Title Page to the Moderne World of Words, or A Universal English Dictionary

Unknown Artist

National Gallery of Art

The image is an ornate illustration featuring a collection of portrait engravings bordered by architectural elements. At the top are detailed cityscapes labeled "Cambridge" and "Oxford." The central area contains a decorative banner with the text "The Moderne World of Words," dated 1696. Portraits of historical figures such as "Spenser," "Lambard," "Selden," "Chaucer," "Camden," "Spelman," "S.P. Sidney," "A Scholer of Cambridge," "F. Bacon," and "A Scholer of Oxford" are framed within rectangular borders topped with classic columns. Each figure is depicted in historical attire. The text attributes the work to R. Bentley, F. Phillips, H. Rhodes, and J. Taylor. At the bottom, there's an illustration of a globe labeled "Novus Orbis Verborum." The composition is symmetrical, with the globe centralizing the design amid the portraits, all set against a parchment-like textured backdrop.