Publisher's description and frpm the back cover:
The intricate designs of illuminated manuscripts are among the most beautiful art ever created — were often adapted and reproduced as chromolithograph borders by Victorian artists. Inspired by the delicate age-old motifs, artists of the stature of Owen Jones created elaborate ornamental designs that graced the pages of books, periodicals, and journals with their detailed patterns.
Now, many of these exquisite designs and beautiful patterns are available to today's graphic artists in this modestly priced, royalty-free collection. Carefully selected from rare nineteenth-century volumes and painstakingly reproduced in full, glowing color, the 48 plates in this magnificent sourcebook include lovely arrangements of leafy vines and tendrils, florals, interlacings, spirals, human figures, animals, and mythological creatures, as well as realistic and abstract patterns. A number of borders reveal a Medieval and Renaissance influence — others, an Oriental and even modern touch.
Graphic designers in search of antique charm will find these splendid borders and frames ideal for a variety of projects: posters, stationery, catalogs, letters, signs and much more. For the art lover, this delightful volume of Victorian lithographic art offers a rare opportunity to review at leisure the remarkable achievements of artists from a bygone era.