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Indlæser... Objects of Desire: The Lives of Antiques and Those Who Pursue Them (original 1993; udgave 1995)af Thatcher Freund (Forfatter)
Work InformationObjects of desire : the lives of antiques and those who pursue them af Thatcher Freund (1993)
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Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. In Objects of desire, Thatcher Freund observes that Americans generally do not have a great sense of style and that we are usually too pragmatic and focused on function to attach great importance to aesthetics in the objects we own. Objects of desire is about high-end American antique furniture and the dealers and owners who shaped and drove the market. Focusing on three pieces of 18th century American craftsmanship--a county Queen Ann painted blanket chest, a Chippendale card table and a satinwood sofa table--and set against the 1991 American antiques week show at the Armory in NYC, the story is more about the antiques market than American furniture. I enjoyed this, but some of the business information wasn't particularly interesting ( ) Who would have thought that a book about furniture and the people who own it could be of interest to anyone? Thatcher Freund, that’s who, and he was 100% correct. Objects of Desire was a non-fiction masterpiece which read like a thriller chock full of high finance, investigative analysis and a cast of colorful characters all connected to a bunch of wood. In just under 300 pages, Freund covers only THREE pieces of furniture which are considered “significant” in the field of art and antiques. Not only does he convey the accepted justifications of what makes these pieces important to their respective fields, but he outlines how some of these evaluations were not always obvious and the trials and tribulations of those who attempted to prove the point. Any viewer of Antiques Roadshow or reader of the Magazine Antiques will recognize many of these individuals (Keno, Garrett, the other Keno, Levy, etc.) and appreciate their respective roles in the saga. Written with a dynamic style, flitting between the three works (a Queen Anne style, painted blanket chest, a Chippendale sofa table and a Federal, turret-top card table), Freund creates a palpable tension as he provides the details not only on how the pieces were originally created in the 18th century but how and between whom they changed hands and how their tales culminated in their ultimate valuations during Americana Week in 1991. An absolute joy to read. The ONLY reason I did not give this work a 5 star review is that the publishers made the unconscionable decision NOT to include the photographs of the actual works in the paperback edition. I was crushed. The written descriptions are poetic and quite vivid, but a photograph of the details would have made this volume sing. Alas, that is what the internet is for. The book still holds its own as a powerful read for anyone with an appreciation for world of antiques. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
"This vivid journey into the world of antiques follows the fortunes of three eighteenth-century pieces of American furniture as they pass through the hands of twentieth-century pickers, dealers, restorers, and collectors, accruing new value while becoming objects of desire." "Among the many desirable objects on offer during the 1991 Americana Week in New York - the annual high point of antiques sales - are three prized pieces. One stands in a spolight at the Winter Antiques Show: a pine blanket chest made for a farmer in the 1750s and still wearing its original coat of robin's egg blue paint. The asking price is $250,000. A few blocks away, on display at Sotheby's, is a rare Chippendale card table, created in Philadelphia in 1759. The auction house is hoping that bidding for the piece will reach one million dollars. Also on display at Sotheby's is an inlaid sofa table from the Federal period, valued at $100,000, one of the prized possessions of a collector forced by circumstance to sell his cherished objects." "How these three pieces came to be at the apex of the American antiques market is the story of the evolution of the world of antiques: a world of bold enterprise, canny deal making, consuming aesthetic vision, and obsessive pursuit - all fueled by a passionate attraction to objects."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)749.214The arts Graphic arts and decorative arts Furniture and accessories Furniture GuidesLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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