bReissued to mark 300 years since the death of Grinling Gibbons 1648 - 1721, the greatest of decorative woodcarvers, this book reviews his work through the eyes of fellow carver, the late David Esterlyb p 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. A contemporary of Christopher Wren and of the diarists Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, Gibbons was part of the colourful world of Restoration England. His discovery by Evelyn in a tumble-down cottage