An Illustrated History of Interior Decoration: From Pompeii to Art Nouveau

This prize book on the subject of domestic decoration . . . enchantingly informs us about the evolution of taste and comfort. Art & Auction The appeal of this extraordinary book lies in its rapt obsession with the details of the domestic interior borne out in a wonderfully rich collection of pictures. These charming paintings and watercolors mostly dating from 1770 to 1860 and coming from all over Europe Russia and America record with faithful accuracy the shape of a room 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 pictures find their place in a complete survey of domesticand some more palatialinteriors portrayed in art from the ancient world to the late nineteenth century and including works by Vermeer Hogarth Durer Degas and Vuillard. The text goes beyond scholarly commentary to present an evolving picture of men and women in relation to domestic surroundings full of human interest wit and wide-ranging cultural references. Mario Praz (18961982) was Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Rome. The most celebrated of his many other books is The Romantic Agony. 400 64 in color