Book frontispiece
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| - | [[Image:The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton frontispiece 1638 edition.jpg|thumb|right|200px| [[Frontispiece]] for the [[1638]] edition of ''[[The Anatomy of Melancholy]]'' by [[Robert Burton]] ]]{{Template}} | + | [[Image:Musei Wormiani Historia.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"[[Musei Wormiani Historia]]", the [[book frontispiece|frontispiece]] from the ''Museum Wormianum'' depicting [[Ole Worm]]'s [[cabinet of curiosities]]]] |
| + | [[Image:The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton frontispiece 1638 edition.jpg|thumb|right|200px| [[Book frontispiece|Frontispiece]] for the [[1638]] edition of ''[[The Anatomy of Melancholy]]'' by [[Robert Burton]]]]{{Template}} | ||
| - | A [[book frontispiece]] is an elaborate decorative illustration that appears facing the title page of the book. Use of the word to indicate the title page is now obsolete (''Oxford English Dictionary''). | + | A '''frontispiece''' in books generally refers to a decorative or informative illustration facing a book's [[title page]], being the [[verso]] opposite the [[recto]] title page. While some books depict thematic elements, other books feature the author's portrait as the frontispiece. |
| - | In [[book]]s, a '''frontispiece''' is an elaborate decorative [[illustration]] that appears facing the [[title page]] of the book. Use of the word to indicate the title page is now obsolete (''Oxford English Dictionary''). (Elaborate engraved title pages were formerly in frequent use, especially in [[Bible]]s and in scholarly books, and many of these pages are masterpieces of the art of [[engraving]].) In modern usage, the frontispiece is the [[verso]] opposite the [[recto]] [[title]] page. | + | The word originates from the [[French language|French]] word [[frontispiece (architecture)|frontispice]], which was originally an [[architectural]] term referring to the decorative [[facade]] of a building. In the 1600s, the French term came to refer to the title pages in books, which were often decorated at the time with intricate [[engravings]] that borrowed stylistic elements from architecture, such as [[columns]] and [[pediments]]. Over the course of the 16th century, the title pages of books came to be accompanied by [[illustrations]] on the facing page and the term took on the meaning it retains today as early as 1682. By then, the English spelling had also morphed from frontispice to frontispiece. |
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Book design]] | ||
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A frontispiece in books generally refers to a decorative or informative illustration facing a book's title page, being the verso opposite the recto title page. While some books depict thematic elements, other books feature the author's portrait as the frontispiece.
The word originates from the French word frontispice, which was originally an architectural term referring to the decorative facade of a building. In the 1600s, the French term came to refer to the title pages in books, which were often decorated at the time with intricate engravings that borrowed stylistic elements from architecture, such as columns and pediments. Over the course of the 16th century, the title pages of books came to be accompanied by illustrations on the facing page and the term took on the meaning it retains today as early as 1682. By then, the English spelling had also morphed from frontispice to frontispiece.
See also
