Customer Reviews

Splendors of Versailles

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the lavishly produced catalog for the impressive one-time, one-venue 1998 show of the same name at the Mississippi Arts Pavilion, in Jackson. The 225-page, 9x12 inch format heavy card-cover tome begins with outside and inside views of the major rooms of Versailles, mostly full-page size, then focuses on shots of the 120+ artifacts and installations included in that ambitious show.

The Mississippi Commission on International Cultural Exchange did a 1996 one-venue show on Russian Imperial Style that broke U.S. exhibition attendance records -- those folks do great work, and this show's catalog reflects it. Printed on heavy gloss paper in superb color, it includes well-selected paintings, tapestries, porcelains, the king's bedchamber installation, and the controversial 10-ton equestrian statue by Bernini.

This is a superb coffee table book, especially for the remarkably low (as of this writing) aftermarket price. I'm not familiar with the other extant Versailles books, but this one looks like a must-add to any enthusiast's collection. It would be in much higher demand -- and fetch higher prices -- if it weren't a show catalog, and hence not as well known as it might be. A royal sleeper!

One of the best there is to be found and explored.

Beautiful photography and a great deal of in-detail info. More than just a coffee table accessory, that is for sure.