So begins Emily Evans Eerdmans's comprehensive and fasci­nating study of the incomparable Madeleine Castaing. While many were drumming to the beat of modernism in the early and mid-twentieth century, French antiquaire and deco­rator Madeleine Castaing created her own look that was a unique blend of Neoclassicism, Proustian Romanticism, and pure wit. Her distinctive aesthetic vision has inspired taste-makers on both sides of the Atlantic and her devotees—both then and now—are legion. This expertly researched volume—the first—explores every facet of Castaing's life and work. Beginning with her childhood in a convent school near Chartres, the author then plunges into her years in Montparnasse, the epicenter of artistic activity in Paris, where she and her beloved husband Marcellin met the brooding artist Chaim Soutine, among scores of other modern masters. After Castaing's heady years in Paris, she and her hus­band retreated to their country house, Leves, arguably her masterpiece. There her style took shape in the ultimate deco­rating laboratory—with few constraints, her unique vision flourished. All the elements of le style Castaing—leopard car­peting, opaline blue, 'coolie' lampshades, and an eclectic mix of Neoclassical furnishings (ranging from English Regency to Napoleon III)—were employed in the romantic house. During the dark days of the German Occupation of Paris, Castaing boldly made a profession of her decorative stylings, and opened the doors of her legendary shop on the rue Jacob in the city and took on clients. Endlessly curious and tireless in the pursuit of creating designs that reflected her eccentric—yet magical—aesthetic, she worked well into her eighties. When she died in 1992 at the age of 98, she left a legacy that has yet to be rivaled. In addition to the more than 250 illustrations—many of them new to Castaing audiences—the book includes a fabric and carpet appendix featuring those she favored in her design schemes that were manufactured by others and those she produced.