This outstanding reference book features tantalizing color photos and descriptions of over 350 dolls produced in German porcelain factories from 1836 to the present. Take a pictorial tour of a 100-year-old porcelain factory to learn how antique porcelain dolls were made. Original sample books, old doll molds and porcelain shards identify the makers of many previously unknown china, parian-type, and bisque dolls. From the Kestner dolls to the artist dolls of today, this book provides an in depth look at sought-after German porcelain dolls. The colorful Hertwig bonnet head dolls, the expressive Gebruder Heubach character dolls, the top-of-the-line Kestner dolls, the captivating Simon & Halbig dolls as well as the detailed Carl Schneider half dolls are showcased in this book. Dozens of early, unmarked chinas made by the A.W. Fr. Kister porcelain factory in Scheibe-Alsbach are pictured in detail. Dolls from the following porcelain factories are also included in this book: Alt, Beck & Gottschalck; Baehr & Proeschild; Wm. And F.W. Goebel; Ernst Heubach; C.F. Kling & Co.; Gebruder Knoch; Gebruder Kuhnlenz; Limbach; Armand Marseille; Theodor Recknagel; Carl Scheidig; Schoenau-Hoffmeister; Swaine & Co.; Hermann Voigt; and Weiss, Kuhnert and Co. This is a must-have book for the doll lover.

The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts covers thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western culture. With over 1,000 entries, as well as hundreds drawn from the 34-volume Dictionary of Art, this topical collection is a valuable resource for those interested in the history, practice, and mechanics of the decorative arts. Accompanied by almost 100 color and more than 500 black and white illustrations, the 1,290 pages of this title include hundreds of entries on artists and craftsmen, the qualities and historic uses of materials, as well as concise definitions on art forms and style. Explore the works of Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, and the Wiener Wekstatte, or delve into the history of Navajo blankets and wing chairs in thousands of entries on artists, craftsmen, designers, workshops, and decorative art forms.

Brimming with more than 350 color photos of dolls made of china, bisque, wood, and other materials, this reference book explains the tradition of 470 years of doll making in Germany, and documents many antique dolls never before identified.

This definitive book on five centuries of doll making in Germany includes almost 2,000 photographs of antique German dolls made of wood, papier-mâché, wax-over-papier-mâché, wax, composition, celluloid, glazed porcelain, parian and bisque. Well-known antique German doll researcher Mary Krombholz, author of numerous earlier books on the subject, presents a comprehensive study of the dolls, the workers who made them and the factories and towns in Thuringia where they were produced.

This important book from the author of three previous books on antique German dolls, features ground-breaking new research on the parian dolls produced by eight factories in Germany during the late 19th century. In preparing this book, the author travelled to the sites of the factories in Thuringia to dig for important artefacts; her labours uncovered over 1,000 porcelain shards that show the distinctive facial painting used by each factory highlighted in the book. These discoveries, combined with her collection of original porcelain factory ledgers and sample books, allow her to attribute with certainty the makers of these beautiful dolls, especially those produced during the 1860s and 1870s and previously designated as being by "unknown makers". Mary Krombholz also makes use of rare written records describing daily life inside a 19th-century porcelain factory to clearly delineate the significant role played by each worker in doll production. Her narrative clarifies not only the process of making porcelain dolls in the 19th century, but also presents a vivid picture of life in the Thuringian villages in which these factories were located. Over 350 colour photographs, all close views detailing the painting and decoration of these pieces, accompany the invaluable text, making this the most significant volume on German parian dolls to be published.