Book Description

On the occasion of the anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth, The Eye of Thomas Jefferson, a major contribution to the study of Jefferson and his world, is available once again. This extensive catalogue was originally produced by the National Gallery of Art to accompany a vast exhibition of Jeffersonian artifacts for the bicentennial of the American Revolution. Because Jefferson's world was wide, his eye discerning, and his intellect extraordinary, the exhibition catalogue is wide-ranging. From the United States and Europe, the book brings together works of art from Jefferson's world: paintings and sculptures that he admired, works that he owned, and portraits and sculptures of himself and his contemporaries. Items of material culture, including furniture and silver, are also included, along with reflections of Jefferson's architectural interests and achievements, revealed in the buildings he admired and those that he designed. Highlights of the exhibition catalogue include The Medici Venus; David's The Death of Socrates; Houdon's marble busts of Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson; Trumbull's famous series of paintings of the American Revolution; examples of paintings from the Paris Salons of 1785, 1787, and 1789, which Jefferson visited while minister to France; Saint-Memin's portraits of Osage Indians; and much more. With more than 600 illustrations, The Eye of Thomas Jefferson is a major work of scholarship. The thoroughness of the entries, written by well-qualified scholars, makes this an indispensable reference work not only on Jefferson, but also on the world of the arts in the era of the American and French Revolutions. The book is an incomparable source to the rich backgroundof Jefferson's life and work.