Looking at European Sculpture: A Guide to Technical Terms

Jane Bassett and Peggy Fogelman

This volume provides definitions of the technical terms most often encountered by museum-goers and students of post-antique European sculpture. The book enhances the appreciation of the art form by explaining the methods used in creating sculpture and the terms used by scholars to describe it. Featured are clear, concise explanations to questions such as: What is a socle? What are the steps in bronze casting? What is contrapposto?

Written for the nonspecialist and lavishly illustrated with objects from the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, this book is invaluable to anyone who wants to learn more about the art of sculpture.

Jane Bassett is associate conservator in the J. Paul Getty Museum's Department of Decorative Arts and Sculpture Conservation. Peggy Fogelman is associate curator in the Department of Sculpture and Works of Art at the Museum. She is a coauthor of Decorative Arts: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue of the Collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum.

"A 'page turner.' Leaves the reader wishing for more."
—Apollo

"An excellent small dictionary…highly recommended."
—Library Journal