Book cover, gilt-bronze, Italy, 1540

The sides of this gilt bronze missal cover have shields of arms in the centre, surrounded by cartouche work and a border of arabesque. Unlike northern European examples, Italian brasswork was almost always engraved. The decoration was more extensive, often covering the entire surface of an object.

The arabesque pattern, based on a stylised plant with a winding stem, was studied and copied by contemporary Italian artists. By the middle of the 16th century, the arabesque as a form of ornament was beginning to influence craftsmen all over Europe, and became incorporated into the development of European ornamental design, until the decline of the Rococo in the late 18th century. Cover for a missal; the sides have shields of arms in the centre, surrounded by cartouche work and a border of arabesque.