Master woodcarver Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) is famous for giving wood the loose and airy lightness of flowers. His flamboyant cascades of blossoms, fruits, foliage, birds, and fish dominate late 17th-century English interiors--at Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, and numerous great country houses. First published in 1998, this book was the first to illustrate Gibbon's spectacular work in color--and the first to examine his unique construction methods and formidable carving techniques.

Now available in paperback, this beautifully illustrated book presents the work of Gibbons, the greatest of decorative woodcarvers, from a unique perspective--that of a fellow master carver.