French Art of the Eighteenth Century at the Huntington [Hardcover]

Colin B. Bailey (Author), Malcolm Baker (Author), Shelley M. Bennett (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300135947 | ISBN-13: 978-0300135947 | Publication Date: April 2008

The French art collection at the Huntington Library is remarkable for its depth and breadth. This authoritative and beautifully illustrated book focuses on the nearly 300 objects in the collection, including its exceptional examples of furniture, clocks, gilt bronzes, gold snuff boxes, porcelain, tapestries, sculpture, and paintings.Organized by media, the book combines research on the social, cultural, and artistic settings of the period with detailed studies of the individual artworks. The essays and entries illuminate a broad range of issues concerning the production, consumption, and use of the objects in the collection and contribute to a nuanced understanding of French domestic and cultural life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shelley Bennett is senior research associate and former curator of British and European Art at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA. Carolyn Sargentson is head of research at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Published in association with The Henry E. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 555 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (April 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300135947
• ISBN-13: 978-0300135947
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 10 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,535,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful book, fabulous collection, April 21, 2009

By 

Ivor E. Zetler (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: French Art of the Eighteenth Century at the Huntington (Hardcover)

Possessing a huge fortune is an inestimable help in building a large and high quality art collection. Arabella Huntington, in marrying two immensely wealthy men (firstly Collis and later his nephew Henry Huntington) was in this enviable position. She was also ably assisted by Joseph Duveen, the legendary art dealer and salesman. Duveen was a genius at selling (and pandering) to the rich. He saw the Huntingtons as cash cows and exploited them as such.

As displayed in this magnificent catalogue, Arabella and Henry Huntington built up a fabulous collection of French art and decorative art. There are exceptional examples of paintings, tapestries, porcelain, gold boxes, sculpture and clocks. These are now housed in the Huntington Library.

Everything about this issue is luxurious; the quality of the color photography, the accompanying articles and the annotation of the works catalogued. This book is strongly recommended for anyone interested in this area in is well worth the asking price.