Biltmore House

George W. Vanderbilt created one of the biggest self-sustaining American country estates in the late nineteenth century at its center, Richard Morris Hunt s splendid 250-room French Renaissance chateau as well as assembled a notable collection of fine and decorative art that he displayed there. Explore the wealth of treasures within the awe-inspiring house: paintings by Monet, Renoir, Sargent, and Whistler; important Renaissance tapestries; fine Chinese porcelains; rare books; and exquisite French and English furniture. Establishing it as one of the finest repositories of fine and decorative arts in the nation. Beyond the imposing architecture and acres of gardens by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture, the focus is on the storied interiors the Winter Garden, Banquet Hall, Louis XV Suite, and Oak Sitting Room. Visit the family s private apartments, with their hidden corridors, as well as the kitchen, butler s pantry, and the many workrooms needed to maintain an opulent lifestyle. Offering readers a glimpse of the interior design and furnishings of the North Carolina manse during the 1890s, the book explores Vanderbilt s relationships with leading architecture and decorating firms and dealers from New York to Paris, as well as with the designers and gardeners who devised manicured lawns, gardens, and terraces that unite seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. Together these magnificent spaces and priceless objects tell a story both highly personal and representative of a social milieu. Paired with superb new photography taken specially for the book by Abranowicz, they add depth and sparkle to the history of a glittering era.