CONSTANCE VILLIERS STUART: In Pursuit of Paradise

Art administrator and historian Mary Ann Prior turns her attention to the garden designer, author and artist, Constance Villiers Stuart, with whom she shares an affection for Norfolk. Constance died in 1966 and spent most of her life at her family's home in Norfolk, Beachamwell Hall. Her husband was an Anglo-Irish soldier, posted to India, where Constance was entranced by the gardens of the Mughals and she became an authority on the gardens of Islamic rulers from India to Spain, writing about them in two well-received books, paintings and photographing and lecturing about them. Her many articles appeared in glossy magazines, newspapers of records, and learned journals. China, India, Japan and the Islamic word have all influenced Western European garden design and within Europe itself, the French have their idea of a 'Parc à l'anglaise'. In 1903, after a fire completely destroyed her family home, the 27 year old Constance helped her mother redesign their house and recreate the garden. A rich woman herself, she was attracted to the most spectacular and extravagant gardens in the world, from Shalimar Bagh, Lahore, to Nishat Bagh, Srinagar, to La Granja near Madrid. When she died, Constance left paintings, photographs, diaries, press cuttings and scrapbooks to her grandchildren and it is upon this fascinating and hitherto unseen archive of memorabilia that this beautiful book is based. It is a blend of art, travel and a fascinating life, beautifully illustrated with watercolours and dozens of archive photographs. 264 large pages.