Dva veka frant͡suzskoĭ elegantnosti

This catalogue of a exhibition displays French decorative art from collections of the imperial family, the Stroganovs, the Sheremetovs, and the Shtiglits Institute of Technical Drawing, which all ended up in the Hermitage after the 1917 revolution. Russian collectors were especially interested in works made from the middle of the seventeenth century, when France took the lead in European decorative arts, through the eighteenth century. In the introduction to the catalogue the curator of the Hermitage{u2019}s collection follows the changing styles of French art and explores how it reflected a way of life, especially that of the court at Versailles. Entries on each work point out its distinct traits and note analogous works in other museums. Many of the works published here are not on permanent display in the Hermitage: hence the significance of the catalogue. Besides many items used to furnish palace interiors, the catalogue also publishes examples of French embroidery, lace, and arms and armor. The format facilitates study reproducing details of many works, nicely reproduced, many on two-page spreads. -- Summary written by John W. Emerich, Bronze Horseman Literary Agency.