Ornament and Object: Canadian Jewellery and Metal Art, 1946-1996

Bonnie Bates is a reference librarian at the National Gallery of Canada.

Ornament and Object makes Canadian jewelry and metal art accessible to a
new audience. Tracing the development of the art from the postwar period
to the present, the author, herself an artist, provides us with a wealth
of information on the artists and their styles and techniques. Clearly
written and beautifully designed, her book does not barrage readers with
an excess of “artspeak” and there are plenty of color and
black-and-white photographs to support the text.

To compile a book that is both useful and beautiful is a challenge, but
so is ensuring that there is an equal representation of artists from
across Canada. Barros has succeeded in this regard. While her coverage
of First Nations artists is a bit weak, she provides a fairly complete
survey. Especially useful is the compendium of artists at the back of
the book, which includes reproductions of the artists’ marks.
Photographs of artists at work allow us to see how the art is created.

Canadian jewelry and metal art has long been dismissed as a minor art
form not worthy of study. Ornament and Object is a major first step in
addressing that neglect.