Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums
Johann Joachim Winckelmann's Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums, published in 1764 and drawn from the Heidelberg University Library, is a scholarly German art history of antiquity written for connoisseurs and students of classical art. Its plates show classical sculpture and relief scenes, with nude male figures in oval frames and processional groups in Greek-style dress. A designer could borrow the sculpted contrapposto poses, the oval cartouche framing, and the crisp engraved hatching for classical motifs.
