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The appeal of this extraordinary book, a prized rarity now back in print after ten years, lies in its rapt obsession with the details of the domestic interior, borne out in wonderfully rich collection of pictures of a type seldom reproduced anywhere.
These charming paintings and watercolors, mostly dating from between 1770 and 1860 and coming from all over Europe, Russia and America, and are content to record with faithful accuracy the shape of a room, the grain of a wooden floor or the pattern of a carpet, the furniture, pictures, fabrics and wall coverings, the hang of the curtains and the fall of the light they admit. The effect is to convey something of the sacred quality with which ordinary domestic objects can be endowed.
These pictures find their place in a complete survey of domestic -- and some more palatial - interiors portrayed in art from the ancient world to the late 19th century, which includes works by well-known artists such as Vermeer, Hogarth, Durer, Degas, and Vuillard.
The text goes beyond scholarly commentary to present an evolving picture of man in relation to his domestic surroundings, full of human interest, wit and wide-ranging cultural references.
This book presents a warm and lively picture of homes of the past quite unrivalled by anything else, and offers anyone with an interest in period styles of furniture and decoration a completely indispensable reference source.
CONDITION: Hard Cover with Dust Jacket, Used with light wear only, with 400 illustrations, 64 in color, 396 pages, 1981
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