A Compleat Collection of English Proverbs (page 1/3)

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Tailpiece with Fisherman

This elaborate frame, surmounted by a basket of flowers, was used to mark the end of a chapter in the printed book. [more...] [$]

Initial Letter T Woodcut

A decorative initial letter “T” used as a drop cap (drop capital). It features palm trees and buildings in the background, perhaps intended to be evocative of the Holy Land. [more...] [$]

Chapter head with musical instruments

Chapter headpieces like this were very popular in the eighteenth century; they remained in widespread use into the early 20th century as a low-cost way to make a book appear more expensive than it really was. There was quite a market in the engraved printing-blocks such as the [...] [more...] [$]

Title Page

Title Page from John Ray’s book of English proverbs. [more...] [$]

Chapter Heading Woodcut Featuring Soldiers on Horesback with Spears

A decorative woodcut from above the section entitled Proverbs and Proverbial Observsations cocerning Husbandry, Weather, and the Seasons of the Year. It is not related to the text. The engraving features a battle of warriors or soldiers with spears and shields. I suspect it is based on the carved side of an ancient Hellenistic (Greek) sarcophagus thought [...] [more...] [$]