Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The National Gallery possesses an outstanding collection of French seventeenth-century paintings, in part a reflection of the enthusiasm with which British collectors once acquired the works of Poussin and Claude. Many of the greatest works of these two French masters are in the Gallery; some, such as Claude's Enchanted Castle and Poussin's Triumph of Pan, acquired since the publication in 1957 of The French School by Martin Davies. In this new catalogue, Dr Wine takes a fresh look at these masterpieces, together with the work of artists such as Laurent de La Hyre, Philippe de Champaigne, Valentin de Boulogne and the Le Nain Brothers. Important paintings such as Champaigne's full-length Cardinal Richelieu, La Hyre's Allegorical Figure of Grammar and Eustache Le Sueur's Alexander and his Doctor are discussed in full. New research and information based on re-examination of each picture are combined with full-page colour illustrations, including details, technical photographs and comparative illustrations. This catalogue provides both an invaluable reference for studying seventeenth-century French painting, and a closer look at some of the most beautiful paintings in the Gallery's col

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Library Journal Review

This book is the catalog of 17th-century French paintings at London's National Gallery of Art, which has the strongest collection of works by Nicolas Poussin outside of the Louvre and one of the finest collections by Claude Lorrain in any museum. The thoughtful introductory essay by Wine, the National Gallery's curator of French painting, examines the history of collecting French paintings of this period in Great Britain. Under the rule of Charles I (1600-49), the country engaged in an active and passionate acquisition of French paintings from this period, and art criticism of both the 17th and the 18th centuries compared the best 17th-century French painters to those of the Italian Renaissance. Much of this book, however, documents specific paintings in the National Gallery's collection. Meticulously researched entries on each artwork and extensive footnotes and bibliographies are included. Nine color reproductions of the paintings, as well as technical photographs, details, and comparative illustrations, round out the catalog. Recommended for academic and museum libraries. Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll. Lib., MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

The collection of French 17th-century paintings in the National Gallery in London is of the greatest importance, featuring works of the highest quality by most of the major artists of the time and including more than a dozen each by Poussin and Claude Lorrain, and eight by Gaspar Dughet. (An introductory essay in this catalog traces the history of English taste for paintings of the period.) Wine, a curator at the National Gallery, has prepared a catalog worthy of the collection, superseding the 17th-century entries in Martin Davies's fine, but dated, catalog published in 1946. Wine is everywhere lucid, thorough, up-to-date, and judicious in assessing evidence. His notes on technique and condition are detailed, and he provides an exemplary bibliographical apparatus. Every painting is reproduced in high-quality color illustrations, and there is an abundance of related and comparative illustrations. This catalog will be an essential reference tool, and some of the more expansive entries might also serve as assigned readings in both graduate and undergraduate courses. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. D. Posner New York University