Essential Art Nouveau features short thematic sections and a wonderful selection of images - some well-known with others previously unpublished - to evoke the very essence of this extraordinary style. Major influences such as Rococo, the natural world and the exoticism of the Orient are reflected in the colourful plates, and earlier pieces are placed against their Art Nouveau counterparts to provide a fascinating visual history. Every page bears testimony to the daring flamboyance of the style - shown on buildings, in paintings and in sculpture, and going right into the home, on furniture, cutlery, glassware, ceramics, jewellery and textiles.