The importance of A. W. N. Pugin (1812-52) in architecture and
design in England and beyond is incontestable. The leading
architect of the Gothic Revival, Pugin is one of the most
significant figures of the mid-nineteenth century and one of the
greatest designers. His correspondence furnishes more insight into
the man and more information about his work than any other source.
This volume, the last of five, contains letters from 1851 and the
first months of 1852; after that, Pugin's health failed and he died
in September. In the great event of the period, the international
exhibition held in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, the display of
objects made to Pugin's design, which he planned and oversaw, was
an outstanding success, bringing substantial commercial benefit to
his colleagues and spreading Pugin's influence even more widely
than before. The value of his judgment was recognized in his
appointment to two committees in connection with the Great
Exhibition. Frantic though the preparations for what came to be
known as the Medieval Court were, Pugin made time to write for
publication. He issued letters and pamphlets in explanation,
defence, and support of the Catholic Church and its re-established
hierarchy, and turned again to the conundrum that had long teased
him, the relation between the faith and the form, not only
architectural, in which it found expression. He completed the book
on chancel screens conceived some years before. At home in The
Grange at Ramsgate, he continued to design stained glass windows,
for other architects as well as his own clients, and supervised the
production of cartoons; he poured out designs in his usual fields
of metalwork, ceramics, furniture, carving, and wallpaper, and
branched out, not always happily, into new areas such as embroidery
and the decoration of piano cases. The demand for drawings for
Westminster, where the House of Commons was due to open early in
1852, was as incessant as ever. His last child, Edmund Peter, was
born in 1851 only a few months before his first grandchild,
Mildred. Both were baptized in the church of St Augustine which he
was still building next to his house and where he himself was soon
to be laid in the vault he provided for the purpose. The volume
also includes some letters which have come to light too late for
inclusion in their proper chronological places and some texts of
doubtful authenticity.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
