Books in the Dover Pictorial Archive series

Here is a rich selection of floral and foliate motifs, reprinted from a rare German collection of the late nineteenth century. Included are 124 royalty-free stylized designs that will add a note of decorative panache and natural beauty to almost any graphic project.Buds, blossoms, stalks, and foliage are depicted in a simple and attractive style reminiscent of the woven fabric patterns of the early northern Renaissance. Ideal for many practical uses--stenciling, leatherwork and metalwork, fabric painting, textile design, and more--the motifs are also valuable simply for design inspiration. At just pennies apiece, they constitute a low-cost resource that artists and crafters will want at their fingertips.Dover (1991) republication of 124 illustrations from Blatter und Blümen für Fläche-Decoration: Eine Vorlagensammlung für Zichen-, Webe-, und gewerbliche Fortbindunsschulen, Fabrikanten und Musterzeichner, published by E. Twietmeyer, Leipzig, 1885.

A painter whose father was an engraver and publisher of the same name, Matthäus Merian (1621-1687) published this remarkable group of unusual and highly imaginative animal illustrations. This copyright-free collection includes a large and fascinating selection of engravings that illustrate scientific specimens and legendary creatures―all meticulously reproduced from an extremely rare eighteenth-century edition.Carefully arranged into six major divisions (quadrupeds, snakes, mollusks and crustaceans, fish, birds, and insects), approximately 1,300 copyright-free images include realistic and fanciful portrayals of a varied array of real animals, in addition to such imaginary creatures as unicorns, dragons, basilisks, harpies, griffins, and other mythical beasts. Identifying captions in Latin accompany many of the illustrations. Commercial artists, illustrators, and craftspeople will find a host of uses for these lovingly detailed engravings: as book and magazine illustrations and as attention-getting graphics ideal for enhancing flyers, brochures, newsletters, and any number of other print projects. Art lovers and antiquarians―anyone with an interest in the art and ideas of an earlier era―will enjoy browsing through these wonderful antique images. Dover (1998) republication of 123 plates from the work published by R. & G. Wetstenios, Amsterdam, 1718.

Some of the most ingenious and attractive modern motifs. 746 designs.

Over 150 motifs reflecting the intricacies of Celtic design, ideal for use in graphics layouts, needlework designs, and art projects. Includes animal, floral, and abstract motifs clearly drawn for sharp reproduction.

More than just a five-digit grasping appendage, the extraordinary human hand is capable of a virtually infinite range of expression. Here are over 1,100 images of hands, specially assembled by a noted graphic designer in response to the growing demand for inexpensive and royalty-free art depicting hands.Chosen for diversity and style as well as usability, these images were carefully culled from thousands of pages of nineteenth-century European and American books and periodicals, some of them very rare. Many of the images represent the height of the wood engraver's art--and as artists and designers know, for many purposes wood engravings are far superior to photographs.Here are large hands, small hands, lovely hands, and ugly hands. There are hands resting and active and hands writing, sewing, demonstrating scientific experiments, using tools, performing magic tricks, applying first aid, playing parlor games, and even casting hand shadows on the wall. Hands are displayed to demonstrate palmistry, anatomy, and sign language, or are simply poised to reveal superb form and dignity. In response to the enormous demand, hands with pointing fingers appear in an abundance of sizes, shapes, and shades, and are more or less stylized or realistic to suit every need.A glance through this magnificent collection will suggest a multitude of royalty-free uses to any artist, designer, or crafter, including collage, decoupage, and advertising art. Whenever the decorative, expressive, or symbolic potential of a hand is needed, you will want to turn to this inexpensive yet comprehensive treasury.Dover (1985) original publication.

Ornament is the essence of Art Nouveau. Throughout their two decades of dominance, Art Nouveau artists concentrated on the ornamental and decorative potential of the flowing line in painting, printing, wallpaper, and all other fine and applied arts. Hundreds of thousands of carefully wrought designs embellished books, bookplates, furniture, and appliances. A fashionable home was a garden of graphic florals, petals, leaves, and stems.Today, Art Nouveau is again attracting artists, designers, and craftsmen of all kinds, while these countless ornamental flourishes have perished with their ephemeral surroundings. Art Nouveau motif seekers have been left with little choice but to resort to expensive archives of rare books. Here, taken directly from those rare books and periodicals, are 577 royalty-free authentic period designs specially chosen for artists and designers. The ornaments range in size from full-page illustrations to borders, head and tailpieces and decorative initials. All are in black-and-white line, clearly reproduced.Many of the creations come from the influential English periodical The Studio (1894-1920) and the French Art el Décoration (1897-1910); others from a variety of original European sources, all identified. Artists represented include Gustav Klimt, George Auriol, Ethel Larcombe, and Will Bradley, along with hundreds of English. French, Italian, German, Scandinavian, and American studio draftsmen, all identified when possible. The designs are grouped by subject matter: florals, landscapes, figures, etc. There are spot illustrations, bookplates, menus, title pages, and many, many swirling line forms.

Culled from a rare 19th-century source, these 124 black-and-white illustrations capture the lavish devices and grand sweep of European Baroque design. This collection is populated by elaborate architectural ornaments, decorative motifs, and border elements.