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CHOICE Review

Is this the first English-language monograph on Majorelle? A search of standard art bibliographies and the RLIN database turned up no counterparts. In Art Deco Furniture (CH, Jan'85), Duncan (a well qualified connoisseur once associated with Christie's,) devotes a page to Majorelle. This new, fully developed account of Majorelle's career includes chapters on his architecturally significant home, his metalwork, and the fabulous Daum-Majorelle glass lamps. Sadly, the loss of documentary evidence and the death of Majorelle's closest relatives account for an acknowledged lack of intimacy. This is not a well-rounded biography. Instead, the work's value and uniqueness lie in the details Duncan draws from obscure, ephemeral French-language sources (exhibition catalogs, newspapers) that no undergraduate (and few graduate students) could assemble. Lavishly illustrated (450 photographs overall, 136 in color), the book concludes with the detailed pictures of his wares that Majorelle used in his sales catalogs. A worthwhile purchase for art libraries, and for university and college collections with a strong interest in design or furniture.-M. M. Doherty, University of South Florida