Ham House
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400 Years of Collecting and Patronage
Christopher Rowell
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Format: ClothPrice: $95.00
Built in 1610 during the reign of James I and remodeled in 1637–39 by the future first Earl of Dysart, Ham House and its gardens have endured through centuries of English history while remaining representative of the styles and culture of the original inhabitants. It is one of the few places where Caroline décor—as developed by British architect Inigo Jones and familiar to Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck—can still be appreciated.
To mark the 400th anniversary of one of the most famous houses in Europe, eighteen internationally recognized scholars join National Trust curators in documenting the history of Ham House and its collections. The new discoveries, reattributions, and revelations of the contributors are accompanied by specially commissioned photography of the house and its contents. An appendix includes complete transcriptions of house inventories for the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, published here for the first time.
Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and the National Trust
Christopher Rowell is the National Trust's furniture curator and was formerly curator responsible for Ham House.
“This book, which looks at the whole history of the house, is hopefully the first in a series of heavyweight studies into what might be described as the treasure houses of the National Trust. Underpinning is production at every stage has been a fruitful collaboration between the Trust and The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. The result is an extremely impressive volume aimed very much at the specialist reader. Massive and beautifully produced, it sets the bar for future undertakings very high indeed.”
“This is not so much a book to read from cover to cover, but to digest in pieces. What it does so brilliantly is make clear the variety and interest of the collections at Ham, as well as their history. In so doing, Ham House becomes a keyhole through which the reader can view the Aladdin’s Cave that is the story of artistic collecting and patronage in Britain over the past 400 years.”—John Goodall, Country Life
“This major publication, prompted by the 400th anniversary of one of the most celebrated house in Europe, contains a wealth of scholarship on both the architecture of Ham House and the provenance and historical presentation of its contents. National Trust curators are joined by a range of international experts to shed light on everything from metalwork to musical instruments, all illustrated with exceptional new photography.”—Apollo Magazine
“It is among the most splendid productions devoted to a single English house and a testament to American cultural philanthropy. . .Like all Mellon books, it is beautifully designed and printed, and more than lavishly illustrated. . .Altogether this is a fascinating in-depth coverage of a beguiling historic house.”—John Martin Robinson, The Art Newspaper
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Publishing Partner: Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and the National Trust
398 color + 36 b/w illus.
