American Furniture: From the Kaufman Collection

ABRAMS, 1987. Hard cover. Very Good/Very Good. In Very Good+ condition with Very Good+ Dustjacket. Issued in conjunction with a 1986-1987 exhibition. An extensively annotated and beautifully illustrated catalogue, with glossary and list of comparative details, making this an ideal reference for scholars, collectors, and dealers. 263 pages; 28 b/w, 150 color plates. Contains three essays: "American Furniture Styles in the Colonial Period" by Morrison H. Heckscher; "The Neoclassical Style in New England and New York, 1785-1840" by Wendy A. Cooper; "The Neoclassical Style in Philadelphia and the South, 1785-1840" by Gregory R. Weidman. One of America’s first great art forms was furniture. Over the century from the period just before the American Revolution to the full flourishing of the Republic in the decades before the Civil War, American architecture and furniture alike demonstrated the importation, adaptation, and transformation of inherited European forms. Aside from being one of the largest and most refined collections of early American furniture in private hands, the works included here from the collection of George and Linda Kaufman exemplify American craftsmanship at its highest quality and offer vivid lessons in the evolution of national and regional tastes during this highly productive period of our nation’s development. In addition, the Kaufman collection offers a marvelous opportunity for comparing the different tastes and achievements from the great regional centers of production, such as Boston, Newport, Philadelphia, and New York.