Origins to the Present. New York:
H.N. Abrams, 2003.
A substantial historical overview of glass painting and staining, with excellent
bibliography.
Sourcebook 2001/[Stained Glass Association of America]. Hartland, MI: Stained
Glass Association of America, 2001.
Describes stained glass practices, standards, professional studios, and association
members.
Vose, Ruth Hurst. Glass: The Connoisseur Illustrated Guide. London: The
Connoisseur, 1975.
Organized into sections on techniques, blowing and molding, colored and clear
glass, decorative practices and later techniques, with many illustrative line
drawings and selected color photographs.
Who’s Who in Contemporary Glass Art: A Comprehensive World Guide to
Glass Artists; Craftsmen; Designers. Munich: Joachim Waldrich Verlag, 1993.
Arranged by alphabetical biographical entries. Includes Native Country index
and a Residence index.
Metalware
General
International Hallmarks on Silver. Paris: Tardy, 1985.
Technical information in introduction. Material gathered on European common
certification process for silver. Hallmarks reproduced in sections by country.
Index to places mentioned. Analytical index of hallmarks listed in this book.
Covers selected countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Rosenberg, Marc. Der Goldschmeide Merkzeichen. Frankfurt am Main: H. Keller,
1890. 4 vol.
Lists 20,000 gold and silver makers in Europe, chiefly German. Listed by city
or province. Register/index of monograms reproduced.
Perry, Evan. Collecting Antique Metalware. Garden City: Doubleday & Co,
1974.
Guidebook to forms and functions of various metalware, fake and reproductions,
care and conservation.
Newman, Harold. An Illustrated Dictionary of Silverware. London: Thames
and Hudson, 1987.
Contains 2,373 entries on British and North American silver. Techniques, styles,
leading designers and makers from ca. 1500 to the present; emphasis on 17th
- 19th centuries, alphabetical arrangement, well illustrated.
Silver and Pewter
Brett, Vanessa. Phaidon Guide to Pewter. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall,
1982.
Guidebook with essays on history and production processes. Lists types of pewter
by country - Western Europe and U.S. Chapters on 19th century style: art nouveau
to contemporary. Glossary register of pewter marks, pp. 230-245.
Ensko, Stephen & Dorothy. American Silversmiths and Their Marks. Boston:
David R. Godine, 1988.
The authors have devised a final, revised edition of the classic 1915 work
by Robert Ensko and three subsequent books by Stephen. Gives names and marks
of early American silversmiths from 1650-1850; list of silver objects with
found marks, unidentified marks; locations of silversmiths' shops with maps
provided; facsimile pages from four previous Ensko books; illustrations of
various silver forms, e.g. cups, bowls, tankards, tea sets, flatware.
Fallon, John P. Marks of London Goldsmiths and Silversmiths 1837-1914. London:
Barrie & Jenkins: 1992.
An invaluable resource for identifying hallmarks from this time period. Provides
hallmark drawings and history of the firms involved.
Jackson’s Silver & Gold Marks of England, Scotland and Ireland.
Edited by Ian Pickford. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1989 (1905).
Revised and enlarged edition of Sir Charles Jackson's classic work English
Goldsmiths and their Marks. Describes London plate, marks and names, lists
provincial goldsmiths by region, has sections on Wales, Scotland & Ireland.
Reproduces marks by date with photographs of details.
Kovel, Ralph & Terry. Kovel’s American Silver Marks. New York:
Crown Publishers, 1989.
Covers two periods 1640 -1850, andl 1850-1980. Alphabetical listing including
initials with names/firms listed when known, including dates and hallmarks
reproduced when identified. Useful bibliography, pp. 418-421.
Okie, Howard Pitcher. Old Silver and Old Sheffield Plate. New York: Doubleday,
1928.
Covers silversmiths in Great Britain and Ireland, reproducing about 13,000
hallmarks in facsimile. American tables of date letters and other marks. Hallmarks
and date letters for Paris Guild of Silversmiths. Continental European hallmarks
are listed. A history of Old Sheffield plate is provided, with a description
of the method of its production, and key names and hallmarks.
Rainwater, Dorthy T. American Silver Manufacturers. Hanover: Everybodys Press,
1966.
Compiled to identify silversmiths who were manufacturers. Covers 1842 - 1920.
Useful because no official guild halls with records were established for the
U.S. Makes references to 1896-1915 Jewelers’ Circular publications. Trade-marks
of the jewelry and kindred trades. Alphabetical name listing, with cross-references,
short description of individual or firm and hallmark reproduced when available.
Glossary, pp. 207 - 213, bibliography, pp. 215-223.
Rainwater, Dorothy T. and H. Ivan. American Silverplate. Nashville: Thomas
Nelson; Hanover: Everybodys Press, 1968.
Essays on historical background, manufacturing, productions processes, styles
and types of silver by function, many drawings and photographs.
Stern, Jewel. Modernism in American Silver: 20th-century Design. Dallas:
Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005.
Major exhibition of influential silver work with excellent bibliography and
index.
Wyler, Seymour B. The Book of Old Silver. New York: Crown Publishers, 1937,
(1971).
Essays on historical aspects of old silver, e.g. laws, frauds, collection and
care, types of silver items, Sheffield plate. American and European countries'
hallmarks. Index to marks.
Rugs and Carpets
Allane, Lee. Oriental Rugs: A Buyer’s Guide. London: Thames and Hudson,
1988.
General introduction for the beginning or amateur enthusiast. Explains rug
names and terms; how Oriental rugs are made; issues to consider when buying
a rug. A section of color plates follows, with information on designs and "Rugs
of the major Producing Countries", e.g. Persia, Anatolia, Afghan and others.
Curatola, Giovanni. Oriental Carpets. London: Souvenir Press, 1981.
Heavily illustrated survey useful for identifying makes and types of carpets,
their colors, patterns and symbology.
Gans-Ruedin, E. The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oriental Carpets. Rutland;
Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle. 1971.
Thorough historical survey with sections on the characteristics of carpets,
buying and care. Remainder of volume covers classification of carpets by country
or region, with sections on various types, illustrations and specific examples.
Murphy, Brian. The Root of Wild Madder: Chasing the History, Mystery, and
the Lore of the Persian Carpet. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.
A colorful account of the Persian carpet’s history and its weavers
and sellers.
Neff, Ivan C. and Carol Maggs. Dictionary of Oriental Rugs: With a Monograph
on Identification by Weave. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977.
Technical guide concerned with explaining origins of types of Oriental rugs
by their weave patterns.
Rosenstiel, Helene Von. American Rugs and Carpets: From the Seventeenth
Century to Modern Times. New York: William Morrow, 1978.
Strong survey history of various types of American floor covering from painted
floor, matting, linoleum and oilcloth, to loomed carpets. Pattern chronology,
bibliography, pp. 184-187.
Locating Periodical Articles
Periodical indexes that will cover these selected decorative arts may be
found in the Library’s Selected Electronic Resources page under the
category “Art & Architecture.” The following electronic indexes
provide access to key journal articles on the various subjects:
Art Index Retrospective
Indexes articles that may cover decorative arts subjects from 420 international
periodicals, yearbooks, and museum publications for the period 1929-1984
Art Full Text
Continues the indexing of Art Index from 1984 to the present, with the occasional
full text coverage for some titles.
ARTbibliographies Modern
Indexes and abstracts periodical article, books, dissertations, and exhibition
catalogues related to twentieth century design and some decorative arts.
Design and Applied Arts Index
Indexes 450 international design and craft journals with coverage of designers,
artists, decorative arts movements, firms, studios and workshops. Coverage
from 1973 to present.
Visual Image Databases
Databases of visual images for the decorative arts have been slow to develop
but are growing. The decorative arts are often represented by commercial
interests, however, so the following resources have been chosen for their
usefulness for teaching and presentation purposes.
ARTstor
This organization is a not-for-profit scholarly developer and distributor
of electronic digital images for art study, gathered from museums and other
cultural institutions. Collections with strong decorative arts holdings
in furniture, glass, metalware, and textiles are included. Users can build
their own file of study images. Access this database through the Library’s
Selected Electronic Resources page.
Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture
http://decorativearts.library.wisc.edu/images.html
An important image database from the University of Wisconsin offers an academic
collection’s focus.
NYPL Digital Gallery/NYPL Digital Library Collections
The Library’s searchable database of visual materials documenting culture
studies and social history from antiquity to the present. Among the over
450,000 images from the Library’s collections are many decorative arts
objects, including furniture, glass, metalware, and rugs. Access is through
the Library’s homepage at www.nypl.org and through the Selected Electronic
Resources page.
Selected Internet Resources
Decorative arts websites are primarily commercial in origin, with a few
selective exemptions from academic and museums sources. Major decorative
arts firms can have their own websites that may give historical information
and archival imagery.
Appraisers Association of America
www.appraisersassoc.org
Art Dealers Association of America
www.artdealers.org
Bard Graduate Center. Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture.
Education Programs.
www.bgc.bard.edu
Victoria and Albert Museum. Decorative Arts Collections
www.vam.ac.uk/collections/index.htlm
National Gallery of Art Decorative Arts Collection
www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/decarts.shtm
Furniture Styles and History
www.furniturestyles.net
The Furniture History Society
www.furniturehistory.org.au
Association for the History of Glass
www.historyofglass.org.uk
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Gold and Silverwork History Collection
www.rijksmuseum.ni/aria/aria_encyclopedia
The Persian Carpet Gallery
www.persia.org/Images/Persian_carpet/carpet_history.html
Compiled by Paula A. Baxter, Art & Architecture Collection, 11/07
