Cyril Davenport

“ It is what is called all “made up” by a series of impressions from small stamps, curves, and lines, and in places it seems to be done by hand by means of some sort of style drawn along on the leather, the mark being afterwards gilded. The appearance, indeed, is that of a drawing in gold-outline on the leather. The colour, which is freely used, is some sort of enamel, most of which has now chipped off, but enough of it is left to show what it has been originally. The book came to the Museum by gift from George IV. The edges are gauffred, with a little colour upon them. ”

“ The commonest decoration found upon them consists of a large royal coat-of-arms of England within a scroll border with thistles, stamped in gold, having the label of the eldest son in silver. At the corners are very large stamps, either crowned double roses, fleurs-de-lis, lions rampant, all in gold, or the Prince of Wales’ feathers in silver. Books bearing this design are more frequently met with outside the large royal collections than any others, as at one time or another many examples have become separated from the rest. ”

“ There are a considerable number of books still remaining that belonged to James, bearing the royal coat-of-arms with supporters and initials, bound in leather. They often bear upon them rich semées, which form of ornamentation was used for James I. more than for any other sovereign. The semées generally consist of small lions passant, thistles, tridents, fleurs-de-lis, stars, or flowers. Books of this kind, with heavy corner-pieces, are so widely known that detailed description of them is hardly necessary; but there are modifications, some of which render the bindings of greater interest. ”

“ A book of hours in illuminated manuscript is beautifully bound for Queen Mary, and is finished in an unusually delicate manner. It is in calf, and has blind and gold lines. An outer border has stamps within it at intervals, in a similar style to one already described as having belonged to Edward VI. In the centre of the book is a delicate stamp of the royal coat-of-arms with the letters M. R.
At Stonyhurst College is preserved Queen Mary’s own Horæ in laudeum Beatissimæ Virginis Marie, Lugduni, 1558. ”

“ Prince Henry, the eldest son of James I., showed more taste for literary matters than any of his predecessors, although he was much addicted to all manly exercises. He not only took great interest in the books he already found in his father’s library, but he materially added to it by further collections of his own. ”

“ A small book with coat-of-arms in the centre, within the Garter, crowned, and bearing on each cover the legend “Tibi Soli O Rex Charissime,” is in the Manuscript Department of the British Museum, on a collection of treatises presented to the king. There is a handsome border round the book, the ground of which is covered with a semée of crosses, and the letters C. R. are on either side of the coat-of-arms. The book has two silver clasps, on one of which is engraved the Scottish crest, and on the other three crowns. The panels joining the clasps to the book are engraved with emblematic figures. ”

“ There are only two in the British Museum that belonged to her, both of which are bound in vellum. The larger of the two, Tansillo, Le Lagrime di San Pietro, Vinegia, 1606, has a gold-line border with small floral corners, and in the centre the queen’s paternal arms with many quarterings, the most important of which are Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The coat is crowned, and above it are the letters “A. R.”; and the queen’s own motto, “La mia grandezza viene dal eccelso,” is contained on a ribbon half enclosing the coat. ”

“ It is covered in crimson velvet, edged with gold cord, and having tassels of crimson silk and gold, the velvet projecting broadly over the edges. On each side are centre and corner bosses of silver, gilt and enamelled. The centre bosses bear the royal coat-of-arms wrought in high relief, with the supporters used by the king—the red dragon of his ancestor Cadwallader, and the white greyhound he used both by right of his wife through the Nevills and his own maternal ancestors the Earls of Somerset. ”

“ The work is somewhat faded, and the scroll-work in gold cord at the corners is pulled out of place, no doubt the result of bad re-covering, but altogether it is in excellent condition, and is a fine specimen of royal workmanship. The Princess Elizabeth worked the cover of The Miroir or Glasse of the Synneful Soul for Queen Katharine. It is said to have been worked when the Princess was only eleven years old, and it is certainly possible as the workmanship is simple, indeed such as a clever girl might easily do. It is braid work of gold and silver on a blue silk ground. ”

“ Generally speaking, the bindings in the “King’s Library”—the name by which George III.’s collection is now known in the British Museum—are modern; but among them are a considerable number of old bindings in good condition, and it is possible that those which were rebound were mostly in a bad state. Unfortunately the crowned monogram of George III. is generally impressed in a prominent place, even on such old bindings as have been otherwise preserved intact; and although valuable as a record it is often a great disfigurement. ”

“ The two great changes took place on the accession of the Stuart line, when the coats of Scotland and England were introduced; and on the accession of the Hanoverian line, when the family coat of the Guelphs was introduced. There are several minor alterations and additions, but these I have mentioned as they have occurred, and the only other important change to remember is concerning the supporters. From the time of Henry VII. until 1528 these were a dragon and a greyhound, and from that time until Elizabeth they were a lion and a dragon. ”

“ The gold, as far as I know it, is always enamelled, the velvet is generally embroidered, and the leather is frequently inlaid with other and differently coloured leathers. The peculiarity of sunken panels, borrowed apparently through the early Italian bindings from Oriental originals, is a remarkable speciality of Elizabethan work; as is also the first use of large corner-stamps to any extent. There certainly are instances of corner-stamps on Henry VIII. bindings, but they are rare; whereas with Elizabeth and her immediate successors the use of such stamps is very usual. ”

“ Velvet, mentioned also by Berthelet, is used to cover a large Bible printed at Zurich in 1543, but there does not appear very clearly any mark by which it can be identified as his work. It is now of a tawny colour, but was originally probably crimson, and on it is outlined an elaborate design in gold cord. A broad outer border has an arabesque pattern arranged diamond-wise, with large double roses at each corner. Within this is a smaller rectangular border, enclosing a circle with the king’s initials bound together by a scroll, and above and below the circle a repeating arabesque design. ”

“ A large majority of the pearls are unfortunately now missing, as is also a great part of the gold cord, so that the above description is in fact a restoration. But every pearl and every piece of cord that is wanting has left a distinct impression on the velvet.
One of the most celebrated of all embroidered books done in England was executed for Queen Elizabeth. It is a large book measuring 10 inches by 7, and is an account by Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, De antiqvitate Britannicæ Ecclesiæ, etc. ”

“ It has an elaborate outer border of an enlarged scaled pattern filled with small stamps. The book is a very beautiful one, and is, in some ways, the finest specimen of Mearne’s work existing. It has frequently been figured. Under the gilding on the front edges is a painting, having as its centre motive the design of the crowned C’s and the laurel branches already mentioned. This method of painting under the gold, which appears to have been first done by an artist of the name of Fletcher, is frequently found on Mearne’s bindings. ”

“ Truly the Italian work of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries is extremely fine, and Berthelet may have seen some specimens of it, and, admiring [Pg 13] them, have endeavoured to imitate their peculiar and beautiful gilded tooling.
To Berthelet must be conceded the honour of being the first English binder to use gold stamped work on leather, and he does so with admirable effect. Many of his bindings gilded on white leather, sometimes deer-skin, sometimes vellum, are most charming ”

“ Names of many royal binders, from early times, are preserved in various records, but there is considerable uncertainty about the work of most of them; and, although many lists exist of books bound for certain kings by certain workmen, very few of them have been identified. From the constant appearance of personal badges of different kinds, it may be considered likely that, especially among the earlier sovereigns, considerable personal interest has been taken in the covering of their books. ”

“ The border seems to be imitated from one of the old rolls of sporting subjects, which are mostly found on blind-tooled books at a [Pg 59] much earlier period. It has squirrels, birds, snails, dogs, and insects. At Windsor there are a good many specimens of Jacobean bindings, all of them similar in character to one or other of the British Museum specimens that I have described at length.
Ortelius. Theatre of the World. London, 1606. James I.
Anne of Denmark, the queen of James I., does not appear to have possessed many books. ”

“ CHAPTER I HENRY I.—EDWARD VI.—HENRY VII.—HENRY VIII.—KATHARINE OF ARRAGON—ANNE BOLEYN—MARGARET TUDOR—MARY TUDOR—KATHARINE PARR
The rulers of England and of France have, ever since the introduction of printing into Europe, been great patrons of books, and moreover have by their individual tastes, both literary and artistic, largely influenced the styles of bookbinding prevalent during their reigns. ”

“ In the centre, on a black panel, are large ornamental initials, “C. R.,” crowned. Although this binding has many points in common with Samuel Mearne’s work, it is lacking in finish, and it is probably the work of his son Charles, who afterwards succeeded him as royal binder. A copy of Fox’s Book of Martyrs, London, 1641, also bound in Mearne’s fashion, bears upon its front edges, under the gilding, a portrait of the king in his coronation robes. It is figured in Bibliographica, part viii., and is signed “Fletcher.” ”