Published Design Sources

 

Artisans and designers published their designs to enhance their reputations and to spread their influence beyond urban centers and national borders. Such publications have changed over time because of evolving styles, market forces, and technological advances. They document the designs of objects as well as the designs for ornamenting those objects.

NK1115 S43 v.1- Winterthur Library Revealed

Differents Pourtraicts de Menuiserie
By Hans Vredeman de Vries, published by Phillipe Galle
Antwerp, Belgium; 1588?
Engraving
NK1115 S43 F v.1 Printed Book and Periodical Collection

The designs for chairs, tables, and beds in this Belgian volume are among the earliest printed furniture patterns. Vredeman de Vries’s designs were widely copied in many European countries and reappeared in New England in the 1600s.

NK2550 B76n F- Winterthur Library Revealed

Nouveaux Deisseins de Meubles et Ouvrages de Bronze et de Marqueterie
By André-Charles Boulle, published by Mariette
Paris, France; 17–
Engraving
NK2550 B76n F Printed Book and Periodical Collection, gift of Edmond L. Lincoln

André-Charles Boulle was the royal cabinetmaker to Louis XIV and is known for his veneered furniture with tortoiseshell marquetry and gilded brass inlay. Boulle also executed the parquet floors and wall panels in the palace of Versailles. This folio contains elaborate designs for both furniture and bronzes.

NK2529 I36 F- Winterthur Library Revealed

 

The Universal System of Houshold Furniture
By William Ince and John Mayhew
London, England; about 1762
Engraving
NK2529 I36 F Printed Book and Periodical Collection

In the 1700s, the sofa bed was a portable and convertible piece of furniture. This Chippendale-style object combined the skills of cabinetmaker William Ince and upholsterer John Mayhew, who formed a partnership in England in 1759.

TS1490 K61- Winterthur Library Revealed

1969.1639 - Winterthur Library RevealedNeues Bild- und Muster-Buch
By Johann Michael Kirschbaum, printed by Johann Daniel Class
Heilbronn, Germany; 1793
Woodcut
TS1490 K61* Printed Book and Periodical Collection

Coverlet
Probably made in Pennsylvania; about 1830
Loom-woven cotton, wool
1969.1639 Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

The professional weaver who produced this reversible, overshot-weave coverlet was undoubtedly inspired by traditional published designs. The influential German book of weaving patterns seen here was widely owned in America and was republished for several decades.

NK2542 S55e F- Winterthur Library RevealedThe Cabinet-Maker, Upholsterer, and General Artists’ Encyclopaedia
By Thomas Sheraton, published by the author
London, England; 1804–7
Hand-colored engraving
NK2542 S55e F Printed Book and Periodical Collection, gift of the Friends of Winterthur

Thomas Sheraton’s command of classical influences in his furniture can be seen in this plate of a bookcase. The impact he had on furniture design was great in his own time and is still felt today. This Encyclopaedia was never completed, as Sheraton died in 1806.


NK1565 P97- Winterthur Library RevealedFloriated Ornament
By Augustus W. N. Pugin, published by Henry G. Bohn
London, England; 1849
Chromolithographed plate
NK1565 P97* Printed Book and Periodical Collection, gift of the Friends of Winterthur

Augustus W. N. Pugin was a pioneer in the revival of the Gothic style in architecture and the decorative arts in the early half of the 1800s. His philosophy of handcraftsmanship and ornamentation to enhance but not overwhelm objects influenced the arts and crafts movement later in the century.

NK1510 J78- Winterthur Library RevealedNK1535 D21 F- Winterthur Library Revealed

The Grammar of Ornament
By Owen Jones, published by Day and Son
London, England; 1856
Chromolithographed plate
NK1510 J78* Printed Book and Periodical Collection, gift of the Friends of Winterthur

Or et Couleurs
By Georges Darcy, published by A. Calavas
Paris, France; 1920
Silk-screened print
NK1535 D21 F Printed Book and Periodical Collection, gift of the Friends of Winterthur

British architect and designer Owen Jones published The Grammar of Ornament containing designs taken from objects in the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria & Albert Museum). The volume of works from various historical periods was a good reference tool for decorators and designers.

In the 1920s, the Librarie des Arts Décoratifs in Paris published Or et Couleurs and other folios of original designs of stylized flora and fauna in the newly popular art deco style. Decorators and artisans used these vibrantly colored designs when creating everything from wallpaper to jewelry to textiles.

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