The Splendor of Cuba: 450 Years of Architecture and Interiors by Michael Connors
New, Sealed Condition!
Large Size 11 x 11 inches
Fantastic conversation piece for your coffee table / a must have for any collector / showcase as decor - the options are endless!
An unprecedented tour of stunning and architecturally significant Cuban
palacios, mansions, and private homes that have been meticulously
preserved, previously un-photographed, and inaccessible to visitors. At a
time when more travelers are rediscovering Cuba, this lavishly
illustrated volume offers a different view of the island’s cultural
achievements. It presents not the Cuba of Castro’s era, with its
derelict buildings and peeling paint, but the opulent world of the
Spanish Creole aristocracy of the colonial period, with its Mudejar
craftsmanship and baroque palacios, the sugarcane plantations (ingenios)
and coffee plantations (cafetales), and classically inspired grand
mansions. Exceptional preservation work has kept these villas in the
magnificent state in which they were first envisioned.
The
photographs, shot exclusively for this book, show examples in each area
of the island-from the interiors and exteriors in Havana, Santiago de
Cuba, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, and Pinar del Rio to close-up details of
courtyards, balconies, galleries, balustrades, grilles, and louvered
doors in Trinidad, Matanzas, and Holguin. One featured home is Finca
Vigia (“Lookout House”), the former residence of Ernest Hemingway.