Il Bestario Barocco

I find this book beautiful but macabre - an Italian feather book created in 1618 by Dionisio Minaggio, "gardener to His Excellency the Governor of Milan". The pictures in the Feather Book consist of 157 collages of birds, hunters, tradesmen, musicians and Commedia del’Arte figures created from real feathers and beaks and claws. Digitised by McGill University as part of its proramme of expanding digital resources, the web-based exhibtion lacks explanation, although the captions are informative. [ via librarian.net ]

http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/featherbook/

A more detailed description and commentary about the Feather book can be found on Nuevomundo Revues:
http://nuevomundo.revues.org/document1629.html