Altered and Adorned: Using Renaissance Prints in Daily Life

By Kimberly Nichols and Suzanne Karr Schmidt

Today Renaissance-era prints are typically preserved behind glass or in solander boxes in museums, but these decorative objects were once a central part of everyday life. Altered and Adorned is a delightful, surprising look at how prints were used: affixed on walls; glued into albums, books, and boxes; annotated; hand-colored; or cut apart.

This handsome volume introduces readers to the experimental world of printmaking in the mid-15th and 16th centuries and the array of objects it inspired, from illustrated books, sewing patterns, and wearable ornaments to printed sundials and anatomical charts. It features many never-before-published treasures from the Art Institute of Chicago's rich permanent collection, along with essays on the ways prints functioned--in some cases as three-dimensional and interactive works--and how their condition communicates their use.

Distributed for the Art Institute of Chicago

Exhibition Schedule:

The Art Institute of Chicago
(04/30/11-07/10/11)

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300169116
• ISBN13: 9780300169119
• Release Date: June 2011
• Publisher: Art Institute of Chicago
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 2.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.4" x 12.3"