Italian Drawings in the Albertina
New York Graphic Society Ltd., 1971, Milan
CONDITION:
A Fair (FR) copy in cloth-over-boards hardcover format. No Dust Jacket. No Slipcase. The covers and boards are in fair condition, featuring boards that are bowed with bumped corners, minor frayed cloth, library markings, minor rubbing, light soiling, and minor cloth staining. The spine is in fair condition, showing minor rubbing and minor fraying. Hinges and joints are in good condition. The text block and pages are in good condition, exhibiting minor toning and minor stained edges. Endpapers are in good condition and include a library pocket. Plates and illustrations are in very good condition.
ATTRIBUTES:
Illustrated edition. Hardcover. No dust jacket. Bound in cloth over boards. This is an ex-library book with typical markings such as card slots, stamps, decimal numbers, etc.
DESCRIPTION:
This book serves as a comprehensive exploration of masterworks belonging to the renowned graphic collection housed in the Albertina museum in Vienna. Centered primarily on Italian artistic expressions, the volume highlights exquisite drawings created across several centuries, capturing the stylistic developments, technical proficiency, and creative processes of prominent draftsmanship from the region. The content illuminates the rich heritage of European draughting tradition, emphasizing the meticulous detail and aesthetic vision embedded in historical works on paper.
The editorial oversight was provided by esteemed art historians and scholars specialized in graphic arts and Renaissance or Baroque masterpieces, including Walter Koschatzky, Konrad Oberhuber, and Eckhart Knab. Their collective academic expertise brings rigorous contextual analysis to the selections featured within the volume, offering insights into individual schools of art, attribution, and the historical framework surrounding the creation of these pieces. Their work reflects deep engagement with institutional archives and museum curation.
From a literary and historical perspective, publications detailing the Albertina holdings are valued for documenting world-class cultural treasures that are otherwise sensitive to light and environmental degradation. For art enthusiasts and book collectors, such volumes provide an enduring visual resource and reference tool, celebrating rare selections from one of the most prestigious graphic repositories in the world. The careful curation and scholarly commentary make it an appealing addition for libraries focused on fine arts and master drawings.
FLASHBACK TO 1971 WHEN THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED:
When this book was published in 1971, the prolonged shadow of the Vietnam War continued to divide the American public while the final Apollo 14 mission brought humanity back to the lunar surface. Locally in Greenwich, residents navigated the economic turmoil of President Nixon's newly imposed wage-price controls as the counterculture movement collided with suburban tradition. Meanwhile, the cultural landscape shifted with the founding of both Greenpeace and the launch of the microprocessor, marking the dawn of the modern digital and environmental age.
Location: BRN-1-4-3-008