Leading French expert on decorative arts Jean-Louis Gaillemin recounts the fascinating history of antiques starting with how this profession was born and established in Europe and it evolution from the French Revolution through today's most important dealers in Paris. The author provides a tantalizing account of how, whne and why, over the past two centuries, Paris, the world capital of the antiques market, attributed (or denied) certain antiques and antiques dealers their popularity and reputation. Complementing this histroical account, the book includes a practical guide which lists the addresses of Parisian dealers by district and speciality along with key museums. Luxurious, richly illustrated and informative, this book is an essential item for both amateur and professional antiques collectors, and all those taken by the irresistable allure of the world of antiques and the Parisian market in particular.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Another spectacularly beautiful book from the Paris-based publisher Assouline, Antiquaires traces the history of the antiques-dealing profession from its origins in the 16th century to the present day. From the friperie merchant and upholsterer of the ancien régime to today's dealers in antiques and second-hand furniture, antiques dealers remain the middlemen between the serious collector and the past. They are magicians who cast a spell upon the detritus of times past, turning them into treasure-troves prized by the rich and powerful. This book is a celebration of that magic.
It is a challenge indeed to evoke the Parisian antiques dealers and their history, but author Jean-Louis Gaillemin is up to it. The owners of modern art galleries who monitor the work of their artists are actors in the history of art, but antiques dealers, like collectors, create the history of taste, a history that is more subtle, more discreet, and certainly more subjective. While the collectors may sometimes allow a peep inside their doors, antiques dealers are a more secretive lot. Very little has been written about them, and their memoirs have usually proven more anecdotal (though humorous) than useful. Their stock is more ephemeral by definition, and even their large numbers discourage the would-be chronicler.
Gaillemin was conscious of the gaps in this area of study and the choices he was forced to make. Priority is given to "general" dealers who combine objects, furnishings, paintings, and sculptures, to the detriment of the specialists, but that's a minor quibble. Superb photographs done especially for this book capture the brilliance and grandeur of the showrooms, while the thoroughly documented text, rich with cultural references and enlivened by interviews with current leading dealers, provides a solid introduction to the present-day defenders of the great French tradition. And the exhaustive listing of the dealers, their specialties, and their addresses at the back of the book serves as a tantalizing aperitif for anyone preparing for that oft-delayed sojourn to the City of Light. --Charles Decker
From Library Journal
Antiques dealers are sometimes the unseen people in interior design, who assist and influence interior designers with their choice of furniture and decorative accessories. Gaillemin showcases the "general" antiques dealers of Paris, those who deal in a combination of furniture, decorative accessories, and art and whose taste is reflected in contemporary interior design. The descriptions of the dealers' interests and businesses are divided into the styles of the antiques they sellAclassic, modern, and eclecticAaccompanied by color photographs of their shops. A detailed history of antiques dealing in Paris and a directory of Paris antiques dealers are included. For large interior design and antiques collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A joy for the eyes and for the mind,
By
This review is from: Antiquaires : The Finest Antique Dealers in Paris (Hardcover)
Jean-Louis Gaillemin is a great connoisseur of antiques and in this book, where he tells the story of the great antique dealers of Paris, he shares with the reader his enthousiasm for objects and furniture who speak the language of the past. It is a sort of a sentimental journey in the fascination of bygone ages, where everybody can feel at ease in magnificent rooms and "galeries". Reading the rich texts of Gaillemin and looking at the lavish photographs of Laziz Hamani, one has the sensation to be in these splendid places. A great book written with style by a master of style.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Antiques Dealing as an Art Form,
By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Antiquaires : The Finest Antique Dealers in Paris (Hardcover)
Jean-Louis Gallemin has created a book, Antiquaries: The Finest Antiques Dealers in Paris, that not only will please the curiosity and the eye of those who love French antiques, it is also one of the most informative texts on the history of dealing in antiques. Far from a dry dissertation defending those who have gathered antiques from neglected estates (or those with even more intrigue!), this book is a detailed history of antiques dealing in Paris with the generous and luxuriously complete directory of Paris antiques dealers today.
The publishing house of Assouline engaged the services of photographer Laziz Hamani to capture the myriad articles of furniture, art and decorative accessories that in the hands of the fine dealers visited by Gaillemin. The photographs are not only documentary but are also a form of still life: Hamani understands the play of light on the works selected and each photograph is suggestive of a fine old painting. This very elegantly presented volume serves as a guide to the history of an old profession, a guide to antiques, and a lovely introduction to the particular haunts of Paris that quietly boast its past. Grady Harp, June 06
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
LUSCIOUS!,
By Mary Krueger (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Antiquaires : The Finest Antique Dealers in Paris (Hardcover)
this is an elegant & rich book in both visual and information... a must-have for anyone interested in the beautiful aesthete of Paris!
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