Treasures of Chatsworth: A private view

This is a picture book. One picture each of 99 items is shown, with a short description/history caption on the facing page. The items are valuable, no doubt, but they just aren’t as interesting shown by themselves instead of in their places in the incredible Chatsworth itself.For seeing the valuables in their “natural settings”, I highly recommend the (now deceased) Duchess of Devonshire’s book on her home, the home she helped save for her family in spite of back-breaking death duties,  . The Duchess was a gifted writer. Her narrative abilities really shine here.This gift of words also shows in the 18-page Introduction to this book, “Treasures of Chatsworth”: “As each generation has added to the collections there is something to please everyone, from Egyptian antiquities to paintings and sculptures of today, and others which make people draw in their breath over their ugliness: that is Chatsworth.”My favorite item shown in this book is a giant marble foot, some 40 inches long, probably early Roman. The Duchess explains: “For most of this century it has been considered to be a nineteenth-century forgery. However its authenticity was established in 1983 when a connection was made between it and the matching right foot, which had lain unnoticed in the basement of the State Museum in East Berlin.”If you can only get one book on Chatsworth, I recommend the “big” book in my 2nd paragraph. This book I rate 3.4 stars, rounded down to 3.Happy Reader

I am a fan of the author and I particularly purchased this volume because it was stated to be an autographed/signed edition which it was not.

This is really the best book I have seen on period homes in England.

Delivered promptly, so we can bone up on a program the Duke of Devonshire is presenting at the end of June.

Comprehensive coverage and behind the scenes details!

small book....was not very impressed with tex or anything

This book is now quite old. At the time she wrote it the author was the wife of the11th Duke of Devonshire, who died some years ago. Chatsworth was their main Country House and it is filled with many treasuresA number of travelling exhibitions of treasures from Chatsworth have circulated around various American MuseumsMost of these focused on the superb collection of Master Drawings mainly collected by the 2 nd DukeOne if not two exhibitions showed a wider range of objectsThe current book shows a collection of the Duchess's favourite worksThe book has an introduction where the Duchess comments about some of the works in the book along with a family tree showing how they relate to other noble families. ( this is an aid as a some of the treasures entered the family via there relations eg. The Earl of Burlington )The sections coverPaintingsSculptureDrawingsGold and SilverCeramics, Jewellery,and Objets of VertuIllustrated Books and ManuscriptsFurniture, Woodcarvings and a ToyThere is a 2 page spread with a helpful text on the left and a colour illustration on the right. The reproductions are well doneThe highlight for me were the 18 paintings. These are not often seen.( I don't know which are on public display at Chatsworth). My favourites areVelasquez "Portrait of a Woman in a Mantilla" ex Burlington CollectionMurillo "the Holy Family"Frans Hals " A Portrait of a Man"Rembrandt " King Uzziah Stricken with Leprosy"? Thomas Wyck " A View of London from Southwark"John Singer Sargent. "A Portrait of the Acheson Sisters "Each of the sections has wonderful objects.This is the Duchess 's personal selection from the vast number of treasures at Chatsworth . if you have been to Chatsworth you may have seen some of the objects and it may remind you of your visitIf , like me you haven't been this is like taking a guided tour with the ownerHighly Recommended

This book is very much like an exhibition catalogue, with full colour photographs of the various treasures, and a rather dry and academic museum-label description of the item written by the collection Keeper. The (Dowager) Duchess of Devonshire's sole contribution to the book is the introduction at the start, full of her wit and style and imperial measurements. She merrily uses inches and furlongs instead of the centimetres found in the item descriptions. There are some familiar items here and some rarely seen being tucked away in the private rooms, all in all it's a wonderful glimpse of the many treasures of this house. The Canalettos and the huge silver candlebra from the State Dressing Room may be familiar to visitors, but sketches by Da Vinci and Raphael and the fabulous books of illuminated script probably aren't. Ultimately it's less satisfying that Debo's other books, particularly with her small contribution, and there's an awful lot of blank paper in this book - it could have far more in it. Nevertheless anyone who enjoys this wonderful Derbyshire house will enjoy browsing through the book.

An excellent book, as a former guide at chatsworth I am always interested in anything about this fantastic house. the photographs are splendid as are the descriptions of the artifacts in the house, a book for the enthusiast.

Fantastic book

wonderful author

love it