While demonstrating the high level of artistry attained by furniture-makers of the period, this selection in many ways reflects the evolving character of domestic life in America during a seminal period in the country's history.

The genesis of this volume was the discovery, in 1975, of a faded copy of the inventory of States Dyckman's possessions, taken shortly after his death in 1806. The document raised many questions about the furnishings then on display in Boscobel, and initiated a period of extensive research and reevaluation. It was the architectural beauty of Boscobel, rather than its historical associations, that guided its rescuers in the 1950's and encouraged the conception of Boscobel as States Dyckman's dreamhouse, recreating, on the banks of the Hudson, the elegance and luxury he had enjoyed during his extended sojourns in England. English and Continental furnishings were collected, and surviving examples of Dyckman's own purchases were overwhelmed by crystal chandeliers and elaborate floral carpets. --Preface.

This rich history of marquetry is presented in cintext by one of its most ardent and taslented proponents - Silas Kopf. A distinguished cabinetmaker for more than thirty years, Kopf identifies the origins and influences of numerous decorative arts and architectural elements taht have and continue to have an impact on his own work. AUTHOR: Forword by Glenn Adamson, Head of Graduate Studies abd Deputy Head of Research, Victoria ALbert Museum, London. 320 colour illustrations

The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts covers thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western culture. With over 1,000 entries, as well as hundreds drawn from the 34-volume Dictionary of Art, this topical collection is a valuable resource for those interested in the history, practice, and mechanics of the decorative arts. Accompanied by almost 100 color and more than 500 black and white illustrations, the 1,290 pages of this title include hundreds of entries on artists and craftsmen, the qualities and historic uses of materials, as well as concise definitions on art forms and style. Explore the works of Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, and the Wiener Wekstatte, or delve into the history of Navajo blankets and wing chairs in thousands of entries on artists, craftsmen, designers, workshops, and decorative art forms.

A Storied Past: Collections of the Historic Odessa captures the historical character and significance of two important late-18th-century houses, each of which retains a high percentage of original furnishings and locally made objects. Over the past several years, the collections have undergone careful examination and interpretation. One hundred are published along with four interpretive chapters. Relatively few historic sites have received this level of investigative treatment. Additionally, several of the hitherto-unpublished objects relate to others already in the decorative and fine arts lexicon. Using rich archival and genealogical sources, Philip D. Zimmerman brings to light here for the first time an extraordinary array of decorative and fine arts from the collections at the Historic Odessa Foundation. This well-documented group of family objects provides an intimate glimpse into the daily life of members of the Corbit and Wilson families in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and also sheds light on the history of Odessa, Delaware, and the larger region. Particularly strong holdings of furniture made by John Janvier and his talented sons and nephew allow informative contrasts with products made in Delaware, Phil­adelphia, and elsewhere. Needlework and other textiles made by Corbit and Wilson women char­acterize their handiwork. Other objects tell other stories. Some, labeled by their nineteenth-century owners for posterity, document evolving trends in early collecting and historic preservation. The richly illustrated book includes more than 200 photographs, including many details and historic images, along with careful physical descriptions and historical documentation. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, A Storied Past illuminates a wealth of furnishings, works of art, and artifacts with common provenances and interlocking histo­ries and places them into the artistic, social, and historical contexts of their time. The collections documented here furnish the Corbit-Sharp (1774) and Wilson-Warner (1769) houses, built on adjoining lots by a tanner and a merchant and now maintained by the Historic Odessa Foundation. Subsequent generations valued and preserved the two houses and many furnish­ings. The Wilson house opened in 1923 as the first historic house museum in Delaware. The Corbit house remained in family hands until H. Rodney Sharp bought it in 1938 to preserve it. Furniture owned in the family of John Janvier, the noted cabi­netmaker in Odessa, was added in the 1970s, and the Foundation has continued to acquire Corbit and Wilson family furnishings as well as locally made furniture in the years since. Those interested in historic houses and late 18th and early 19th century life, American antique collectors (especially of furniture), and those with local interests will find this book interesting.

"Masterpieces of American Furniture, edited by Anna Tobin D'Ambrosio, the Curator of Decorative Arts since 1989 at Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute Museum of Art, offers concise, engaging text accompanied by exquisite photography. Essays on more than 65 finely crafted examples of American furniture encompass nearly every nineteenth-century style and explore the careers of America's preeminent cabinetmakers and shops including Charles Baudouine, Hugh and John Finlay, Edward Hutchings, John Henry Belter, Herter Brothers, R. J. Horner & Co., Kimbel and Cabus, Kilian Brothers, J. and J. W. Meeks, Anthony Quervelle, and M. & H. Schrenkeisen Mfg. Co. Each footnoted essay offers perceptive new research into historical antecedents, stylistic preferences, manufacturing techniques, and the complex nature of the nineteenth-century furniture trade."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Beautiful and scholarly study. A must for collectors!