Fragility by Alain Corbin, Helen Morrison - 9781509565948

Name: Fragility by Alain Corbin, Helen Morrison - 9781509565948
Brand: Polity Press

Polity Press

FragilityA History of Plaster\nAuthor(s): Alain Corbin, Helen Morrison\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Polity Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Polity Press\nISBN-13: 9781509565948, 978-1509565948\nSynopsis\nThe distant past is commonly characterized in terms of dominant materials of the time the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, etc. Since the dawn of writing, however, characterizing eras in terms of materials has fallen by the wayside, and yet materials have continued to exert a powerful influence on our collective imagination.\n\nViewed from this perspective, France in the period from 1815 to 1855 could be seen as the half-century of plaster. After the French Revolution, plaster was used for a great variety of things: building, moulding, sculpting, decorating. Cheap and easy to use, plaster was everywhere, from Napoleons death mask to household ornaments, from walls to elaborate mouldings. Plaster was king but a fragile king that easily crumbled and fell apart. The age of pla.