The lofty painted ceilings of Europe's palaces and churches rank among the greatest treasures of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. This unique assemblage features brilliant full-color reproductions of some of the finest examples of such art. Drawn from two rare French and German portfolios of the nineteenth century, this unique volume re-creates more than 60 magnificent ceilings from Parisian drawing rooms, German castles, and Italian galleries. Richly depicting scenes from nature and mythology, this collection abounds in chubby cherubs, ethereal goddesses, heroes in full battle armor, and all manner of animals, both legendary and realistic. In addition, a generous assortment of floral ornaments includes rosettes, garlands, and clusters of acanthus and other decorative leaves and vines. Whether used in their entirety or as individual motifs, these designs will add beauty and sophistication to any art or craft project.

Extravagant in concept, exuberant in spirit, elaborate in design, Baroque art and architecture flourished in 17th-century Europe. These engravings by a noted French artist perfectly embody the Baroque sensibility through architectural ornaments, decorative motifs, lush florals and foliates, borders, and other striking design elements. 46 illustrations.

A rich assortment of Baroque imagery to use . . . and admire Meticulously reproduced from a valuable portfolio by a notable nineteenth-century French artist, 124 black-and-white illustrations capture the lavish devices and grand sweep of Louis IV-era Baroque design. A gorgeous population of elaborate architectural ornaments, decorative motifs, and border elements, this collection of royalty-free art will inspire ideas for — and immediately embellish — a host of craft, design, and graphics projects. An exhaustive reference for artists and Baroque design enthusiasts.

Today we associate the Renaissance with painting, sculpture, and architecture—the “major” arts. Yet contemporaries often held the “minor” arts—gem-studded goldwork, richly embellished armor, splendid tapestries and embroideries, music, and ephemeral multi-media spectacles—in much higher esteem. Isabella d’Este, Marchesa of Mantua, was typical of the Italian nobility: she bequeathed to her children precious stone vases mounted in gold, engraved gems, ivories, and antique bronzes and marbles; her favorite ladies-in-waiting, by contrast, received mere paintings. Renaissance patrons and observers extolled finely wrought luxury artifacts for their exquisite craftsmanship and the symbolic capital of their components; paintings and sculptures in modest materials, although discussed by some literati, were of lesser consequence. This book endeavors to return to the mainstream material long marginalized as a result of historical and ideological biases of the intervening centuries. The author analyzes how luxury arts went from being lofty markers of ascendancy and discernment in the Renaissance to being dismissed as “decorative” or “minor” arts—extravagant trinkets of the rich unworthy of the status of Art. Then, by re-examining the objects themselves and their uses in their day, she shows how sumptuous creations constructed the world and taste of Renaissance women and men.

Over 350 illustrations of different foods, people eating, utensils, banquets, menus, wine lists. Beautifully reproduced 19th-century line drawings depict every conceivable activity concerned with the preparation, display, and consumption of food and drink.

Hailed as "the most radical repackaging of the Bible since Gutenberg", these Pocket Canons give an up-close look at each book of the Bible.

Quadrupeds, snakes, mollusks and crustaceans, birds, fish, and insects depicted realistically and fancifully, plus such fantasy creatures as unicorns, dragons, and basilisks. Indispensable volume of royalty-free graphics for commercial artists.

Leo Steinberg was one of the most original art historians of the twentieth century, known for taking interpretive risks that challenged the profession by overturning reigning orthodoxies. In essays and lectures ranging from old masters to contemporary art, he combined scholarly erudition with an eloquent prose that illuminated his subject and a credo that privileged the visual evidence of the image over the literature written about it. His writings, sometimes provocative and controversial, remain vital and influential reading. Steinberg’s perceptions evolved from long, hard looking at his objects of study. Almost everything he wrote included passages of formal analysis, but always put into the service of interpretation. This volume begins and ends with thematic essays on two fundamental precepts of Steinberg’s art history: how dependence on textual authority mutes the visual truths of images and why artists routinely copy or adapt earlier artworks. In between are fourteen chapters on masterpieces of renaissance and baroque art, with bold and enlightening interpretations of works by Mantegna, Filippo Lippi, Pontormo, El Greco, Caravaggio, Steen and, finally, Velázquez. Four chapters are devoted to some of Velázquez’s best-known paintings, ending with the famously enigmatic Las Meninas. Renaissance and Baroque Art is the third volume in a series that presents Steinberg’s writings, selected and edited by his longtime associate Sheila Schwartz.

Masterfully executed designs in reproductions of two rare catalogs: ornamental borders, corners and frames with intricate floral and foliated patterns, architectural ornaments and design elements, religious symbols and figures, much more.

Here is a nearly inexhaustible supply of copyright-free graphics filled with late 19th- and early 20th-century charm, ideal for a wide range of arts and crafts projects. Reproduced from the catalog of a famous French type foundry, it is a rich and authoritative source of advertising art of the period—filled with many delightful and arresting images not available elsewhere. An enormous array of objects, activities, and interests are depicted in finely detailed illustrations that lend themselves especially well to reproduction. Motifs include food and drink, domestic furnishings, vehicles, machines, tools and hardware, medical utensils, pharmaceuticals, farm animals and birds, as well as trades, sports, and music. Also included are fencers, golfers, insects, billiard tables, wrought-iron gates, architectural decorations, cows being milked, hunting dogs in the field, crowns and coronets, extravagantly carved breakfronts, elegant presentations of food, and much, much more. In addition, a large section is devoted to ornate banners, mortised cuts, and other line art specifically intended for typographical use. While the cuts in this collection range in style from genre realism to Art Nouveau, the images—beautifully realized in scrupulous and revealing detail—have a timeless appeal ideal for a wide variety of graphic uses.