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Coronation pamphlet, Nicholas I circ. 1826The holdings of the Art Research Library at Hillwood reflect the museum’s collection of imperial Russian and 18th-century French decorative arts within a broad historical and social context.

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About the Library and its Collections

The holdings of the Art Research Library at Hillwood reflect the museum’s collection of imperial Russian and 18th-century French decorative arts within a broad historical and social context. The Library contributes to the Museum’s mission.

The library now encompasses a dynamic research collection of over 30,000 volumes, which includes over 14,000 monographs, the holdings of 40+ current serial subscriptions, and nearly 13,000 auction-house catalogues. Rare French titles include L'art du dix-huitième siècle by E. de Goncourt; La Porcelaine tendre de Sèvres; Mobilier tisse a la manufacture des Gobelins; and Traité de la coupe des bois. Among the library's rare Russian materials are all but two of the de luxe Coronation volumes commemorating the coronations of the Russian emperors and empresses; D. A. Rovinskii's Podrobnyi slovar' russkikh gravirovannykh portretov; Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich's Russkie portrety XVIII-XIX stoletii; and complete runs of the Russian art journals Khudozhestvennye sokrovishcha Rossii, Starye gody, and Sredi kollektsionerov.

The library received the Edward Kasinec collection of Russian and East European Art Research Materials in 2004. Consisting of over 2,300 volumes from his personal research library, Kasinec's gift deepens Hillwood's library of imperial Russian culture by filling out gaps in current holdings and by broadening its scope towards Eastern European avant-garde art, Soviet decorative arts, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the art and culture of Slavic books, and relationships between Russia and world cultures in general.

The library also houses the Avinoff-Shoumatoff collection of rare books. Providing an historic overview of religious art as well as decorative arts in imperial Russian culture, the collection is an important complement to Hillwood’s collection of imperial Russian art.

The library can be visited by appointment only Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please direct email inquiries to the Assistant Librarian, plynagh@hillwoodmuseum.org or call 202.243.3953 for more information about the library or to make an appointment.

Researchers may also submit a reference question at library@hillwoodmuseum.org. We will send you a brief answer to your query, if we have the resources to do so, or we will refer you to a specialist who may be able to help you. Please keep in mind that some questions can be answered quickly, while it may take us considerably longer to answer others. Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens does not provide monetary evaluations of works of art or collectibles.

Guide to the Collection

The Library collection can be accessed through the online catalog via the Internet at www.dcdata.com/hillwood. It is suggested that outside researchers wanting to visit the Library first consult the online catalog to determine if the materials they wish to use are included in the collection. The Library’s collections are also cataloged in OCLC, an international database which includes the holdings of most of the research libraries in North America and the major libraries abroad. Although the stacks are closed, the Library staff will provide assistance to visitors.

In addition to print resources, the Library also provides on-site access to several electronic resources, including the Grove Art Online, JStor, Scipio, the Bibliography of the History of Art, and Artfact Auction Prices.

Lending Policy

The public may use materials in the Library. Selected materials are loaned on a case-by-case basis through the interlibrary loan system available in public, special and academic libraries. The Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens Library abides by the interlibrary loan guidelines of the American Library Association.

Selected Internet Resources

Other Libraries
The Bard Graduate Center
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Library
Frick Art Reference Library
Library of Congress
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
New York Public Library
Smithsonian Institution Libraries
The Textile Museum
The Victoria and Albert National Art Library
Winterthur Library

Auction Information
AskArt
Bonhams & Butterfields, 220 San Bruno Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103
Christie's, 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020; telephone: 212/636-2000, with branches throughout the U.S. and abroad
MacDougall's , 33 St. James's Square, London SW1Y 4JS
Sloans & Kenyon, 7034 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815; telephone: 301/634-2330;
Sotheby's, 1334 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021; telephone: 212/606-7000, with branches throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Weschler's, 909 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004; telephone: 202/628-1281;

Exhibitions and Museums
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
Frick Collection
Getty Information Institute
Hermitage Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The State Russian Museum
Victoria & Albert Museum

Associations and Societies
American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies
Association for the Study of Eastern Christian Study and Culture
French Porcelain Society
SHERA

General Resources on Art
Art History Resources via the Web
Art Museum Network
Artcyclopedia
Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Timeline of Art History”
The Mother of All Art & Art History
The New York Public Library Digital Gallery
Slavic Reference Service
Web Virtual Library: Museums

Appraisals

Antiques, artworks, and other collectible items have such an individual nature that fixed values are difficult to establish. Prices asked and amounts offered are determined by personal interests of both seller and purchaser and by trends in the market.

You can ascertain the current range of prices for items exchanged at sales and auctions by consulting the price guides available in bookstores or public libraries. Also, dealers actively engaged in buying and selling antiques, professional appraisers attached to sales galleries, and official appraisers of local probate courts usually can give prevailing price values. Information on providers of these services can be found in collectors' magazines, in the yellow pages of telephone directories, or in other sources available from the reference librarian in your area library. While the organizations named below do not provide appraisals, each publishes a directory of its member appraisers and offers a computerized referral service:

American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC)
1717 K Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036-5346
202/452-9545
202/452-9328 (FAX)
http://aic.stanford.edu/

American Society of Appraisers
P.O. Box 17265
Washington, DC 20041
703/478-2228; 800/272-8258
http://www.appraisers.org

Appraisers Association of America
386 Park Avenue South, Suite 2000
New York, NY 10016
212/889-5404
http://www.appraisersassoc.org

International Society of Appraisers
Riverview Plaza Office Park
International Society of Appraisers
1131 SW 7th Street, Suite 105
Renton, WA 98005
206/241-0359; Fax: 206/241-0436
http://www.isa-appraisers.org

Digital Exhibitions

Smithsonian Institution, Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web

Current News

IPAM Grant






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