Donated to the city of Cincinnati in 1927, Charles and Anna Taft’s collection features beautiful porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties, paintings by masters including Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Goya, Ingres, Corot, Whistler, and Sargent, and decorative objects including crystal, gold, silver, and enamel-work. The 80 works that feature in this volume, chosen from the 740-piece collection, are presented in four sections, coinciding with the museum’s major areas of specialization: European painting, European decorative arts, American art, and Chinese art.
Each piece is accompanied by an entry detailing its history and that of its artist or maker written by Taft curatorial staff. Lynne D. Ambrosini’s essay explores the collecting practice of Charles and Anna Taft. Deborah Emont Scott’s foreword provides a history of the Taft bequest and its lasting significance to the city of Cincinnati and its present day inhabitants.