The Furniture of John Henry Belter and the Rococo Revival

by Schwartz, Marvin D.

• ISBN13: 9780970222206
• ISBN10: 0970222203
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-06-01
• Publisher: Antique Collectors Club Ltd

Summary

This landmark book is based on the extraordinary collection of furniture made by John Henry Belter belonging to Gloria and Richard Manney. The collection is without question the finest, most comprehensive assemblage of Belter pieces that has ever been formed, and because it is so comprehensive, it is now possible to study Belter's great work in real depth. The book is published in conjunction with an exhibition of the furniture that has been organized by the Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington, Massachusetts, and that is traveling to four additional museums throughout the United States. John Henry Belter, an immigrant from Germany, was the outstanding cabinetmaker of the mid-nineteenth century in America. Because of their graceful lines and gorgeously carved ornament Belter's pieces are a joy to the collectors and students of American Victorian cabinetmaking. Belter is known particularly for the furniture he created by the laminating of wood, a process that enabled him to fashion superb chairs, tables, sofas, and other important forms in the highly ornate Rococo Revival style that was the ultimate in fashion (and expense) in the period 1840 to 1865. Discussed in depth are Belter's career as a cabinetmaker, the techniques and aesthetics of his furniture construction, a comparison of Belter's work with that of his competitors, and the relationship between Belter's style and the rococo style of eighteenth-century Europe. Lastly, the book is profusely illustrated in both color and halftone and features many large details showing the beauty of the wood and the carving. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Marvin D. Schwartz, a noted scholar, author and preservationist, has dedicated his life to uniting the worlds of painting, sculpture, architecture and the decorative arts into one integrated view of the world of art. He has tirelessly pursued this goal through an illustrious career that includes work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, and the Brooklyn Museum Ed Stanek has a doctorate in physics from Iowa State University. He is the CEO of the Iowa Lottery and the inventor of the Powerball lottery game. Ed has been director of several state agencies and serves on numerous boards and commissions. He is on the board of directors of the Vintage Mutual Funds and is a member of the Curatorial Committee for Terrace Hill, the Iowa Governor's mansion and historic property. He has also been president of the organization that finances the mansion's collections and has been president of the Victorian Society Foundation Douglas K. True is Vice President and Treasurer of the University of Iowa and serves on a number of University and national boards engaged in the advancement of higher education. For over 25 years he has studied and collected 19th century furniture and decorative arts

Table of Contents

Foreword	vi
Gloria Manney
Introduction	1	(1)
Marvin D. Schwartz
John Henry Belter: His Reputation Through the Years	2	(3)
Marvin D. Schwartz
Distinguishing Belter as a Generic Term from Belter as a Cabinetmaker	5	(4)
Marvin D. Schwartz
Technical Observations	9	(15)
Edward J. Stanek
Douglas K. True
The Basic Facts and Some Theories about John Henry Belter's Origins	24	(6)
Marvin D. Schwartz
The Rococo Revival Style and the Work of John Henry Belter	30	(7)
Marvin D. Schwartz
A Gallery of Belter Furniture from the Collection of Gloria and Richard Manney	37	(49)
Marvin D. Schwartz
Edward J. Stanek
Douglas K. True
Bibliography	86	(1)
Index	87