Product Description

Susan Herbert's feline versions of famous paintings have found an appreciative audience among both cat and art lovers. It was inevitable that she should be attracted to the works of the Pre-Raphaelite painters, whose heyday was in the latter half of the nineteenth century, but whose popularity has reached new heights today. Well-known works by such artists as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown, Edward Burne-Jones, and William Holman Hunt can be viewed in a new and entrancing way when their protagonists are endearing cats. The Beggar Maid, "more beautiful than day" in Tennyson's poem, takes on a particularly touching relationship with King Cophetua, while Medea gives new meaning to the word enchantress as she prepares the ingredients for a spell. And were ever two creatures so frightened and so abandoned as the poor cat princes wickedly imprisoned in the tower, or two lovers so sad and so stoical as the young officer cat and his fiance on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo? A special feature of this book is its inclusion of black-and-white reproductions of all the original paintings that have inspired Herbert. They afford interesting and surprising comparisons, concluding a book of irresistible delights on every page.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #267484 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 64 pages

About the Author
Susan Herbert's many previous successes include: Impressionist Cats, Medieval Cats, The Cats History of Western Art, and most recently, Catropolitan Opera.

Customer Reviews

precious, entertaining and educational
As I looked through this book it occurred to me that this book would be an excellent addition to a child's library. Not only would one have the fun of looking at cats in costume, but the book could be used as an art lesson. The references in the paintings would open the child's eyes to great artists, mythology and Shakespeare.

Even though I am no longer a child I know that this book will help me learn more about artists and their work and historical and mythological allusions.

Of Course Pre-Raphaelite Cats
This was a nice edition, and I knew it would make a nice addition to my friend's "cat library." The artist and subject were pre-sold from earlier publications, such as Shakespeare Cats, and this particular production did not let me down -- I knew when I saw it she'd be delighted with her late Christmas present. I hope there are more like it and that Amazon has them available, and ships them as quickly and in such good condition as this one.