An Illustrated History of Interior Decoration

The appeal of this extraordinary book lies in its rapt obsession with the details of the domestic interior, borne out in a wonderfully rich collection of pictures. These charming paintings and water-colours, mostly dating from 1770 to 1860 and coming from all over Europe, Russia and America, record with faithful accuracy the shape of a room, the pattern of a carpet, the furniture, pictures, fabrics and wall coverings, the hang of the curtains and the fall of the light they admit. The pictures find their place in a complete survey of domestic – and some more palatial – interiors portrayed in art from the ancient world to the late 19th century, and including works by Vermeer, Hogarth, Dürer, Degas and Vuillard. The text goes beyond scholarly commentary to present an evolving picture of men and women in relation to domestic surroundings, full of human interest, wit and wide-ranging cultural references.