The Decameron is a collection of short stories by the 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375). The book is structured as a frame story containing 100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men; they shelter in a secluded villa just outside Florence in order to escape the Black Death, which was afflicting the city. The epidemic is likely what Boccaccio used for the basis of the book which was thought to be written between 1348-1353. The various tales of love in The Decameron range from the erotic to the tragic. Tales of wit, practical jokes, and life lessons also contribute to the mosaic. It also provides a document of life at the time. Written in the vernacular of the Florentine language, it is considered a masterpiece of early Italian prose.
These are the John Buckland Wright illustrations from the 1955 edition of the book.
This download features 10 images, in jpeg format, that are 600dpi and range from 2856 pixels wide/tall to 4767 pixels wide/tall.
The pictures are out of copyright and in the public domain, so you are free to use them in whatever way you'd like, including commercial use.
The pictures in our collections are out of copyright in the United States, the UK, Canada, most of Europe, Australia and all countries that follow the lifetime plus 70 years rule. Read our blog post about public domain copyright rules for more information.
