Altered and Adorned: Using Renaissance Prints in Daily Life Schmidt, Suzanne Karr et Nichols, Kimberly

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)

Suzanne Karr Schmidt is Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow in Prints and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago. Kimberly Nichols is Associate Conservator in Prints and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago.