A few weeks ago I wrote about a food-related collage that I was struggling with. It was a commission loosely based on a piece created for an exhibit earlier this year. A print of the original would have been fine BUT I had forgotten to scan that collage into the computer. Well, the final piece - above - came out fine, even though I had to take it apart to get it there.
An armored knight was central to the earlier collage, as well as this one. The difference though is that the first one was a black-and-white engraving of a standing knight, while this one is a splendidly-outfitted and beautifully-colored knight and horse.
The image is from Costumi Dei Secoli, a spectacular book of hand-painted engravings published in Florence, Italy, in 1837. The two-volume set is falling apart and heavily foxed, but the prints are in remarkably fine condition once you get past the edges.
The art details costumes worn by people depicted in well-known paintings, sculptures and monuments of the time - and each is accompanied by a description. In Italian, of course. I've been scanning the images into my archive - there are close to one hundred 8.5" x 12" plates - and wanted to share a few that you're sure to see popping up in future collages ...
