From the hand-made to the mass produced, objects of every kind now attract the level of scrutiny once reserved for fine art masterpieces. In part, this has been encouraged by a voracious industry of scholarship hungry for new material. But equally the gap has been closed by the expansion in fine art studies, beyond the object itself, into the patterns of consumption behind its commission. So, for both fan and fresco, meaning is invested not only in the object but in the patronage that ordained its making.
Just as important, of course, are the technical conditions governing its possibilities; indeed these are an aspect of patterns of consumption. For the fine arts, technical dictionaries are plentiful. This new book, by contrast, declares itself the only single-volume reference book devoted to materials and techniques in the decorative arts. Although still a vast landscape, this choice of field is effective, allowing for focus, depth and room to describe complicated processes in reasonable detail. Generally, the entries are clear and complete enough to give the reader a good sense of the what and the how, an introductory insight rather than an authoritative understanding.
This is not a criticism. There is always something incommunicable about technical processes, particularly involving both art and science, to the non-practitioner. Some are much more explicable to the non-specialist than others, the mechanical more than the chemical, for instance. And a sympathetic imagination (or plain interest) will always be necessary to follow the intricacies of enamelling or textile production.
The dictionary covers mainly Western decorative arts and, while omitting mass production processes, includes entries on lycra, acrylics, medium density fibreboard and silicone. It is often surprising to find how early many modern materials were developed; an acrylic was first made in 1877. Ten area specialists have contributed the entries which read in a uniform style, but, oddly, can differ greatly within the same area; I found the entry on engraving clear but that on lithography too compacted. From these inclusions it will be seen that the dictionary usefully covers a good deal of what might be regarded as fine art processes. On major fields such as ceramics or glass the treatment amounts to a short but rounded essay. The illustrations are plentiful, varied and well chosen, with an interesting predilection for the elegant plates from Diderots Encyclopedie, depicting techniques as they were then understood.
Concentration of field allows the dictionary expansion where others would, of necessity, truncate. It will complement, for instance, the Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts with its substantial stylistic entries and biographies. Where the Penguin offers entries on Sevres or Elizabethan style, this volume discusses wood, stone or casting. There is considerable overlap, and sometimes comparison amplifies understanding.
Many fascinating entries attest to human ingenuity; the extraction of zinc, lapis lazuli or shellac, or the diverse ways of forming glass. Properties, and uses of, different kinds of stone, gemstones and timbers are covered, as are the workings of pigments, dyes and glazes. If the list becomes dizzying, this reflects one drawback of the dictionary format (for the ill-disciplined). Excellent cross-referencing propels the reader backwards and forwards only to be caught halfway by some equally diverting topic.
Overwhelmed with information and feeling very under-informed, the effect is nevertheless to encourage a view of everyday things through different eyes.
William Gallagher is education officer at the RHA