 beautiful book, fabulous collection
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.
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