Aesthetic seduction, superb
workmanship, and historical interest are the three central themes in the
collection of Fondation Gandur pour l'Art (Geneva), created in 2010 and
still expanding. The aim of this first volume is to catalogue the works
in the collection, whose decorative aspects are every bit as important
as their narrative content. The works are for the most part sculptures -
statuettes and ornamental reliefs - although two-dimensional
decorations depicting figurative scenes associated with classical
antiquity or Christianity are no less important.


The periods
represented by the sculptural works discussed in this book reflect the
scope of the whole collection, which ranges from the 12th to the 18th
century. And since the goal of the collection is to document centuries
of cultural exchange between France and neighbouring countries, all the
works included in the book come from these latter regions. The hybrid
styles are closely linked, and this is an aspect of considerable
importance, as is the originality certain pieces display and, last but
not least, their aesthetic quality.


The book is arranged by topic,
which brings out the great originality and extraordinary richness of
the collection, as well as the extremely varied nature of the subjects,
narrative episodes, and figures portrayed. More specifically, the topics
are divided into five sections: ancient gods and heroes; biblical and
allegorical figures; scenes from the life of the Virgin; episodes from
the life of Christ; and saints and intercessors. Each work has its own
entry that describes the historical and geographical context in which it
was made, analyses its iconographic content, and includes a
bibliography and a list of the exhibitions where the work was exhibited.