The authors, Danielle Kisluk-Grosheide and Jeffrey Munger, are curators in the Metropolitan Museum's Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. They oversaw the recent reinstallation of the Wrightsman Galleries --Book Jacket.
The Elegant Auctioneers tells the behind-the-scenes stories of the fabulous collectors and the equally fabulous auctioneers who reflected the changes in American taste over several generations. More than a study of changing tastes and manners, and more than a social history, The Elegant Auctioneers is packed with the tales of kings and connoisseurs--as bizarre and heterogeneous a crowd as any to be found. Book jacket.
George Myers was one of the great Master Builders of the Victorian Age. Born in 'Hull in 1803, he gained renown as 'Pugin's Builder' and - from his workshops in Hull and then in London - directed a nationwide contracting business. Myers executed many of Pugin's buildings, such as cathedrals in Newcastle, Birmingham, Nottingham and Southwark and the Medieval Court for the Great Exhibition of 1851. In fact Myers undertook work for nearly 100 other architects. This included the original camp at Aldershot, military hospitals and the Staff College, Broadmoor Hospital and restoration work at the Guildhall, the Towers of London, Windsor Castle and extensive work for the Rothschilds. He died in London in 1875. This book, based on original research, provides a fascinating account of mid-19th century England and some of its most interesting figures. It contains hitherto unpublished drawings by Pugin.