Arts and Crafts in Venice

Rating:
Summary: educational and visually dazzling
Review: Printed in Italy, this is a lavish coffee table book, weighty and with thick glossy pages.
Written and extremely well researched by Doretta Davanzo Poli, it is in large, double-spaced type, making this history of Venice and its artisans a quick and easy read. It describes how the palaces and churches were built, the materials used, and how its famous glass making was developed.

It has classified the arts of Venice into four categories:
"Solid" (stone, tiles, wellheads and chimneys).
"Ductile" or "Malleable" (wood and metals).
"Fragile" (glass, ceramics, stucco).
"Soft" (silk, tapestries, lace, embroidery, leather).

This is a wonderful book to read and learn from, but it is the work of Mark E. Smith, who with few exceptions did most of the photography, that makes it so spectacular. His close-up views of marble and wood inlays, ornate jewelry, brocades and laces, often in 2 page spreads, are breathtaking.
An all-color, profusely illustrated book, it will educate as well as delight the eye with its luxurious beauty.