Upholstered Furniture in the Lady Lever Art Gallery (Hardcover)

Sir William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851-1925), was among the foremost collectors of his age with as great a passion for the decorative arts as for painting and sculpture. This magnificent book explores one aspect of the outstanding collection of furniture that he bequeathed to the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight, Merseyside: pieces designed for human support - primarily seat furniture, but also beds, footstools and a coach model. Most of this remarkable collection in British, but the largest and one of the most important sets was made in Rome for Napoleon's uncle, Cardinal Fesch. For each piece the patrons, designers and makers, as well as wider aspects of design, manufacture and upholstery, and usage are all investigated in a meticulous examination of the evidence.