Dante Gabriel Rossetti

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Anthony Harvey & Richard Mortimer

Westminster Abbey contains a unique and important group of effigies, some familiar, many less so, including kings, queens and national heroes, and ranging in time from the middle ages to the early 19th century. This richly illustrated book is both a history of the collection and of the origins and development of the funeral effigy, and a full descriptive catalogue of the twenty-one effigies in the Abbey. For the first time, both the medieval wooden effigies and the later wax figures with contemporary clothing are considered together. The death mask of Edward III dates back to the beginnings of portraiture in medieval Europe; other fine examples include representations of Henry VII, Charles II, Pitt and Nelson. The collection is also remarkable for its rare historical costumes, including Charles II's Garter robes, Nelson's hat, extraordinary Georgian paste jewellery, rare early silks and shoes, and probably the oldest stuffed bird in England. In the first substantial publication on the collection since 1936, some objects are catalogued for the first time since their restoration after damage in the Second World War; an account of this restoration is included in the catalogue, which also contains a full treatment of the significance of each effigy in royal funeral ceremonial and in the history of art.

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Giorgio Vasari

In his Lives of the Artists of the Italian Renaissance, Vasari demonstrated a literary talent that outshone even his outstanding abilities as a painter and architect. Through character sketches and anecdotes he depicts Piero di Cosimo shut away in his derelict house, living only to paint; Giulio Romano's startling painting of Jove striking down the giants; and his friend Francesco Salviati, whose biography also tells us much about Vasari's own early career. Vasari's original and soaring vision plus his acute aesthetic judgements have made him one of the most influential art historians of all time.

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Kim Sloan

The words 'amateur artist' conjure up a picture of Victorian ladies and gentlemen sketching in watercolours out of doors. This text challenges such an image, describing and illustrating over 200 works from the British Museum's collections.

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Keith Moskow and Robert Linn

"Each year the pristine beaches, lush pine forests, and picturesque New England towns of Martha’s Vineyard draw tens of thousands of admirers to this beautiful island. Some of these visitors have become part-time residents, building contemporary homes alongside the traditional Victorian cottages, sea captains’ mansions, and colonial farmhouses that comprise the island’s cultural and architectural heritage. Rarely does one find such a concentration of outstanding contemporary design. Authors Keith Moskow and Robert Linn... present twenty-five new houses that extend the traditional Vineyard vernacular of shingled houses and cottages. Each of the architects has described the goals for the project and the source of the design. Some reference nautical themes, others environmental concerns, and still others appropriateness of materials and scale. A significant number rely on a plan strategy based on a series of pavilions to minimize intrusion in the landscape while still taking advantage of views and prevailing breezes. What links the houses is that they are all built to stand the test of time in the sometimes extreme marine environment and they respectfully break with tradition."--Publisher description.