FROM THE PUBLISHER

Charleston has a history rich in culture and tradition, full of distinctive character and noble allure. By the eve of the American Revolution the South Carolina Lowcountry was the wealthiest area in British North America. Charleston so epitomized the gentle character of European aristocracy that in 1773 Bostonian Josiah Quincy had cause to exclaim, "In grandeur, splendour of building, decorations ... and indeed almost everything, Charleston far surpasses all I ever saw or expected in America."

Long after America severed political ties with England, Charlestonians remained uniquely drawn to European society. In Pursuit of Refinement is the first major study of this subject, exploring Charleston's special fascination with European culture. This fully illustrated catalogue accompanies an important exhibition of more than 140 objects, many of which have never been exhibited, organized by the Gibbes Museum of Art and the Historic Charleston Foundation. The book, like the exhibit, focuses on the portraits, paintings, decorative arts, and other artifacts that document the allure that England and continental Europe held for Charlestonians. Works by Thomas Gainsborough and George Romney and from the European periods of Benjamin West and John Singleton Copley lead the list of important commissions.

In Pursuit of Refinement delves into the issues surrounding this pinnacle of American patronage and the interaction that existed between Charleston and Europe through the antebellum period.

FROM THE CRITICS

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