这本研究报告为纪念格林林·吉本斯（Grinling Gibbons，1648-1721）逝世300周年而重新出版。作者大卫·埃斯特里（David Esterly，1944-2019）从一位同行的角度来看待这位最伟大的装饰性木雕艺术家的作品。

格林林·吉本斯因赋予木材“鲜花般的松散和轻盈”而闻名。十七世纪末，他那浮夸、层层叠叠、栩栩如生的花朵、水果、叶子、鸟和鱼主导了英国的室内装饰性木雕。他的作品出现在温莎城堡、汉普顿宫和圣保罗大教堂，以及巴德明顿、伯格利、佩特沃斯等乡村大别墅里。

大卫·斯特里是一位专业的木雕师，他修复了吉本斯最重要的一些雕刻作品，并对吉本斯创作科西莫面板和汉普顿宫门楣时运用的分层工艺分享了独特认识。书中照片展示了这些雕刻的拆解状态，揭示了其建造的秘密。埃斯特里还讨论了吉本斯令人敬畏的雕刻技术，并详细介绍了他的工具、车间实践、材料和修饰。

本书适合雕刻家以及对十七世纪的室内装饰艺术感兴趣的人阅读。

Reissued to mark 300 years since the death of Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721), this study views the work of the greatest of decorative woodcarvers from the perspective of a fellow carver, the late David Esterly.

Grinling Gibbons is famous for giving wood "the loose and airy lightness of flowers." His flamboyant cascades of lifelike blossoms, fruits, foliage, birds and fish dominate English interiors of the late seventeenth century. They are among the glories of Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace, and St. Paul's Cathedral, as well as Badminton, Burghley, Petworth, and other great country houses.

David Esterly, a professional woodcarver who restored some of Gibbons' most important carvings, shares his unique knowledge of the layering process by which Gibbons built up such masterpieces as the Cosimo panel or the elaborate overmantels at Hampton Court Palace. Specially commissioned photographs show these carvings in a disassembled state, revealing the secrets of their construction. Esterly also discusses Gibbons' formidable carving techniques, and his tools, workshop practice, materials, and finishing are described in detail.

This generously illustrated volume will have a special appeal for carvers as well as for those interested in seventeenth-century interiors and the decorative arts.