A Taste for Splendor: Russian Imperial and European Treasures from the Hillwood Museum
by Anne Odom, Liana P Arend
Marjorie Merriweather Post exhibited a taste for splendor in her collecting and in the furnishing of Hillwood, her residence in Washington, D.C. She first began to acquire Sevres porcelain and French furniture and tapestries in the 1920s and became interested in Russian art in 1937, when she lived in the Soviet Union as wife of the Ambassador. She continued to collect both French and Russian art for the rest of her life, eventually amassing the largest and most comprehensive Russian collection outside of Russia. This volume views the masterpieces in the Hillwood collection in chronological fashion without regard to national origin, allowing an understanding of Russian art of the 18th and 19th centuries within a broader European context.
• 1998, Art Services International; Paperback, New. ISBN: 0883971283 / ISBN-13: 9780883971284
• Publisher: Art Services International ; Published: 1998 ; Language: English: Numerous color and bw plates.
The Hillwood Museum in Washington houses the Russian Imperial and European art collected by Mrs. Marjorie Merriweather Post, an accomplished businesswoman and passionate connoisseur. The collection is unique in the United States and probably in the world outside Russia and was started when Post accompanied her husband, Ambassador Joseph E. Davies, to Russia in 1937-38. Excellent photographs convey the beauty of the house and the splendor with which it was decorated. The collection contains pieces in every artistic medium including porcelain, landscape paintings, portraits, furniture, gold and silver objects, crystal, enamel boxes, and more? and each piece is a work of the highest quality and so arranged that one understands the full range of Russian Imperial achievement in the visual arts. This volume should be included in every library where works on Russian art and culture are collected. (Martin Chasin).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please read these revised notes:
For significant savings be sure to take advantage of any discount coupons that appear at checkout.
Offers are encouraged and welcomed however, Bonanza, by default, will not include the item’s shipping in any offer you make. Please keep this in mind. In any event, we’ll remind you of this when reviewing your offer.
Free shipping will apply on select items. It’s a “catchy phrase” but we won’t use it to “snare” you into paying more for an item than you should with inflated prices. Similarly, you will not find us offering a ridiculously low price for an item and then charging an equally ridiculously high shipping fee – as some sellers do.
Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have; we also welcome your comments, expertise, and suggestions. If you have additional information about an item or wish to share your knowledge of a particular item, we’d be delighted to hear from you.
Unless a seller can make a reference to a specific era when describing an item as “vintage” (e.g. vintage 1930’s hat) it’s useless prattle. We use the term sparingly, but for those who like it, we’ll throw it in now and then.
We do not use a “standard shipping” rate for books as many dealers do. That term usually means they’ve inflated the shipping charge; this, in turn, marginalizes the bargain you thought you were getting. And speaking of books: The grading system used by many sellers to describe their books can be, despite best efforts and intent, subjective and often disappointing. You’ll only find high quality material here: most are new or like new. Occasionally, there’s minor shelf wear or a publisher’s remainder mark, but the integrity of the book’s condition is unaltered.
BOOKS THAT ARE NOT RECENTLY PUBLISHED: A book described as new but published several years ago is a reference to its condition not it’s chronological publishing date. It may have have minor wear from long term storage but otherwise “look like new”.
Books may be returned but only if not as described
In all instances we try to honestly depict and describe our items. The lighting on some photos may have been enhanced to correct contrast or adjust brightness to provide a more accurate visual of an item's details and condition since colors may vary due to a monitor settings.
We offer prints made in the “ traditional” way such as serigraphs, stone lithos etc. because they are limited as opposed to reproductions like digital art such as giclees.
FEEDBACK: Most welcomed, but please contact us if you are unhappy with your purchase. We have a return policy and will gladly resolve any issue to your satisfaction. Mind the “knee-jerk” reactions, you may hurt yourself.
REFUNDS: In general: no fuss, and no problem. Items must be returned in the original condition within 10 days of receipt.
Please use caution when unwrapping glass items; best to unpack while over a bed or sofa.
LOSSES AND DAMAGE WHILE IN TRANSIT: Because losses in transit are almost never recoverable, we self insure. For items over $100.00 we will purchase insurance for you at no cost. You must notify us of any loss immediately however.
INTERNATIONAL BUYERS PLEASE NOTE: We are very appreciative of our international customers but regret that we can no longer accept orders that require shipping outside the United States.
We do not do appraisals nor do we purchase unsolicited items; we will, however, consider consignments. Similarly, please don’t ask us to research an item for you or to opine about an item you may have that is similar; we are not appraisers nor do we have unlimited expertise.
Please be sure you have read these statements and only purchase if you agree with them
------------------------------------------------
New to this site? Wondering how to make an offer?
Once you've found the set of stuff you want/need/can't live without, click the "Add To Cart" button on the item's page, or drag the item into your shopping cart (located on the right side of the booth and item pages). When you're done shopping, click "Checkout" on your cart to see the items you've added.
Once you have clicked "Checkout," all items in your cart will be grouped by seller. Depending on what options the seller allows, you may be allowed to edit any of the following options:
* Payment type (Google Checkout, money order, Paypal, or cash)
* Shipping or pickup
* Quantity of items
* Total offer price
For any of the above options that can be edited, you can set their value by clicking on the "Edit" link next to the option. There are a variety of reasons you might not see edit links next to these options, which you can read about here.
When you're done editing options, you click "Propose Offers" or "Buy Now" to continue.