France, 1700-1800 (Guides to European decorative arts)

The decorative arts were brought to an extraodinary level of refinement and sophistication in France during the eighteenth century. This achievement can be fully seen in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, through the generosity of Mrs. Alexander Hamilton Rice. In 1939 Mrs. Rice bequeathed the contents of her drawing room comprised of one of the finest collections of French furniture and decorative arts to the Museum. With this gift and others she enriched the Museum with objects f great beauty and rarity.