Frontispiece Collection (#46)

Die Jahreszeiten (The seasons) by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), frontispiece
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), Die Jahreszeiten (The seasons). Frontispiece

Italian poetry frontispiece, 18th century
Italian poetry frontispiece. 18th-century frontispiece artwork for a book of Italian poetry. The scene shows a goddess-like muse figure advising a seated scholar or poet in front of a monkey using a

Jesuit missions to China, 17th century C016 / 8929
Jesuit missions to China. 17th-century artwork showing Jesuit scholars that carried out missionary work in China. The founders of the Society of Jesus were Francis Xavier (upper left)

Magnitskys Arithmetics, 1703

Harmonica Macrocosmica (1708). This star atlas by the Dutch-German mathematician and cosmographer Andreas Cellarius was first published in 1660

Varia Opera Mathematica by Pierre Fermat C015 / 5602
Varia Opera Mathematica. This work, by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665), was published posthumously in 1679

Mechanica by Leonhard Euler C015 / 5601
Mechanica by Leonhard Euler. Front page of Mechanica by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783). This two-volume work, published in 1736, described the mathematics governing movement

Euclids Elements of Geometry. Frontispiece of Euclids Elements of Geometry. This edition was printed in London in 1570 and has a preface by the Welsh mathematician John Dee (1527-1609)

Geometria by Rene Descartes, 1639 C015 / 5575
Geometria by Rene Descartes. This work, by the French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes (1596-1650), was published in 1637 as an appendix to his earlier work Discourse on Method

The Key to Mathematics by Oughtred C015 / 5711
The Key to Mathematics. This work, known in Latin as Clavis Mathematicae, is by the English mathematician William Oughtred (1575-1660) and represents algebraic knowledge at the time

The Whetstone of Witte by Recorde C015 / 5714
Whetstone of Witte. This work is by the Welsh mathematician and physician Robert Recorde (1512-1558). It covers whole numbers, the extraction of roots and irrational numbers

Opera Omnia by Gottfried Leibniz C015 / 5705
Opera Omnia. This is the collected works of the German mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716). Leibniz discovered calculus (after)

Mico-chlucco King of the Moscogul C016 / 5565
Mico-chlucco King of the Moscogul/Creeks. Frontispiece from Bartrams Travels (1791) by William Bartram

Sydney Parkinson, Scottish artist C016 / 5040
Sydney Parkinson (1745-1771), Scottish artist. Parkinson travelled on and died during Captain James Cooks first voyage around the world (1768-1771)

Greenland hunters, 16th century C016 / 4489
Greenland hunters. 16th-century artwork showing an Inuit man in Greenland hunting seabirds from a kayak. More scenes of Inuit society are shown on shore, including a village, a mother and child

Suetonius writing The Twelve Caesars. Artwork showing the Roman historian Suetonius writing his 121 AD work De Vita Caesarum (On the Life of the Caesars, or The Twelve Caesars )

Insects of Surinam frontispiece C013 / 6593
Insects of Surinam frontispiece. This scene depicts cherubs helping the author, Maria Sybilla Merian, mount butterflies. Dissertatio de Generatione et Metamorphosibus Insectorum Surinamensium by

Franz Anton Mesmer, also known as Friedrich. Austrian physician. The Tub of Mesmer
FRANZ MESMER (1734-1815). Franz Anton Mesmer, also known as Friedrich. Austrian physician. The Tub of Mesmer. Satirical frontispiece engraving from L Antimagn

A dying man surrounded by physicians and attendants. Woodcut attributed to Albrecht D├╝rer from a German edition of Ars
DOCTOR AND PATIENT, 1509. A dying man surrounded by physicians and attendants. Woodcut attributed to Albrecht D├╝rer from a German edition of Ars Moriendi, 1509

Group of Thirteen German Physicians - woodcut frontispiece to Dr. Johann Wonnecken von Cubes Gart der Gesuntheit
GART DER GESUNTHEIT, 1485. Group of Thirteen German Physicians - woodcut frontispiece to Dr. Johann Wonnecken von Cubes Gart der Gesuntheit, Mainz, Germany, 1485

James Nasmyth (frontispiece of Smiles biography)

W J MacQuorn Rankine. eng portrait frontispiece. Miscellaneous Scientific Papers, 1881 Date: 1881

Merchant Taylors Southern Railway (SR) 4-4-0 3 cylinder express locomotive designed by E L Maunsell, built at Eastleigh Works, painted vy F Moore, Loco Mag, vol.40, 1934, frontispiece Date: 1934

Canadian National Railways
An east coast flier near Hadley Wood, Canadian National Railways (CNR), painted by F Moore. Loco Mag, vol.11, 1905, frontispiece Date: 1905

Frontispiece from George Edwards A Natural History of Birds, Part 1, (1743). Annotated Georgii Edvardi Ornithologia Nova

Frontispiece of Catalogue Raisonne d une collection
Illustration by Francois Boucher from the book Catalogue Raisonne d une collection by Edme Francois Gersaint, 1744

Quarry scene, Tilgate Forest
Quarry scene in the Tilgate Forest, frontispiece from Illustrations of the Geology of Sussex (1827) by G. A. Mantell

Pharmacopoea cabinet
Frontispiece from Materia Medica, Liber 1, De Plantis by Carl Linnaeus, 1749

Anna Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Portrait of Anna Maria Sibylla Merian, a German naturalist. Frontispiece from Erucarum ortus, alimentum et paradoxa metamorphosis by Merian (1717)

Joseph Wolf (1820-1899)
Portrait of Joseph Wolf, a German artist. Frontispiece from The Life of Joseph Wolf (1895) by A.H. Palmer

Fuegians going to trade with Patagonians in Zapallos

Temple of Jupiter Serapis near Naples. This comprises the frontispiece from Principles of Geology Vol. 1, 1830 by Charles Lyell

Frontispiece of Sir Hans Sloanes voyage of Jamaica
Account of the natural history of Jamaica and its neighbouring islands by Sir Hans Sloane. Published London 1707

Ancient Wrasse - Frontispiece from the Aquarium
Frontispiece from The Aquarium: an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea by Philip Henry Gosse (1854). Annotated The Ancient Wrasse

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The frontispiece is a captivating glimpse into the world of literature, music, and art. It serves as an introduction to the masterpiece that lies within its pages or notes. Just like Dante's Divine Comedy, which showcases the author himself on its frontispiece, these illustrations give us a visual representation of the story that awaits. In Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata, the frontispiece sets the tone for a tragic love story with its evocative imagery. Similarly, Frankenstein's frontispiece offers a chilling preview of Mary Shelley's iconic tale of creation and destruction. Handel's Messiah takes us back in time with its engraved cover sheet music from 1742. This intricate design transports us to an era filled with grandeur and musical brilliance. Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles invites us into Victorian England through its beautifully crafted title page from 1892. The delicate details transport readers to another time and place. But it is not only literature that can be found within these captivating images; they also capture scenes from everyday life. The market in Bologna reveals street traders bustling about their daily business while Twelve breeds of pigeon showcase nature's diversity in all its feathered glory. Zodiac signs come alive on one particular frontispiece where Cupid or Eros spreads his wings alongside winged males representing each astrological symbol. This celestial artwork reminds us of our connection to the stars above. Historical figures are also celebrated through this artistic medium - such as Jacques de Lalaing depicted as The King of Arms in Order of the Golden Fleece writing - reminding us that history lives on through art. Dreams take shape on Gerontius' frontispiece as we delve into his ethereal journey beyond life itself. And Hercules honored by Hesperides captures strength and heroism frozen in time for eternity.