frontispiece
noun
fron·tis·piece ˈfrən-tə-ˌspēs 
1
a
: the principal front of a building
b
: a decorated pediment over a portico or window
2
: an illustration preceding and usually facing the title page of a book or magazine
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web But pages of handwritten lyrics and notes behind some of its chart-topping songs mysteriously disappeared shortly thereafter — only to resurface nearly five decades later as the frontispiece of a New York State Supreme Court indictment. 
María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 13 July 2022 Recast in vivid color, the frontispiece is enlarged to life-size scale, swapping out a generic female face for a specific one. Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2022 At some point, the copy lost its frontispiece page, which bore Shakespeare’s image. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 June 2022 The cover and frontispiece, seen here for the first time, was designed by Grace Han, who used a font that was initially developed for movie credits and posters. EW.com, 26 Feb. 2021 Reuwich contributed multiple illustrations to Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam: among others, a figurative frontispiece, six panoramic views of Mediterranean towns, and drawings of animals both real and imagined. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 9 Oct. 2019 An ornate frontispiece creates visual interest above the front door. Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2019 In addition to reviews and blurbs, Whitman commissioned a steel engraving of himself as a frontispiece to convey an image of the muscular, rough American poet. Elaine Showalter, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2019 Each chapter begins with a handsome frontispiece and a full-page illustration in a style reminiscent of the Arts & Crafts Movement, and each has its own floral motif. Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 12 July 2018 See More
María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 13 July 2022 Recast in vivid color, the frontispiece is enlarged to life-size scale, swapping out a generic female face for a specific one. Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2022 At some point, the copy lost its frontispiece page, which bore Shakespeare’s image. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 June 2022 The cover and frontispiece, seen here for the first time, was designed by Grace Han, who used a font that was initially developed for movie credits and posters. EW.com, 26 Feb. 2021 Reuwich contributed multiple illustrations to Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam: among others, a figurative frontispiece, six panoramic views of Mediterranean towns, and drawings of animals both real and imagined. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 9 Oct. 2019 An ornate frontispiece creates visual interest above the front door. Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2019 In addition to reviews and blurbs, Whitman commissioned a steel engraving of himself as a frontispiece to convey an image of the muscular, rough American poet. Elaine Showalter, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2019 Each chapter begins with a handsome frontispiece and a full-page illustration in a style reminiscent of the Arts & Crafts Movement, and each has its own floral motif. Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 12 July 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle French frontispice, from Late Latin frontispicium facade, from Latin front-, frons + -i- + specere to look at — more at spy
First Known Use
circa 1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a