This dazzling collection of more than 1,500 illustrations--most in full color--is one of the great anthologies of historic ornament and design, on a par with Owen Jones's Grammar of Ornament and Racinet's Historic Ornament. A veritable treasure chest of permission-free images, arranged chronologically, the designs range from Roman architecture and sculpture, Byzantine embroidery, and illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages; to Italian glass painting, pottery, and French tapestries from the Renaissance; and mosaic floors, painted plasterwork, and metal ornaments from later periods. An extraordinary sourcebook for artists, art students, and commercial designers, this compendium of decorative motifs will appeal as well to hobbyists and lovers of fine art. Over 1,500 color and black-and-white illustrations.