Fine Craftsmanship

French Bronzes in the Wallace Collection

242 x 280 mm, paperback, 112 pages, 67 colour illus., 84 black and white
PRICE: £20.00
ISBN: 978 0 900785 78 8

By Robert Wenley

The group of about one hundred French bronzes in the Wallace Collection is justly considered one of the finest such collections in the world. Fifty-one of the best are featured in this book, the first in-depth study of the subject in English. They range in date from about 1570 to about 1840. Among them are the two most valuable items in the collection of Louis XIV, fine bronzes made for his predecessor, Louis XIII, and an exceptional portrait of his ancestor, Charles IX.

Each sculpture is superbly reproduced in colour. Introductory essays provide a history of French bronze statuettes; an exploration of the taste of the Marquesses of Hertford for them; and an examination of their casting and finishing techniques.

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