FRONTISPIECE

★ In architecture, a 'frontispiece' constitutes the elements that frame and decorate the main, or front, door to a building; especially when the main entrance is the chief face of the building, rather than being kept behind columns or a portico.

★ In books, a 'frontispiece' is an elaborate decorative illustration that appears facing the title page of the book. Use of the word to indicate the title page is now obsolete (''Oxford English Dictionary''). (Elaborate engraved title pages were formerly in frequent use, especially in Bibles and in scholarly books, and many of these pages are masterpieces of the art of engraving.) In modern usage, the frontispiece is the verso opposite the recto title page.