Ex-libris (bookplate) - Dr. Ludwig Ferdinand herceg

The ex libris designed for Duke Ludwig Ferdinand - a member of the Bavarian ruling dynasty - is framed by a framework of rose and thistle wreath, with laurel leaves at the top. Inside the frame, there is a skeleton, representing Death, in a glass ball. Over the ball, there are dancing putti, below, an open book with glasses. This complex, symbolic composition refers partly to the medical studies of the duke and also to the symbols of life and death, beginning and end. Its significance lies in the signature of its owner, the ordered, ducal coat-of-arms. Escutcheons had been one of the most important characteristics of ex libris right from the start up to the ninteenth century. At the turn of the century, however, they started to be a mere element of composition or motifs of decoration.