Library & Archives In Focus: Through the Frontispiece

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Library & Archives In Focus: Through the Frontispiece

Thursday 9 July 2026 | Drop in 1pm-3pm | Library & Archives Reading Room

Engraved frontispieces emerged in early modern Europe as gateways to books.

Produced by skilled engravers, they combined portraiture, allegory, and decorative design to signal a work’s themes, prestige, and authorship. Step through the frontispiece, and discover how a single image can open the door to an entire narrative.

This is a free drop-in event; no booking is required

“Exeter Cathedral is architecture as theatre.”

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“Really lovely, and unexpectedly ‘wow.’”

“I am in a wheelchair, but I could see everything (pretty much!)”

“Well worth the sore neck from time spent looking heavenwards!”

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Library & Archives In Focus: Through the Frontispiece