Ornamental Design Prints: From the Fifteenth to the Twentieth Century

From finely drawn florals to ornate baroque flourishes, ornamental design prints have long been important to architectural firms and design studios that have relied on the prints to rapidly disseminate the newest styles. For decades after its initial publication in 1981, Rudolf Berliner’s authoritative guide was foremost in documenting ornamental art, but it has hitherto gone out of print and has never before been available in English. This special English-language edition of Ornamental Design Prints brings together the finest images from Berliner’s wide-ranging work. Sumptuous illustrations present variations on an overwhelming wealth of patterns and motifs from the fifteenth to the twentieth century, with informative texts that shed light on their development over time, aiding art and architectural historians and collectors in assigning dates to particular uses. The book will also find an eager audience among contemporary graphic artists, craftspeople, and designers seeking inspiration.