Winterthur Book

Winterthur, the great country estate near Wilmington, Delaware, was the private residence of Henry Francis du Pont from 1880 to 1969. Transformed into a distinguished museum and showcase garden set on 950 acres, Winterthur's collection of early American decorative arts is the largest, richest, and most diverse in the world. Today the collection, which spans the years 1640 to 1860, comprises more than 89,000 objects in 175 period rooms and other display areas. First published in 1985, this book on Winterthur has now been expanded and updated to include chapters on the new exhibition building, known as the Galleries, and the magnificent garden. The gardens, long a personal passion of du Pont's, have recently been further melded into a single garden and landscape experience. Jay E. Cantor senior vice president at Christie's International, offers an informed and engaging view of du Pont and his activities in the evolving collecting climate of the day, and there are many vintage quotes from du Pont's correspondence that reveal his collecting methods, ideas, and concerns.

200 illustrations, 100 in full color, 240 pages, 9 x 11-3/4"