Georges Hoentschel (1855-1915) was a leading French interior designer in historic styles, head of a decorating firm, and ceramicist during the Belle Epoque. He found inspiration for his designs in Medieval and 18th-century French art, which he avidly collected amassing more than 4000 pieces of furniture, woodwork, metalwork, sculpture, paintings, and textiles. After visiting Hoentschel in Paris, the American financier J. Pierpont Morgan acquired the collection and bequeathed it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1906 and 1916-17. These works greatly enriched the museum's medieval art department and became the nucleus of its decorative arts department, profoundly influencing American tastes in the early 20th century. Through texts, early documentary photographs, and images of newly conserved works, "Salvaging the Past" goes behind the scenes to explore the history and influence of this remarkable collection.
- ISBN10 0300190247
- ISBN13 9780300190243
- Publish Date 4 June 2013
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 18 July 2016
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Yale University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 320
- Language English