Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Nice book in great condition. Pages in excellent condition. Images are beautiful bright and vivid. No notes or highlighting. See images. Fantastic book.

About the book >.>.> From the very earliest days of the Public Catalogue Foundation’s tentative existence we received material and financial support for its work and for the cataloguing of the Kent collection from Kent County Council. Without this support both at officer and member level it is likely that neither the Foundation nor this catalogue would have come to life. Roger de Haan then chairman of Saga Group Ltd soon matched this support and to both of them the Foundation is enormously grateful. As it is to others including the Boorman family and the Kent Messenger Group Elaine Craven Val Fleming Chloe Teacher Mary Villiers and others too numerous to mention. To all of them we recognize a great debt. We know we were warned – that Kent would be difficult and it has been. Some 1850 images at over 40 sites tested our embryonic system: found it wanting and showed us how to correct it. It has taught us too how difficult it can be for all collections but especially for the small ones to work with us in this venture – and to all the curators involved I must express my sincere thanks. We aim to include every publicly owned oil painting in the county. We will inevitably miss some. Sadly some we know are missing. Following a fire at Ramsgate Library on Friday 13 August many paintings in that collection were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Happily we had already photographed and recorded them and we have included them in this catalogue – an event that on its own seems to me to vindicate the Foundation’s purpose. Under the circumstances that another collection in Ramsgate (uniquely) declined to have its two portraits recorded in this catalogue for reasons of security defies logic. While in general County Councils and Local Authorities have welcomed the Foundation and its work and helped where they can within their limited resources the fact remains that the resources available even to maintain our National Collection are limited and in general reducing. So it is hugely exciting that during our cataloguing of Kent Canterbury City Council and the curator of the Canterbury Museums and Galleries have found the political will and the financial resources to enhance their collection with the purchase of a magnificent Van Dyck for the city; and that Kent County Council together with Margate are jointly constructing an astonishing and innovative gallery in the sea off the pier at Margate Turner Contemporary to bring the finest of British Art of all periods to this county. Well done Kent! Fred Hohler Chairman (MP)