Garden sculpture is an aspect of garden history that has not received a great deal of attention, particularly in Britain, and yet its impact in a garden can be considerable, adding an extra dimension and creating a fascination of its own. In this book the history of sculpture in British gardens is traced from Tudor times to the present day, showing the strong influence of Italy - both classical and Renaissance - and France. Materials and techniques are discussed and the work of the leading garden sculptors is described.
Introduction; Materials and techniques; Garden sculpture in Europe;
Tudor and Elizabethan; The seventeenth century; The early eighteenth century;
The sculpture programmes; Rococo and after; The nineteenth century; The
twentieth century; Identifying statues; Further reading; Places to visit
Michael Symes is a garden historian based at Birkbeck College, London, whos interest developed from literature (a research thesis on garden poetry) to real gardens, particularly those of the eighteenth century. For many years he has taught garden history to adults in university extra-mural classes and he has published a number of books. He is on the Council of the Garden History Society.
