The bold black-and-white line drawings in this outstanding collection offer artists and craftspeople a rich and varied source of historic Korean patterns and designs. The 142 copyright-free motifs, inspired by works of art and design dating from the first through the nineteenth centuries, are varied not only in subject and theme, but in size and shape, ranging from full- and half-page compositions to borders, panels, medallions, and allover patterns.

Artist Madeleine Orban-Szontagh found characteristic motifs in a splendid selection of Korean arts and crafts, including embroidered Buddhist and Taoist symbols, jewelry, ornamental tiles, a royal headdress, vases, book covers, screens, and paintings. The motifs range from abstract forms to realistic depictions of costumed figures, birds, flowers, and landscapes. Moreover, the bold, clear outlines of the drawings make them easy to reproduce and easy to use in a wide variety of arts and crafts.