'Pierre Gouthiere: Virtuoso Gilder at the French Court' celebrates the life of Pierre Gouthiere (1732-1813), considered to be one of the best Parisian bronze chasers and gilders of the 18th century. Gouthiere became gilder to Louis XV in 1767, and is credited with inventing a new type of gilding that left a matte finish-dorure au mat-one of the hallmarks of his work. Although incredibly successful in his day, Gouthiere died in relative obscurity and poverty; unlike some of his contemporaries, his works never regained popularity after the French Revolution. The inclusion of detailed entries and plates of forty works positively attributed to Gouthiere, five essays by leading experts which examine Gouthiere's life, career, clientele, and gilding techniques, as well as examples of his work from US, Russian, and British collections, ensure that this beautiful volume is an invaluable new resource on Gouthiere. Moreover, this is the first major study on Gouthiere since 1920. AUTHOR: Christian Baulez is chief curator, Furniture and Decorative Arts, Musee de Versailles. Charlotte Vignon is curator of Decorative Arts at The Frick Collection, New York. Anne Forray-Carlier is chief curator, Department of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris. Joseph Godla is chief conservator at The Frick Collection. Helen Jacobsen is senior curator and curator of Eighteenth-Century Decorative Arts at The Wallace Collection, London. Luisa Penalva is curator of the Gold, Silver and Jewelry Collections, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon. Emmanuel Sarmeo is an independent scholar. SELLING POINTS: . A major new volume on the life of Pierre Gouthiere (1732–1813), the celebrated Parisian gilder to the French kings. 322 colour illustrations