A History of Flower Arrangement [antikvár]

Widely regarded as the standard work on its subject and as essential reading for every serious student of the art of flower arrangement, this fully illustrated survey not only provides flower arrangers (amateur or professional) with an invaluable source of inspiration and reference; it also enables them to study the dif-ferent principles of design which have prevailed in the East and the West down the ages, from the time of ancient Egypt until the present day. Special emphasis is placed on influences on contem-porary practice, such as Dutch and Flemish flower . painting, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French floral decoration, Victorian bouquets and the flower art of Japan. In other chapters Mrs Berrall discusses flower arrangement during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, in England and China and later in Colonial America. The story is closely linked with the evolution of garden design, with general developments in culture and taste, and (most importantly) with the decorative function of flowers in the home throughout history. A valuable feature is the inclusion of lists of those flowers which were particularly favoured during each period. Mrs Berrall is one of America's leading authorities on gardens and flower arrangements. She has written a number of books on these subjects, has organized an exhibition of flower arrangements at the San Francisco Museum of Art, and is a Chevalier of the `Clou d'Or', the international organization of horticultural writers.