The Elements of Design: A Practical Encyclopedia of the Decorative Arts from the Renaissance to the Present

The Elements of Design is the definitive visual reference book on design trends in the decorative arts from 1500 to 2000. Thematic chapters dealing with the Baroque, Rococo, Aesthetic Movement, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and other eras examine the decorative arts tradition in the development of ceramic, glass, silver and metalwork, textile, and furniture design. With more than 3,000 images - including prints, photographs, and line drawings - The Elements of Design is an indispensable visual dictionary for collectors, design historians, interior decorators, and designers alike.

Noël Riley, the general editor of The Elements of Design, is a specialist writer and lecturer on the decorative arts. A part-time tutor at Sotheby's Institute of Art, London, and a lecturer for the Worker's Educational Association, she contributes a regular column to Historic House, the journal of the Historic Houses Association. Her books include Tile Art, The Victorian Design Source Book, Gifts for Good Children: The History of Children's China 1790-1890, and Stones' Pocket Guide to Tea Caddies. She was a contributor to Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture and Miller's Antiques Encyclopedia.