Regency Design 1790-1840

England's Regency style, exemplified by Windsor Castle's sumptuous interiors and the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, an exotic amalgam of Chinese, Indian and neoclassical motifs, reached its peak of hedonistic refinement during the reign of George IV (1811-1830). In this thorough, lavishly illustrated study, Morley, a former keeper at the Victoria and Albert Museum, presents Regency as an enchanting, if autumnal, style, a humane haven from the encroaching uglification of the Industrial Revolution. From simple cottages to soothing gardens to neo-Gothic castles, Regnecy evolved in a dizzying succession of design modes: Etruscan, Pompeian, ``archeological,'' rococo, antiquarian and so forth. Morley clearly differentiates these often intertwined styles, aided by hundreds of reproductions of prints, watercolors, engravings, paintings and plans. Fragmented modern people may well envy the sense of luxuriant calm and order emanating from these appealing Regency buildings, interiors and landscapes. (May)