-- Remarkable selection of objects that surpass the typical design associations of their day and enter into the realm of art -- First time most of these objects have been published -- Features 90 superb examples of jewelry, furniture and architecture with fascinating stories of their creation and provenance Throughout history, French artists, artisans and designers have created astonishingly beautiful decorative arts. Stuff of Dreams features 90 marvelous pieces that have surpassed all standards of tradition, craftsmanship and utility. Many of these objects possess a latent surrealistic element, linking the rich, the elegant, the elaborate, the curious and the sensuous. This publication accompanies an international exchange exhibition organized by the Portland Art Museum, which will travel to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, and then to the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama before the artworks return to be permanently installed at the Paris Musee des Arts Decoratifs in 2003. Most of the works of art selected for this publication carry with them fascinating stories about their origins, their makers, and those persons who commissioned, collected, used or loved them.