Encyclopedia of Ornament

Encyclopedia of Ornament by A. Racinet. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780517662977.

More than 2000 examples of ancient, oriental, medieval and later ornaments are faithfully reproduced in this beautiful book. With one hundred full-color plates it presents a uniquely valuable collection of ornamental designs, from the spiritualistic and essentially symbolic art of the ancient Egyptians to the sensual, extravagant, and highly mannered compositions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The large format pages contain extensive examples of the decorative arts from various media. The coverage is global, and includes Assyrian, Ancient Greek, Etruscan, Greco-Roman, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Indian, Arabian, Byzantine, and Celtic ornamentation. A large part of the book details the arts of the Renaissance and the following centuries. This material is presented chronologically rather than ethnologically; therefore as the specific qualities and characteristics of the epoch represented are identified and discussed, one is able to discern the evolution of ornament by perio