Designs and Patterns from Historic Ornament

Book excerpt: This well-known book was prepared more than 75 years ago by two British architects, and its reputation has grown steadily since. The Audsleys' clear rendering of ornaments and designs from a wide variety of sources and national traditions, their excellent sense of space and proportion, and their straightforward execution of these ornaments in line have made the collection among the most valuable of its kind. The 60 plates contain over 250 large-scale line drawings, mostly executed by the authors. The designs and patterns shown are derived from architectural decorative motifs, textile designs, patterns from ceramics and tiles, and more from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Japan, Persia, Medieval Europe, and other places. A brief text specifies sources for many of the designs, and captions identify national origin and often the original color scheme.