modern bindings (5 Ergebnisse)

307 x 215 mm. (12 x 8 1/2"). 40 pp., [1] leaf (colophon). DAZZLING CRIMSON CRUSHED MOROCCO, GILT, INLAID, AND BEJEWELLED, BY SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE (stamp-signed on rear turn-in), covers with inlaid light blue morocco border, blue Celtic knot strapwork at middle of each side and at corners, those on upper cover with a ruby or sapphire at center, those on lower cover with a circle of red or blue morocco at center, cornerpieces connected by a graceful loop to the blue morocco strip framing the central oval panel, the spaces between the strapwork ornaments and the inner and outer frames filled with pointillé gilt compartments tooled with gilt vines bearing inlaid white morocco flowers (upper cover) or purple morocco thistles (lower cover), a recessed medallion of green morocco at center of upper cover set WITH BURNS' INITIALS IN METAL ENCRUSTED WITH 80 JEWELS (40 CABOCHON RUBIES AND 40 CABOCHON SAPPHIRES) of varying sizes, central oval panel on lower cover with gilt lyre at center within a laurel wreath, surrounded by swirling branches of inlaid white morocco roses; raised bands, spine compartments with inlaid green and white morocco thistle at center, enclosed by light blue strapwork, the pointillé gilt background with inlaid white morocco flowers at corners, CERULEAN BLUE MOROCCO DOUBLURES AND ENDLEAVES, the front doublure inlaid at center with Burns' personal seal of a tan and white morocco woodlark perched on a branch of bay leaves bearing red berries, a red morocco banner below the bird lettered in gilt "Woodnotes Wild," corners of doublures with three inlaid pink morocco roses and a gilt thistle, free endleaves with gilt borders, all edges gilt on the rough. In a velvet-lined navy blue morocco case by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. EXTRAVAGANTLY ILLUMINATED THROUGHOUT: title page with large decorative initial and full illuminated border of thistles and acanthus leaves enclosing title and the royal arms in Scotland, frontispiece portrait of Burns (signed with Sangorski's cipher and dated 1931) within a laurel wreath surrounded by a frame of thistles on a textured gold ground, large illuminated initials on almost every page, WITH 16 MINIATURES, EIGHT OF THEM FULL-PAGE WITHIN FULL BORDERS, nine other full borders, seven panel borders, one three-quarter border (six of the borders inhabited by a faun, various birds, a squirrel, or a lizard, the borders all with varying types of foliage in shades of blue, purple, and green with backgrounds of burnished or incised gold, the border for "Rosy Brier" containing many pink roses), all protected by the original ivory silk guards. Ratcliffe, "Alberto Sangorski Bibliography" (2015) and "Hidden Treasures" (2008) MWE 61; "The History of the Book: The Cornelius J. Hauck Collection," Christie's, 27 June 2006, lot 669 (this copy). Very minor fraying to some of the silk guards, but essentially unblemished--A LOVELY COPY IN A SPARKLING BINDING. Done during the mature years of Alberto Sangorski's career, this lavishly illustrated and illuminated manuscript reunited the artist with his late brother's bindery, restoring a working partnership after 20 years of estrangement. Sangorski (1862-1932) started his professional life as secretary to a goldsmith's firm, became attracted to the book arts at the age of 43, and began doing illuminated manuscripts that were then bound by his brother Francis' firm, Sangorski & Sutcliffe. Sometime around 1910, Alberto and Francis had a falling out, and the artist went to work for Riviere, the chief competitor to his brother's firm. Francis drowned in 1912, while the brothers were still estranged; in "Cinderella of the Arts," a history of Sangorski & Sutcliffe, Rob Shepherd notes that Alberto apparently did not speak to George Sutcliffe again until 1930. The men must have reconciled sometime that year, because at least four of the six works Alberto created in 1931-32 (per Stephen Ratcliffe's checklist) were bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. The jewelled binding George's firm created for this manuscript hearkens back to the pre-WWI glory days when an intense rivalry between Riviere and Sangorski developed, and the two began putting out intricately decorated bindings described by Nixon as having as their main aim the putting of "so much gold and color on the cover that the hue of the original leather could no longer be determined." In "Hidden Treasures: Jewelled Bookbindings and Illuminated Manuscripts in England, 1900-1939," Ratcliffe notes that this is "an exceptionally elaborate binding" for 1931; costs of materials and labor had skyrocketed in the decade before, while the Great Depression and American protectionist tariffs were shrinking the market for luxury books like this. It is truly one of the last great relics of an era that produced some of the loveliest manuscripts and bindings ever made. The contents here include the Burns poems "Tam O'Shanter," "Meg o' the Mill," "The Ploughman," "To Mary in Heaven," "The Sodger's [Soldier's] Return," "There was a Lass," "O Bonnie was Yon Rosy Brier," and a five-page life of the poet. The full page (or very large) miniatures include depictions of Tam on horseback riding through a thunderstorm, Tam dancing with pixies, Meg of the Mill, the return of the soldier, the lass and her farm, and Rosy Brier; the smaller miniatures include landscapes (mostly of the area around Burns' birthplace in Ayr), scenes from the poems, or portraits of their subjects. Like the binding, the manuscript is unusually flamboyant, with lavish borders and substantially more miniatures than is customary--as if Alberto knew the end of his career was nigh and wanted to go out with a flourish. This gem was once in the illustrious collection of Cincinnati businessman and philanthropist Cornelius J. Hauck (1893-1967); the sale of his library at Christie's in 2006 totaled more than $12.4 million (this lot--one of six Sangorski manuscripts in the sale--sold for $42,000, all in).

265 x 207 mm. (10 1/2 x 8 1/4"). 41, [3] (blank) pp., [1] leaf (colophon). RESPLENDENT IN DARK BLUE MOROCCO, RICHLY GILT AND ONLAID, BY RIVIERE & SON (stamp-signed on front doublure), covers with wide frame of swirling gilt vines bearing red morocco blossoms and blue and green berries, bordered by strips of green and tan morocco, central panel of upper cover with recessed oval containing a portrait of a young nun sculpted in leather with painted details, this encircled by an onlaid ivory morocco rosary and surrounded by an exuberant spray of red morocco poppies with green and tan leaves, central panel of lower cover with an arch-backed black morocco cat beneath the arch of a gray morocco horseshoe at center, a black and red witch's hat above the horseshoe, and the whole on a very densely stippled gilt ground, incised with calligraphic curls and set with nine silver stars around the cat, this centerpiece surrounded by curling gilt vines bearing red morocco and gilt posies, raised bands, spine compartments framed with tan morocco, and containing a gilt and onlaid floral sprig, TAN MOROCCO DOUBLURES bordered by a strip of purple morocco, this with onlaid green morocco frame adorned with gilt latticework, densely stippled gilt cornerpieces set with purple morocco passionflowers, all accented with inlaid circles of purple, navy, and green in varying sizes, leather hinges, apricot watered silk endleaves, all edges gilt. In the original silk- and velvet-lined green morocco box. Numerous two- to three-line initials in red, blue, or burnished gold, three three-line illuminated initials, 11 five- to six-line initials in shades of purple, blue, and green, with highlights of pink and burnished gold, two of these with extensions running the length of the text and two incorporated into full borders, four very large initials (12 lines or more) in colors and gold, five full borders, that on title page incorporating a small oval miniature of Whittier, and TWO FULL-PAGE MINIATURES, one of a young nun at prayer, the other of two lovers walking in a forest. Calligraphed colophon SIGNED by Sangorski stating: "This manuscript . . . was designed, written out, and illuminated by Alberto Sangorski for Messrs. R. Rivi?re & Son, Bookbinders & Booksellers to his Majesty King George V. London. This manuscript will not be duplicated. This manuscript was executed by me." From the collection of Phoebe A. D. Boyle (her sale at Anderson Galleries, 19-20 November 1923, lot 368). Front flyleaf with engraved bookplate of comic book pioneer M. C. Gaines (1894-1947); typed description from "Kolb Collection" (Louis Kolb?) laid in. Ratcliffe, "Albert Sangorski Bibliography" SJR 245. Vellum a bit wavy (as is typical), but A BEAUTIFUL COPY, the leaves creamy and bright, being painted with rich colors and glittering gold, and IN A FLAWLESS BINDING. This is an outstanding example of the artistry of Alberto Sangorski and that of the binders, gilders, and finishers of Riviere & Son, the volume being executed at the zenith of their creative powers, and formerly owned by the most important collector of Sangorski's manuscripts. Sangorski has written out and illuminated three poems by American author John Greenleaf Whittier: "The Female Martyr," inspired by an 18-year-old nun from the Sisters of Charity who died nursing cholera victims; "The Witch's Daughter," set in Puritan New England; and "Memories," a lover's touching reminiscences of youthful romance. In addition to elaborate initials and borders in his preferred palette of blues, purples, and greens brightened with burnished gold, Sangorski has created two full-page paintings, one of the beautiful young nun at prayer, the other of youthful sweethearts strolling arm-in-arm through a wood. Alberto Sangorski (1862-1932) started his professional life as secretary to a goldsmith's firm, became attracted to the book arts at the age of 43, and began doing illuminated manuscripts that were then bound by his brother Francis' firm, Sangorski & Sutcliffe. Sometime around 1910, Alberto and Francis had a falling out, and the artist went to work for Riviere, the chief competitor to his brother's firm. Like the manuscript here, our binding by Riviere is the work of many months, with hundreds of individual inlays, onlays, and applications of gilt. Robert Riviere began as a bookseller and binder in Bath in 1829, then set up shop as a binder in London in 1840; in 1881, he took his grandson Percival Calkin into partnership, at which time the firm became known as Riviere & Son, and the bindery continued to do business until 1939. New York collector Phoebe A. D. Boyle was the widow of a canvas manufacturer who had made a fortune providing tents to the U.S. Army in the Civil War. George Sutcliffe described this important client as "rivalling the Medici in her patronage of the production of beautiful books." Stephen Ratcliffe deems the Boyle collection as "unrivalled" for its jewelled bindings and modern illuminated manuscripts; 33 of Alberto Sangorski's creations appeared in her sale at Anderson Galleries in 1923, and during World War I, she was one of the only customers for extravagant productions like the present item. Any book from the Boyle collection, which was put together with the greatest taste and discrimination, is recognized as desirable beyond its intrinsic literary merit.

ONE OF 160 COPIES. 240 x 165 mm. (9 1/2 x 6 3/4"). 4 p.l., 115, [2] pp. HANDSOME MOSAIC CHOCOLATE BROWN CRUSHED MOROCCO, BY "MYRIAM" [Marie de Jouvencel] (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with inlaid border and repeating rows of interlocking circles in green morocco, raised bands, spine compartments with inlaid light brown frame, gilt titling, stylized monogram ("E L"?) formed by gilt arrows at foot of spine, GREEN MOROCCO DOUBLURES inlaid with two brown morocco frames (lobed at head and foot) and brown morocco circlets containing a blind-tooled and inlaid brown morocco flower at each corner, green silk free endleaves, marbled flyleaves, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. CHARMINGLY ILLUMINATED THROUGHOUT BY RACHEL GRIBILLAC, with added double page pictorial title on front flyleaves, the decorative lettering within architectural frames with medallions at head featuring Endymion and his lover the Moon Goddess, putti on clouds at lower fore-edge corners, engraved title page decoration and woodcut initials by H. M. O'Kane hand-colored, EVERY PAGE WITH INHABITED HALF (or sometimes quarter) BORDER depicting the events and characters described in the poem, among them shepherds, fauns, nymphs, putti, gods, goddesses, and sea creatures, and WITH A FULL-PAGE MINIATURE of the Moon Goddess gazing down at a sleeping Endymion. Spine evenly sunned to a slightly lighter shade of brown, a hint of bowing to boards, corners faintly rubbed, a touch of browning to untrimmed edges, but A VERY FINE COPY, clean and fresh internally, the paintings with vibrant colors and bright gold, and the binding virtually unworn. Keats' immortal phrase "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" opens this poem and describes the book that presents it: an attractive printing from a leader in the American private press movement in an intricately inlaid binding and with delightful illumination illustrating the story of a young shepherd beloved by the goddess of the moon. Founded by Clarke Conwell in 1900, the Elston Press printed some 20 books between 1900-04 and helped to reestablish the hand printing press in America. At first showing the influence of William Morris, the press soon took on its own distinctive appearance and became the most successful of the private American presses that emerged at the turn of the century. Franklin calls the work of this press "truly fine" and reflecting "the skill and taste which make good books"; he is especially impressed with the excellent handmade paper. The fine paper and generous margins, plus the imaginative subject matter, made this book a superb choice for an illuminator, and our artist has taken full advantage of each available blank space to bring the tale from classical mythology to life. In addition to idyllic pastoral scenes, she shows us Endymion's adventures under the sea, in which he rescues a sea-god trapped by the witch Circe, encounters Neptune in his palace, and rides a sea monster. Endymion also takes to the air, on a giant eagle sent by Jupiter and on a winged steed provided by Mercury. The gods Phoebus, Apollo, Diana, and Pan also flit through the margins, along with Bacchus and his bacchantes, the Nine Muses, and assorted nymphs, fauns, and demi-gods. Venus and her human lover Adonis appear, to support the goddess-and-mortal relationship between Cynthia the Moon and her beloved Endymion. We have not been able to discover any information or other works by our artist, Rachel Gribillac, but her style suggests that she was a talented and enthusiastic amateur skilled in the application of gold and with an eye for whimsical details. The artist makes clever use of the narrow vertical and horizontal spaces by balancing lush greenery and fluffy clouds with stylized organic elements and lines that add structure to the composition, with brightly hued robes to pull the eye toward the central figures. Each illustration is also heightened with gold in some way--from delicate gilt accents to gold grounds etched with patterns--adding an element of luxury and sophistication to this work. Though unrecorded by Flety or Duncan & De Bartha, the binder Marie de Jouvencel, who signed herself Myriam, appears in several auction records describing beautifully inlaid bindings, including one quite similar to the present design (only executed in blue and red) that was owned by binding connoisseur Maurice Burrus. She did work for the Mabilde bindery, which executed bindings for Paul Bonet, and seems to have been active in France in the 1920s and 1930s. It is possible that our illuminator was also French, and that the illumination and binding were done at about the same time.

216 x 153 mm. (8 1/2 x 6"). [ii], 28 pp., [1] leaf (colophon). Single column, 18 lines in an attractive calligraphic hand. VERY PRETTY VIOLET CRUSHED MOROCCO, GILT AND INLAID for The Renaissance Society (stamp-signed in gilt on front doublure), smooth spine with gilt titling, FULL MOROCCO DOUBLURES consisting of a green morocco panel framed by purple morocco with gilt dots and scrolling floral motifs at each corner, each with an inlaid white morocco flower, cream-colored watered silk endleaves. In a lavender buckram chemise and matching purple morocco-backed slipcase with raised bands and gilt lettering. With many one-line initials in pink, each leaf with a different two- to four-line initial in a different style (with both painted and gilt elements, and exuberantly decorated), most leaves with a panel or "L"-shaped border ranging from simple lines to elaborate decorative bars, a few borders with small landscapes and a total of FOUR FIGURAL SCENES, decorative title page with colorful initials, lettering, and decorative flourishes, text beginning with A HALF-PAGE MINIATURE OF ST. JEROME AT HIS DESK, surrounded by A FULL BORDER of flowers, gilt detailing, and stylized heads of putti. Front free endpaper with bookplate of Phoebe Boyle. Leather with a slight chalky appearance, silk endleaves starting to fray at fore edge, a few leaves with a hint of waviness, but THE MANUSCRIPT IN BEAUTIFUL CONDITION, the vellum entirely clean, and the paint especially bright and fresh. Exuberantly decorated by a mysterious artist, this manuscript was commissioned and bound for The Renaissance Society of Chicago before making its way into the superb collection of American bibliophile Phoebe Boyle. The text here comes from a poem by "Atlantic Monthly" writer and editor Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907), imagining the agony and the ecstasy of St. Jerome as he sat down to write his translation of the Bible. The illumination, though certainly inspired by the decorative programs of Medieval manuscripts, is decidedly modern in appearance, drawing on the Art Nouveau movement and utilizing bold color combinations and whimsical design motifs. Although we were unable to find any information about its scribe and illuminator, Siuol Na-Huab, the artist must have been highly regarded in contemporary circles. The colophon states that the manuscript was written and illuminated for The Renaissance Society--an artistic group associated with the University of Chicago whose mission was to cultivate and promote modern art--and it was given an appropriately luxurious binding by the same organization. The manuscript was obviously valued highly enough to join the collection of Phoebe A. D. Boyle, a client George Sutcliffe described as "rivalling the Medici in her patronage of the production of beautiful books." (Shepherd, "The Cinderella of the Arts," p. 63) Stephen Ratcliffe describes the Boyle collection as "unrivalled" for its jewelled bindings and modern illuminated manuscripts, and any book from the Boyle collection, which was put together with the greatest taste and discrimination, is recognized as desirable beyond its intrinsic literary merit.

392 x 287 mm. (15 3/8 x 11 1/4"). [32] leaves, with text in an attractive italic hand, all separated by tissue guards. SUMPTUOUS OLIVE GREEN STRAIGHT-GRAIN MOROCCO, ELABORATELY GILT, BY ZAEHNSDORF (stamp-signed on front doublure and with their exhibition stamp on rear turn-in), covers with densely stippled floral roll border enclosing a large frame formed by drawer handle tools and floral tools on a stippled ground; central panel with large cornerpieces rampant with flower tools, circlets, volutes, and much stippling; raised bands, spine compartments heavily gilt in a similar style, gilt titling, RED MOROCCO DOUBLURES with opulent dentelle frame, surrounded by gilt-tooled green morocco turn-ins, red watered silk endleaves with gilt edging, all edges gilt.ma WITH 76 BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTIONS OF PORTRAIT MINIATURES BY RICHARD COSWAY, ANDREW PLIMER, AND OTHERS mounted and enclosed by hand-painted burnished gold frames, EACH PORTRAIT WITH HAND-ILLUMINATED TITLE in red, blue, green, and burnished gold. Verso of front endleaf with book label of Thomas Agnew & Sons, Old Bond Street Library. A bit of wear to front joint, a little rubbing to extremities, occasional mild rumpling to head or tail of vellum leaves, isolated small marginal smudges, otherwise a fine specimen, the vellum creamy and bright, the illuminations shining, and the binding quite sound and lustrous with gold. Composed of vellum leaves, this is a unique, luxurious catalogue of a miniatures collection, with delicate script, lovely illumination, and a stately binding by one of London's foremost workshops. State-of-the-art photographic reproductions of mostly 18th century miniatures are juxtaposed here with calligraphy and illuminations harking back to Medieval bookmaking. Each portrait is surrounded by a gold frame, and accompanied by a hand-written description with an illuminated title, giving biographical details of known subjects and a physical description of the miniatures whenever they are labelled simply "Portrait of a Lady" or "Portrait of a Gentleman." The scale of this production--which is nearly twice the size of most illuminated manuscripts of the early 20th century--and the splendor of the binding point to a patron of considerable means, likely either the proprietors of, or a client of, the Agnew art dealers. The Agnew firm began as printsellers in Manchester in 1817, but over the course of the 19th century became one of the principal British galleries under the leadership of the founder's son William. A London branch opened in 1860, and the Bond Street flagship in 1875. William Agnew (1825-1910) did much to foster the careers of British artists Holman Hunt, Frederick Leighton, and Edward Burne-Jones, and his clients included Henry Tate, whom he encouraged to found the celebrated Tate Gallery. The binding here is a superb example of the work of the Zaehnsdorf firm, long a top-ranked English bindery. Born in Pest, Hungary, Joseph Zaehnsdorf (1816-86) served his apprenticeship in Stuttgart, worked at a number of European locations as a journeyman, and then settled in London, where he was hired first by Westley and then by Mackenzie before opening his own workshop in 1842. His son and namesake took over the business at age 33, when the senior Joseph died, and the firm flourished under the son's leadership, becoming a leading West End bindery. Over the years, Zaehnsdorf employed a considerable number of distinguished binders, including the Frenchman Louis Genth (who was chief finisher from 1859-84), and trained a number of others, including Roger de Coverly and Sarah Prideaux. A family-run business until 1947, the Zaehnsdorf bindery continued to produce consistently attractive and innovative designs executed with unfailing skill. It is generally understood that the firm reserved the use of its oval stamp showing a binder at work (seen here) for their finest bindings, including those entered in exhibitions.