Liber artificiosus alphabeti maioris, oder: neu inventirtes Kunst- Schreib- und Zeichenbuch, 1782-1785
Engravings, letterpressexpand_more
The Mary and Robyn Campbell Fund for Art Booksexpand_more 2012.14
Not on Viewexpand_more
This sumptuously illustrated artist’s manual and typography guide would have brought a rich assortment of subjects to life for the aspiring draftsman and calligrapher—ornament, emblems, drawing devices, the visual expression of emotions, ink recipes, astronomy, sundials, perpetual calendars, alchemy, and the architectural orders, as well as typographic models of the Roman, Greek, and Hebrew alphabets. It comprises over 80 pages of text and 56 engraved plates printed on blue paper.
This elaborate plate shows a drawing device that allowed the draftsman to mechanically create two identical drawings of different sizes simultaneously, or to copy a drawing in a smaller scale. The illustration includes a pattern of the pieces required to construct the device.
Details
- Title
- Liber artificiosus alphabeti maioris, oder: neu inventirtes Kunst- Schreib- und Zeichenbuch
- Artist Life
- 1725 - 1785
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2012.14
- Provenance
- [Ursus Books, New York; 2011-12; sold to MIA]
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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