|
|
|
The absence of a dictionary of sculptors working in bronze had been brought to the notice of the publisher ever since the first Antique Collectors’ Club book appeared in 1968. However, until one examines the sources that have to be covered, it is difficult to realise the complexity of the task.
Very much an international scholar, the author combed all the major works of Bénézit, Gunnis, and Thieme-Becker as a preliminary exercise. Sale catalogues of the major London and Continental auction houses were consulted over a thirty year period and these produced a rare harvest of sculptors who appeared in none of the known references. The art and antique journals were examined – most of them since their first issues and including British and European publications. Catalogues and guides to important exhibitions of both past and contemporary artists from the Great Exhibition onwards were also studied.
But a book of this nature also involves a considerable amount of leg work; most of the museums and art galleries in the British Isles and many of the major institutions of Europe have been visited by the author in the course of his researches. Bronze hunting was not confined to Europe and included visits to museums, art galleries, public buildings and private collections in five continents. Anyone familiar with other dictionaries published by the Antique Collectors’ Club may well feel that, like them, this has been a labour of love. What started as a list of about 4,000 of the artists of the western world has ended up with some 8,500. It will without doubt become the standard work of reference on this fascinating subject.
The Author
James Mackay was born in Inverness, educated at Hillhead High School and the University of Glasgow where he read history.
He began writing about collectable subjects while serving in the Army in the Outer Hebrides and has since become one of the most versatile and prolific writers on every aspect of collecting.
He was formerly The Financial Times columnist on philately and numismatics and is a regular contributor to a number of collectors’ magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. He lives in Glasgow and is a keen collector of a variety of antiques. |
|
|
|
|
Click Here For
Top of Page
|
|
