European Sculpture by H. D. Molesworth

European Sculpture

From Romanesque to Rodin

by H. D. Molesworth

Thames and Hudson, 1965, colour and black and white photographs throughout, paperback

Very Good Condition, some edge and shelf wear, some rubbing, bumping to edges and corners, tape residue on cover in parts, no inscriptions (see photographs)

“To the majority of us the mention of sculpture first conjures up either visions of Classical remains or the wilder flights of modern non-representational art; this book is the first serios attempt in English to fill the gap.  IN fact the history of sculpture is a remarkably neglected field, and after Michelangelo and Bernini even Donatello can hardly be claimed as a popular figure.  H. D. Molesworth in collaboration with Peter Cannon Brookes has taken an overall view of the subject, charting out the major trends and explaining their relationships to contemporary political and social changes, rather than discussing individual contributions.  But first and foremost it is the sculpture that is made to speak; the text illustrates the sculpture and not vice versa.  The field covered ranges from the earliest Romanesque carvings through the Gothic, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini, to the contrasting extremes of Rococo and New-Classicism.  In this survey are revealed the host of fine artists who are almost unknown to all but specialists, but who nevertheless give to the history of sculpture its full richness and variety.  This is an essential book, equally valuable to the general reader who requires an introduction to the subject, and to the specialist for whom in this day and age of specialisation it supplies a refreshingly new view.”