Augustin Pajou

Accompanying an exhibition which moved from the Louvre to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in February 1998, this is a study of the work of the French Neo-classical sculptor, Augustin Pajou (1730-1809).

His sculpture is discussed and illustrated in depth, and a detailed picture is provided of the artistic, courtly and aristocratic milieu in which he was active.

This examination of the 18th-century French intellectual world concentrates on the beginnings of Neo-classicism and explores the philosophical and scientific underpinnings of the Enlightenment.

The book is therefore intended not only for art historians, but also those interested in social and cultural history.