Liechtenstein. The Princely Collections By Reinhold Baumstark

Softback in good condition.

Please pay within three days of the close of auction. Collection is from Avondale.

The Liechtenstein collection dates from the 17th century, and like all royal collections it is idiosyncratic. Several princes fancied elegant pistols; only a few appreciated fine porcelain. Much of the sculpture was copied from famous Classical and Italian Baroque pieces, commissioned by a monarch who wished to emulate the Italian aristocracy. The paintings, however, are among the finest in the world, the subject of an earlier work, Masterpieces from the Collection of the Princes of Liechtenstein , by Baumstark, the collection's director ( LJ 1/1/82). Most of this catalog was written by Metropolitan Museum staff, and it is thoroughly documented and beautifully illustrated. Art research libraries should have this in addition to Baumstark's work.