Stilfragen : Grundlegungen zu einer Geschichte der Ornamentik
Alois Riegl's Stilfragen (Berlin: G. Siemens, 1893) is an art-historical argument tracing the descent of the palmette and tendril from Egyptian lotus motifs through Greek and Roman work to the Islamic arabesque, written for scholars and museum curators. The 154 figures are line diagrams and halftone reproductions of vase painting, mosaic, metalwork and carved bands, isolating single motifs and repeating borders that can be traced directly as vector ornament or repeat patterns.
