It seems silly to even write this, but I am pretty obsessed with monograms. I am constantly researching and seeking out new historical examples to serve as inspiration. Honestly, it is sometimes hard to find good inspiration since books on monograms are becoming more and more rare and the best examples have never been digitized. Which brings me to Spain...
Over the course of our vacation, I saw so many inspiring examples of these intricate designs. Historically, monograms were an early form of branding and identification. Every monarch (or anyone that had money and power) had their own monogram that consisted of their initials. Their monograms were used on anything and everything they owned or sponsored from palaces to parks to cathedrals to their furniture and crystal. Once you start recognizing certain monograms (Queen Isabel's for example) you realize how much power and wealth certain people had.
I tried to document as many monograms as I could find in both Spain and Toulouse, France. Below are a few examples. They really are stunningly beautiful. (unfortunately the best examples were on crystal and china in the Royal Palace, but I wasn't allowed to photograph those – bummer).
No comments:
Post a Comment