Fore-Edge Book Paintings from the Boston Public Library
Wonderful examples of “fore-edge painting”, where an illustration or design appears on the “fore-edge” of a book….more
17th Century
Maps Showing California as an Island
California used to be thought of as an island. This stunning collection of 17th- and 18th-century maps illustrates how….more
The Egg Dance: From Peasant Village to Political Caricature
The egg dance was a traditional Easter game involving the laying down of eggs on the ground or floor and dancing among them whilst trying to break as few as possibl…more
The Drolatic Dreams of Pantagruel (1565)
Highlights from a book of 120 woodcuts depicting a series of fantastically bizarre and grotesque figures, reminiscent of some of the more inventive and twisted crea…more
First English Edition of Michel de Montaigne’s Essays (1603)
John Florio’s translation of Michel de Montaigne’s genre-forming Essays, including thoughts on grief, friendship, drunkenness, impotence, smells, death, and thumbs….more
Wit and Wisdom of Don Quixote (1867)
From whole multi-paragraph excerpts to single lines, this wonderful little book dedicates itself, as the title declares, to presenting the wit and wisdom to be foun…more
The Spinning Sow (1673)
17th-century Dutch engraving showing a team of pigs spinning cotton, while in the corner a woman — who’d normally be associated with the work — sleeps….more
Images from Johann Zahn’s Oculus Artificialis (1685)
The excellent engravings from Johann Zahn’s early and comprehensive account of the function and usage of a number of optical instruments, including the camera obscu…more
A Selection from The MET’s Public Domain Collection, Now Free from All Restrictions
We present our highlights from the lesser known corners of The Metropolitan Museum’s public domain collection, now made available free from restrictions on use….more
The City of Truth, or, Ethics (1609)
Images of imaginary utopias and dystopias used to illustrate an allegorical poem by Bartolomeo Del Bene (1515-1595) — a reworking of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Et…more
Chirologia, or The Natural Language of the Hand (1644)
Images from John Bulwer’s 17th-century study on the language of the hands and gesture….more
Rainbows in Art
Depictions spanning more than 800 years – in chronological order – of that most enigmatic of weather phenomena, the rainbow….more