Overview

"For more than a century, historians have been searching for the true Samuel McIntire (1757-1811) and have been trying to define his role in shaping the cultural heritage of Salem, Massachusetts. Trained as a carpenter by his father, McIntire taught himself the art of architectural drawing and went on to design scores of public and private buildings in Salem, long celebrated for their elegance and beauty. After 1790, however, he made his living primarily as a wood carver, providing ornamental decoration for many of the buildings he designed as well as for furniture and more than two dozen sailing vessels. McIntire was also called upon to carve portrait busts and even a model of a historic pear, commissions that brought him into the realm of academic sculpture.""Samuel McIntire: Carving an American Style"" is the first book to examine the full range of his carving career and to put it into a broader perspective in terms of the work of his contemporaries and other decorative traditions of the Federal period. The book draws on the remarkable collections of the Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, Massachusetts, which owns most of McIntire's architectural drawings and several of his most important buildings, as well as furniture in public and private collections from around the country. Lahikainen presents a critical analysis of McIntire's carving style and questions some long-held attributions that shed new light on his role as a furniture maker and designer.""Samuel McIntire: Carving an American Style"" accompanies a major exhibition of McIntire's work, curated by Lahikainen, which will open at the Peabody Essex Museum in October 2007. This book is not an exhibition catalogue; rather, it is an in-depth examination of the works by this master carver that will be required reading for anyone interested in Federal-era design, decorative art, and architecture."

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9780875772097

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Reviews

"""Lahikainen has presented one of the fullest profiles of a federal-period designer that we are ever likely to find. The book Samuel McIntire: Carving an American Style is a beautiful artifact in its own right. Its pages are filled with exquisite colored photographs, many taken by Dennis Helmar. Its typography, design, and production are impeccable . . . Samuel McIntire: Carving an AmericanStyle will long stand as the definitive source on the accomplishment of one of early America's ""best of men"" and best of designers.""--Historical New Hampshire ""Although Samuel McIntire: Carving an American Style was written to accompany a major exhibition . . . this book, which is filled with page after page of color photographs and illustrations, goes far beyond an exhibition catalogue. Rather, it is an in-depth examination of the works by this master carver that will be required reading for anyone interested in Federal-era design, decorative art, and architecture."" --Northeast Antiques ""In addition to a worthy text . . . Clearly Lahikainen is the expert on the carving of McIntire. He helps us appreciate this extraordinarily talented artist-craftsman from Salem to the fullest."" --Maine Antique Digest ""The art of carving and craft specialization in Federal Salem is covered by author Dean T. Lahikainen, and in particular, McIntire's ornaments, considering the role of iconography and symbolism in Federal period art including McIntire's patriotic, classical, and pastoral ornaments.""--Antiques and Auction News"

Although Samuel McIntire: Carving an American Style was written to accompany a major exhibition . . . this book, which is filled with page after page of color photographs and illustrations, goes far beyond an exhibition catalogue. Rather, it is an in-depth examination of the works by this master carver that will be required reading for anyone interested in Federal-era design, decorative art, and architecture. --Northeast Antiques

Author Information

DEAN T. LAHIKAINEN is the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Curator of American Decorative Art at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts. With degrees in art history from Syracuse University, he is author of numerous articles and books, including In the American Spirit: Folk Art from the Collections Peabody Essex Museum (1994). He has also organized numerous exhibitions including Order & Elegance: Masterpieces of Federal Furniture from Coastal Massachusetts (1997) and Luxury and Innovation: Furniture Masterworks of John and Thomas Seymour (2003).

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