From Library Journal
Delaware's Winterthur Museum is home to one of the finest collections of American decorative art in the country. When Henry Francis du Pont inherited the family estate in 1927, he devoted his life to expanding the already sizable collection of art objects to its present size-over 85,000 pieces (which include furniture, metalwork, porcelain, paintings, textiles, and architectural artifacts). An exhibition catalog for a show organized in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, this volume highlights du Pont's most prized pieces. The book is divided into five main sections according to the distinct styles that constitute the collection-colonial, American chinoiserie, rococo, Pennsylvania German, and classical (Greek and Roman influence). Numerous monographs, including Jay E. Cantor's lavishly illustrated Winterthur, have been published about it, so why another? This book is recommended because it is well illustrated and well written, with a text that explains the acquisition history of each piece shown. And as senior curator of furniture at the Winterthur, the author is well qualified to describe its collections.
Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.