Shows an eighteenth-century Neapolitan creche and the angels and cherubs designed to decorate a Christmas tree

The Angel Tree

Arts & Photography

Pool, Mary Jane

Religious

KNOPF

Angel Tree

The evocative text from the King James Version of the Bible combines with breathtaking full-color photographs of the Neapolitan Baroque crFche and the stunning angels from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's famed Angel Tree to present a beautiful rendition of the Christmas story.

The Christmas Story

Selby, Linn Howard

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Harry N. Abrams

The annual installation of the Christmas tree at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is an event cherished by visitors and scholars alike. The Baroque base of the majestic tree supports a landscape in which vivid eighteenth-century Neapolitan creche figures reenact the events of Christ's Nativity. Magi, dressed in sumptuous robes, are surrounded by their retainers and animals. Exotic travelers, townspeople, and shepherds throng to Bethlehem to view the Christ Child lying in the manger. Above the infant and the graceful figures of Mary and Joseph, a glory of angels hovers in adoration. The tradition of re-creating the events at the manger became a national passion in eighteenth-century Naples. Leading artists were commissioned to create extravagant panoramas containing hundreds of figures, many shown dressed in current fashion and attending to their trades. They offer a wealth of information about the costumes and customs of the day. Loretta Hines Howard gave her collection of creche figures, including the magnificent group called the Adoration of Angels, to the Metropolitan Museum in 1965. For many years she installed it personally, and now her work is being carried on by her daughter, Linn Howard. Together with Mary Jane Pool, noted author and long-time editor-in-chief of House and Garden magazine, Linn Howard tells about the Neapolitan tradition of creche making, and about the Metropolitan's collection in particular. The authors also provide a fascinating glimpse into the care and conservation of the figures; thumbnail biographies of the artists to whom particular figures can be attributed; a glossary; and the story of how Loretta Hines Howard began her collecting. A special feature of the book is "The Christmas Story," in which the Gospels are illustrated with pictures of the creche. The magnificent photography that makes this book a work of art was created especially for it by Elliott Erwitt, whose work can be found in major galleries and museums around the world. The Angel Tree: A Christmas Celebration is truly a book for the entire family, a joyous retelling of the story of the Nativity.

The Angel Tree: A Christmas Celebration

Howard, Linn

From vegetable gardens on skyscraper roofs to botanical gardens, parks, and community plots, more than two hundred full-color photographs capture a rich array of New York City gardens, accompanied by information on plant lists, design tips, and horticultural advice. BOMC.

Gardens in the City: New York in Bloom

Schiff, Betsy Pinover

Photography & Video

The Angel Tree: Celebrating Christmas at The Metropolitan Museum of Art showcases the magnificent collection of Neapolitan Baroque angels and crèche figures that has thrilled visitors from across the country each Christmas season for more than 50 years. New fiber-optic lighting and a new tree now enhance its beauty. More than 50 angels and 100 crèche figures, many sculpted by major artists of the period, represent all who came to worship the Babe. This is a true family book, starting with the story of the Nativity and then focusing on the scene in large, gloriously reproduced pictures of the angels and of townspeople and animals, shepherds and their flocks, kings and grand ladies.

The Angel Tree: Celebrating Christmas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

One of the most indelible footprints any civilization can leave are its buildings and interiors. In BEST, you see a contemporary record of our own time as realized by 56 of the most inspired, most creative practitioners in the design field. These are the members of the Interior Design magazine Hall of Fame, recognized by their peers as among today's most influential designers. Far more than simply a collection of our age's most beautiful residential and commercial interiors, BEST offers a survey of the wisdom and experience earned by long and faithful practice in a demanding field. Designed as a resource and reference by Massimo Vignelli, himself a member of the Hall of Fame, BEST is an appropriate mirror of the depth and range of their work. The Interior Design magazine Hall of Fame was instituted in 1985 to support the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER). Since then, the membership has grown to include 76 outstanding men and women, as selected by the membership. Founded in 1971 by Interior Design magazine, the group is a self-directing and self-perpetuating academy. FIDER is responsible for accrediting schools of interior design in the United States and Canada. The awards banquet for the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame has raised over half a million dollars for this work. In a disposable and an increasingly brutal environment, BEST offers a testament of lasting accomplishment. For craft, imagination, and the sheer, assemblage of design talent, it is quite simply a tour de force to be consulted again and again.

Best from the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame

Parsons, Bret

Aves, Pirrie B.

Polites, Nicholas

Rockport Pub

This Pacific Edition features 95 Pacific Coast designers with color photographs of their work.

Showcase of Interior Design

Architecture

Vitae Pub

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pool, Mary Jane. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Pool, Mary Jane