The
Gilded Canopy
Botanical ceiling panels of the
Natural History Museum
Sandra
Knapp and Bob Press
How
can a major art collection be on full display to the public,
yet never be noticed? The answer is that it is on the
ceiling. These painted panels were a key part of the Natural
History Museum's original design and are covered in plants
of all descriptions, painted in rich colours and finely
gilded.
'...each one tells a story - plants that have made and
broken Empires, been the cause for terrible human suffering,
or have brought joy through their beauty. ... the plants
themselves tell stories that bring to life the times in
which the Museum was conceived and built - the Victorian
age.' From the Preface to The Gilded Canopy
With specially commissioned photographs showing every
single panel and full of intriguing plant histories, this
book is a fascinating insight into one of London's best
kept secrets.
Published
by the Natural History Museum.
Key
features
- Unique
artworks revealed in detail never seen before
- Fascinating
botanical histories
- Specially
commissioned photographs
About
the authors
Sandra Knapp is author of Potted Histories
(2004). The French edition was winner of the prestigious
French gardening-book award, the Redouté Prize.
Bob Press is an expert in Museum history and Associate
Keeper of the Botany Department. He is co-author of Nature's
Treasurehouse (2001).
Art
at the Natural History Museum
The Museum is home to the largest collection of natural
history art in the world, holding nearly half a million
artworks.
Related
titles
Birds:
The Art of Ornithology (2004), Potted
Histories (2004), Arthur Harry
Church (2000), Life
Through a Lens (2002), Nature's
Treasurehouse (2001), Alfred
Waterhouse and the Natural History Museum (1999) and
Images
from Nature (1998).
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Specifications
ISBN:
0 565 09198 0
Price: £15.00
Format: Hardback with jacket
Size: 171 x 216 mm
Extent: 168 pp
Published: 21 November 2005
Subject classification: Botanical art enthusiasts;
gardeners
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