An Abecedarium: Illuminated Alphabets from the Court of Emperor Rudolf II (Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum)
Taken from a 16th-century manuscript now housed in the Getty  Museum, the intricate illustrations in this tiny volume are  characteristic of Renaissance art: each letter is surrounded by  religious and political imagery, as well as fanciful creatures and a  fragment of a Psalm beginning with the respective letter. The warm,  rich colors and the juxtaposition of elements such as crabs, asps,  grapes, disembodied wings, crests, irises, and flags imbue each plate  with a sense of divine haughtiness and humor. Besides the drawings  themselves, the accompanying notes describe the evolution of different  fonts, providing information that helps the reader interpret the wealth  of information in each drawing.