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Courtiers & Cannibals. Angels & Amazons
The Art of the Decorative Catographic Titlepage

By Rodney Shirley
May 2009
Hes & De Graaf
Distributed by Coronet Books
ISBN: 9789061940609
272 pages, Color plates
$197.50 Cloth

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This book aims to preserve and bring forward for wider appreciation the outstanding works of art that many engraved titlepages and frontispieces represent. Over the time period covered by the present publication, roughly from the 1470s to the 1870s, very many printed books opened with an attractive decorative titlepage or frontispiece; sometimes both.  

In this book a selection has been made from the extremely wide field of known titlepages, mainly by a focus on subject matter which is primarily cartography, geography, history and topography, together with associated disciplines such as astronomy, travel and exploration.   The choice of 100 main and approximately 70 supplementary entries covers specimens of different styles, formats, and national characteristics over a four hundred year time period from the late 15th century onwards.

The selection of decorative titlepages or frontispieces includes examples emanating from Italy, Germany (including Switzerland and Austria), the Netherlands (including Flanders), France, Spain, England and some later examples published in the United States.

This is the first book of its kind and makes a useful contribution to our understanding of this art form. 

History

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