Soon after her arrival in Russia in 1744 the future Catherine the Great lamented the pitiful scarcity of furniture in the Imperial palaces. Within less than a hundred years those palaces, and the grandiose apartments which sprang up alongside them in the burst of building activity that gripped Russia at the end of the eighteenth century, were filled with magnificent furniture, as befitted their sumptuous decor. Russia had enjoyed a cultural renaissance, in which the skills of decorative artists were nurtured as never before, and out of this ferment emerged an autonomous Russian style, distinguished by its exhilerating freedom of expression and ornamentation, its exceptional diversity of forms and materials, and the dazzling virtuosity of its craftsmanship. This remarkable period and the flamboyant style it engendered have only recently excited interest in the West; literature on this subject is not only scarce, but also largely written in Russian. Russian Furniture - the culmination of many years' research in the Soviet Union and the West - is therefore valuable as a comprehensive study in English of the development and evolution of Russian furnture styles during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Antoine Chenviere examines the period chronologically and highlights particulat artists such as David Roentgen, Heinrich Gambs and Andrei Voronikin.
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Book Description
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About the Author
Antoine Cheneviere was born in Switzerland and later studied at the school of Beaux-Arts in Geneva. He furthered his studies in Milan and Paris and developed a passion for Russian furniture. In 1976 he opened his first gallery in Geneva and then in London in 1985. As a specialist dealer, Antoine Cheneviere realised the lack of information on this subject and decided to write a book which is the only complete study on Russian furniture. He has become an international authority on Russian furniture and his advice is sought by collectors and museums.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, comprehensive and enjoyable,
By Robert Atchison (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Russian Furniture: The Golden Age 1780-1840 (Hardcover)
I cannot recommend this book more. We are very lucky it is back in print. A year ago you couldn't find a copy... The book is well written and researched, the illustrations are excellent and no collector, dealer or Russophile should be without it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Russian Furniture: The Golden Age 1780-1840,
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This review is from: Russian Furniture: The Golden Age 1780-1840 (Hardcover)
WOW,I can not praise this book enough...
I purchased the 1st edition in '90 for a few hundred dollars, and refer to this work constantly, it is just irreplaceable. Richly and profusely illustrated, 312 pages of a good read,and not much fluff. "Chance Favors the Prepared Mind", and after poring over this book for 7 years, I "chanced" upon a PAIR of Russian Empire ormolu mounted mahogany bergeres at an estate sale.This one book, more than any other, has rewarded me in every way. Truly... a MUST HAVE.
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