Book cover with overall geometric pattern
19th century
Medium
Relief print (wood or metal)
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 1/4 × 13 1/16 in. (20.9 × 33.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.71.9(83)
Art Historical Context
This 19th-century book cover, featuring an overall geometric pattern, exemplifies the anonymous craftsmanship of printed textiles and bindings from the era. Created as a relief print—likely from wood or metal blocks—the design showcases raised surfaces inked and pressed onto paper, producing crisp, repeating motifs ideal for mass production. Measuring 8¼ × 13⅛ inches, its modest scale suited practical use on books, where durability and visual appeal were key. Relief printing thrived in the 19th century amid the Industrial Revolution, enabling affordable decoration for everyday objects. Geomet...
About the Artist
Anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...