Founded on the premise that the existing literature on Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel does not give a comprehensive, balanced and objective survey of the dress designs produced by the house from 1916-1929, the thesis ‘Reviewing Chanel’ provides a catalogue raisonné of the designs shown in British and French Vogue during this period. This representative sample of Chanel’s work facilitates the very necessary and overdue re-assessment of Chanel’s early career and contribution to twentieth century fashion. Part One of the Introduction includes a review of the existing literature on Chanel and explains the rationale behind the production of a catalogue of the dress designs reproduced in British and French Vogue. Part Two serves as the introduction to the twenty-eight essays which outline the principal developments in each of the dress design collections presented by the house between 1916-1929. Each essay provides an analytical summary of the key themes and developments of the collection and relates Chanel’s work to that of the other leading houses in Paris during this period.

In the early twentieth century, the modernists problematized ornament in their refashioning of architecture for the industrial age. Today, architects are formulating different responses to image and its (re)production in the information age. In both discourses of ornament and image, surfaces are often the perpetrators: visual boundaries that facilitate false appearances, imprisoning humanity in a shadowy cave of illusion. Such views follow a familiar metaphysical model characterized by the opposition between inside and outside and the opaque boundary that acts as a barrier. This model determines the traditional (Platonic) philosophical approach that follows a distinct hierarchical order and a perpendicular movement of thought that seeks to penetrate appearances in order to arrive at the essence of things. This thesis deploys Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy to advance a different understanding of surface, image and appearance in architecture. Using the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum as a catalyst, the thesis argues that many of the concepts with which commentators and critics analyse contemporary architecture follow models of thought that consider surfaces and their effects as secondary categories. Given the significance of visual (re)production and communication for contemporary society, the thesis proposes a different model based on surface as that which simultaneously produces, connects and separates image and reality. This non-hierarchical approach is inspired by surficial philosophy, which relates to Earth, to geology and topology, conjuring up a diversity of concepts from the thickness of the crust to the smooth fluidity of the seas. The result is an unfamiliar, polemical model of thought that does not define surface as a limit or barrier, rather a medium, a pliable space of smooth mixture. In this model, difference is not in the opposition between the two sides of a boundary line, rather it occurs upon and within the surficial landscape that consumes categories, promoting nomadic movements of thought that offer greater flexibility towards creativity and new possibilities. In surficial thought, images and appearances are not artificial copies of an originary reality, rather they possess a unique reality of their own. This approach allows architectural imagery to be theorised as a positive surfacing of architecture beyond disciplinary lines and the locality of a specific time and place.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

This thesis argues that the ornament of Fatehpur Sikri, imperial city of the Mughal emperor Akbar, was created by and for a transcultural audience as a subtle means of unification. Scholars have largely characterized Fatehpur Sikri as a site that epitomizes the blend of Hindu and Islamic architecture. Inherent in this description is the assumption that these visual elements are distinctly religious and mutually exclusive, identified as solely Hindu or Islamic. Yet the integration of various types of imagery is indicative of more dynamic cultural interactions. I have used photographic documentation to classify and analyze the ornamental elements present in three structures at Fatehpur Sikri. My analyses of these elements’ usage and placement, in conjunction with those from surrounding Indian structures, suggest not only a unique Akbari repertoire but provides insight as to the structures’ purposes.

Cette thèse reconstitue la généalogie d'un genre ornemental méconnu, celui de la photographie décorative. Né avec la photographie au XIXe siècle, au moment même du plus fort débat autour de la question de l'ornement, le photographique devient un véritable paradigme pour la décoration à l'époque contemporaine. De la création de motifs par le biais de la caméra, outil de stylisation moderne par excellence, à l'emploi de l'épreuve comme matière décorative, le photographique constitue un genre d'ornement à part entière, propre au siècle de la machine, de Freud, du capitalisme.Tout au long du XXe siècle, le photographique revêt de sa nouveauté des formes traditionnelles de la décoration murale : papier peint panoramique, fresque murale, vitrail, témoignant de la pérennité de la volonté de dématérialiser l'architecture par l'image. Un phénomène qui atteint son paroxysme dans la façade photographique au tournant du XXIe siècle. En examinant sous l'angle de leur valeur l'ornementale des exemples peu ou pas connus du XXe siècle, le et corpus réunit des photographes comme Laure Albin-Guillot et Thomas Ruff, des architectes comme Le Corbusier, Berthold Lubetkin, Jean Nouvel et Herzog & de Meuron. En plus de situer le photographique dans l'ornementation moderniste, la thèse met aussi au jour la pratique de l'artiste russo-britannique Eugene Mollo dans l'entre-deux-guerres. En filigrane de l'histoire, une production commerciale qui démontre la rémanence du phénomène et souligne l'importance de l'invention technique dans les arts industriels. / The thesis reconstructs the history of photographic ornament. Little known in the history of 20th century architecture, photographic ornament appeared in the 19th century, with the advent of photography itself at one of the most critical moments in the history of ornament. Introduced both as a means to create motifs and as a motif in and of itself in the form of prints and transfers, the photographic paradigm became one of the most important for ornament in the contemporary era. The photographic constitutes a nex genre specific to the century of the machine, of Freud and of capitalism.Throughout the 20th century, photography was udes to modernise traditional forms of mural decoration : panoramic wallpapers, murals, frescos and stained glass. It thus reveals the persistence of the will to dissolve architecture with images, a phenomenon whiwh reaches its apogee in the photographic façade at the turn of the 21th century. The thesis examines examples of large format photography from the 20th in terms of their ornamental value, bringing together a divers corpus of photographers, such as Edward Steichen, Laure Albin-Guillot and Thomas Ruff, and architects such as Le Corbusier, Berthold Lubetkin, Jean Nouvel and Herzog & de Meuron. In addition to identifying the photographic as a form of ornament in modernist architecture, the thesis also brings to light previously unknown practices such as that of thr Russian-British artist Eugene Mollo during the interwar period. Throughout this history, a commercial production parallel to artistic creation highlights the persistence of photographic ornament and the importance of technical invention in the industrial arts.

Ce travail de recherche sur le décor sculpté religieux à Paris a eu pour ambition de reconstruire l'image d'un patrimoine en partie disparu : l'espace interne de l'église parisienne entre 1660 et 1760 à travers le mobilier liturgique, le décor en relief ou en ronde-bosse, dans la nef, le transept et le chœur des églises de la capitale du royaume. Notre étude analyse ainsi la sculpture religieuse dans son espace d'inscription immédiat, entre art monumental et art décoratif, de la fin des grandes commandes religieuses royales du XVIIe siècle, tel le Dôme des Invalides, à l'avènement du néo-classicisme dans le chœur de Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois en 1760, avant la reprise des grands chantiers royaux, inaugurés par les travaux menées à la basilique Sainte-Geneviève. Même si une partie de ces décors a été démonté à la Révolution, il est possible d'appréhender précisément leur contenu, les éléments détruits étant analysés à partir de nombreuses sources iconographiques et écrites qui permettent de restituer l'œil du contemporain dans une église. Grâce à la découverte de nombreux contrats d'archives, il a été possible de déterminer les conditions et les facteurs matériels et religieux de la commande. L'étude des textes critiques, issus de la théorie artistique et religieuse contemporaine, pose le problème du luxe du décor religieux, ainsi que le problème de l'organisation de l'espace intérieur de l'église, et dont est largement tributaire l'évolution stylistique et formelle du décor. Cette thèse, combinant histoire de l'art, histoire du visuel, histoire économique et histoire religieuse, contribue ainsi à la connaissance d'un patrimoine artistique français méconnu. / This work on the religious sculptured decoration in Paris had for ambition to built the image of a partially disappeared heritage : the space interns of the Parisian church between 1660 and 1760 through the liturgical furniture, the relief decoration or in round-bump, in the nave, the transept and the choir of the churches of the capital of the kingdom. Our study so analyzes the religious sculpture in its immediate space, between monumental art and decorative art, the end of the big royal religious orders of the XVIIth century, such the Dome des Invalides, in the advent of the neoclassicism in the choir of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois in 1760, before the resumption of the big royal construction works, inaugurated by the works in the basilica saint-Geneviève. Even if a part of these decorations was destroyed in the Revolution, it is possible to determinate exactly their contents : the destroyed elements are analyzed from numerous iconographic and written sources which allow to restore the eye of the contemporary in a church. Thanks to the discovery of contracts of archives, it was possible to determine the conditions and the material and religious factors of the order. The study of the critical texts, stemming from the contemporary artistic and religious theory, raises the problem of the luxury of the religious decoration, as well as the problem of the organization of the internal space of the church, and on which is widely dependent the stylistic and formal evolution of the decoration. This work combine art history, history of the picture, economic history and religious history to contributes to the knowledge of an underestimated French artistic heritage.

This thesis investigates the history of golf ceramics from their origins in the mid-18th century until ca. 1930. During this period the game of golf experienced enormous popularity, developing into a globally successful sport. In the modern period golf has also fostered a thriving trade for the collecting of golf memorabilia, surpassing that of any other comparable sport. The thesis traces the development and spread of one form of golf collectibles – golf ceramics – and considers both the relationship of the pottery industry to the sport and the reasons behind the achievement of the genre. The modern form of golf likely began in the 13th and 14th centuries as a short game played within town walls. Under pressure from Burgh officials and Kirk ordinances, golfers eventually moved to the linksland and developed the now characteristic long game. In 18th- century Britain, elite golf clubs for gentlemen and noblemen sprang from existing sporting societies such as the Royal Company of Archers. The first examples of golf pottery, a series of 18th - and early 19th - century convivial and commemorative punch bowls, were commissioned as a direct result of the growing competitive and social traditions of the early golfing societies. During the prosperous Victorian era, golf experienced a period of immense growth and geographic expansion, particularly during the "boom" of 1890 to 1905. As golf spread internationally, it became a game primarily for the leisure class, inspiring holiday and resort destinations for the wealthy. Exclusive clubs grew at a rate that far surpassed the availability of public golf, thereby changing the character of the game to one predominantly practised by the rich. The game's growth inspired enterprising pottery manufacturers to produce new and imaginative golf-themed pottery lines, pre-1930. Golf's burgeoning popularity, combined with the affluence of its practitioners, created the ideal consumer audience for decorative and non-utilitarian wares. Between 1895 and 1930, eighty-five or more manufacturers were actively developing golf wares. As the pottery industry recognized the potential of the golf market, inventive new lines were developed that utilized original artwork from renowned illustrators of the era, such as Charles Dana Gibson, Howard Chandler Christy, Palmer Cox, Mabel Lucie Attwell, and Harrison Fisher. This commitment to quality golf imagery indicated that potteries placed the game in a higher institutional priority than other traditional sporting themes, such as cricket, tennis, rugby, or football. Royal Doulton, for example, generated no fewer than twenty ranges specifically for the golf market or adapted to meet the demands of its expanding following. Doulton wares featured illustrative images produced by Gibson, Charles Crombie, Henry Mayo Bateman, Will H. Bradley, and Barbara Vernon (Bailey). Doulton’s commitment to prominent illustration reflected golf’s importance to the financial good footing of the firm. The substantial catalogue of historical golfing wares produced during the period of examination experienced unparalleled success in secondary markets throughout the 20th century. Prominent institutional and individual golf collections emerged, leading to the formation of international golf collecting societies, and golf-specific museums and archives. Interest in golf collectibles advanced to the level where golf became a stand-alone auction speciality. In 2000 and 2001 alone, twenty-three major international golf sales were held. Golf pottery values escalated commensurate with the increased notoriety, availability, and competition. Certainly, no other traditional sport can claim such an extensive collection of wares, or a more enduring legacy in the worldwide ceramics and fine art pottery industry.

Le décor architectonique de l’Arles antique traite de l’ensemble des éléments lapidaires d’architecture décorés de l’antique Arelate. La prise en compte du plus grand nombre de bloc a permis de proposer une synthèse sur l’évolution stylistique et chronologique de l’ornementation arlésienne – une frise qui s’étale du premier triumvirat au Vème siècle après J.-C. – et une restitution du développement architectural du centre monumental d’Arles. L’étude s’articule autour des deux principaux axes analytiques que sont les motifs ornementaux canoniques constitutifs de la modénature des blocs et les composantes architecturales. Par ces analyses, l’objectif premier était de fixer un certain nombre de jalons chronologiques qui pourront faire office de référence en Narbonnaise pour la datation d’éléments d’architecture. Notre raisonnement et les méthodes employées avaient vocation à répondre à une problématique générale qui était la place d’Arles au sein de la Gaule Narbonnaise, notamment par la définition ou la précision de la circulation des cartons et les rapports entretenus avec Rome. Arelate présente toutes les caractéristiques d’une ville ayant brillamment réussi la transposition des « modèles romains », adaptée à son urbanisme et à sa topographie. Rome, et Auguste particulièrement, ont marqué de leur empreinte la ville par les mutations qu’ils ont favorisées et encouragées, à moins qu’ils ne les aient simplement décidées. Ces premiers aménagements sont suivis, au fil des années, de réalisations confirmant le rôle de la colonie dans un processus de romanisation passant en grande partie par l’architecture et le développement de son ornementation. / The architectural decoration of ancient Arles concerns all lapidary decorated architectural elements of Ancient Arelate. Taking into account the largest number of blocks allowed us to propose a synthesis of the stylistic and chronological evolution of Arles ornamentation - a frieze which runs from the first triumvirate to the fifth century AD - and restitution of architectural development of the monumental center of Arles. The study focuses on two main analytical axes, canonical ornaments and architectural components. For these analyses, the primary objective was to fix a number of historical milestones that will serve as a reference for dating Narbonese architectural elements. Our reasoning and methods used were intended to respond to a problem that was the place of Arles in Narbonese Gaul, including the definition or the accuracy of the movement of canonicals ornaments and relationships maintained with Rome. Arelate has all the characteristics of a city having succeeded in the implementation of the "Roman models", adapted to its town planning and its topography. Rome and Augustus in particular have left their mark on the city by the mutations that they fostered and encouraged, unless they simply decided on them. These early developments were followed, over the years, by achievements confirming the role of the colony in a process of Romanization passing largely by the architecture and the development of its ornamentation.

Syftet med arbetet är att fördjupa min förståelse om hur man utförde ornament på klaviaturinstrument i Europa under barocken. Det grundar sig i en önskan om att kunna göra medvetna val som är underbyggda av kunskap om stilenlig praxis när jag ornamenterar. Mina huvudinstrument är orgel och cembalo, men i detta arbete har jag valt att utgå endast från cembalon för att få en sammanhängande bild och jämförbara ljudexempel.Jag har sökt efter hållpunkter för hur man historiskt smyckade ut musik. Litteraturen jag arbetat med är både från modern tid, och från teoretiker som levde och verkade under renässansen och barocken. Arbetet har kretsat runt fem profilländer – Italien, Spanien, England, Frankrike och Tyskland. Därefter har jag valt ut en kompositör och ett stycke från de sistnämnda tre och fördjupat mig i ornamenteringen.Idén till arbetet grundade sig i en problematik jag ofta ställts inför när jag börjat arbeta med ett stycke av en kompositör som verkat mellan renässansen och barocken; hur man bör genomföra ornamenteringen. Det finns många skolor i hur man bör spela ornament. Ibland betyder samma symbol olika saker i olika länder, eller till och med mellan olika kompositörer i samma land – vi kan i vår tid bara göra vissa antaganden. All kunskap går inte att tillämpa på all musik.

Student Number : 8546313 - PhD thesis - School of Arts - Faculty of Humanites / This thesis interrogates the extent to which the façades of, and decorative programmes in, selected South African public and commercial buildings erected during the decade 1930 – 40 may be understood as important indexes of the various ideological, social and historical concerns underpinning the construction of an imaginary of national belonging during this period. In the context of rapid urbanisation, burgeoning industrialisation, and rampant capitalism that characterise the period, issues of nationalism and political power are brought into sharp relief, with three political agendas competing for dominance: Afrikaner nationalism at one extreme and British imperialism at the other, with, from 1933 to the end of the decade, the insipid ‘South Africa First’ nationalism of the Smuts-Hertzog ‘fusion’ government occupying a highly contested space somewhere between the two. I argue in this thesis that the rhetoric of ‘unity in diversity’ that informs the fusion politics of the 1930s, and particularly its expression in the decorative programmes of public buildings provides for a more nuanced reading of the political and cultural landscape of 1930s South Africa than has been the case to date, where the focus has tended towards deconstructing the cultural nationalism of the 1930s in terms of the rise of Afrikaner nationalism. Moreover, it also serves as a compelling reference point against which to assess contemporary South African attempts to re-narrate notions of nationhood, and the extent to which difficult arguments around ethnicity, autochthony, and the construction of imaginary new ‘publics’ are articulated in post-apartheid public architecture. Chapter 1 is a review of the literature that informs this thesis; both as regards the art historical discourse on South African inter-World War art and architecture, as well as theoretical issues arising from writing on nationalism, national identity, and the role that art and architecture plays in evolving the nation code. In Chapters 2 and 3, I consider the ways in which the notions of identity arising from fusion politics are played out in the decorative programmes of two significant public buildings, South Africa House in London (1933) in Chapter 2 and the Pretoria City Hall (1935) in Chapter 3. I argue that both these buildings are classic examples of the manifestation in architectural terms of the hybrid identity being forged by the centrist ‘South Africa first’ ideologues, in so far as their decorative programmes express an uncomfortable alliance between the entrenched values of British imperialism and a burgeoning Afrikaner nationalism. In Chapter 4, I contrast the decorative programme of the headquarters of the new Afrikaner insurance companies SANTAM and SANLAM (1932) with that of the new corporate headquarters of the Commercial Union Assurance Company (1932), a British owned firm that had had a presence in Cape Town since 1863. The differences in effect of the decorative programmes of these two buildings serve to illuminate the extent of the ideological posturing of volkskapitalisme and its construction of a ‘modern African/Afrikaner’ identity within the imperialist heartland of Cape Town. These debates are brought into sharp relief by the third example discussed in this chapter, the Old Mutual building (1940), the decorative programme of which effectively conflates these concerns with modernity and nationalism in order to construct a hybrid ‘South Africanism’ that neatly elides Boer and Brit imaginings. In conclusion, I show in Chapter 5 how the post-apartheid South African situation presents an interesting case study in terms of constructing an imaginary of national belonging rooted in similar notions of ‘unity in diversity’. Examples here include important national architectural commissions like the legislature buildings for the newly constituted provinces of Mpumalanga (1999) and the Northern Cape (2003), as well as the new Constitutional Court in Johannesburg (2004). In this chapter, I interrogate these debates, and conclude by pointing to parallels with the case studies from the 1930s. The post-1994 examples in question have been widely celebrated as exemplary of a new and appropriate response to the challenges of public building in democratic South Africa. I suggest, however, that the lessons of the 1930s should serve as a reminder that the ostensible dichotomy between ‘good’ (civic) and ‘bad’ (ethnic) nationalism is perhaps not as natural and obvious as it may appear, and that both are equally problematic.