Browse Items (91 total)

EnglishThis image depicts the bookplate of Bernard Coleridge, 2nd Baron Coleridge. If the name Coleridge sets off the ringing of bells, it should, as Bernard’s grandfather was the nephew of famed English Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge…

EnglishThis is an example of paste paper, most specifically one generated with the “pull “(i.e. “pull-paper”) technique. A mixture of glue and colour pigments are applied with a brush to two sheets of paper that are imposed upon each other. Before…

EnglishThe printer’s device of Nicolo Pezzana (162?-170?) recalls that of the Giunta printers where Pezzana carried out part of his apprenticeship in Venice and which he ended in 1657. Without an inscription or personalized device, this mark depicts…

English The binding of this work has been elaborately blind-stamped with a number of decorative tools. Note the manuscript waste visible at the top of the spine; again, materials were reused wherever possible to add in the binding process, especially…

English This binding in blonde calf, with hand-tooled motifs generated by many decorative finishing tools, is an example of “fanfare” binding. A “frame” is generated by a series of straight lines tooled into the leather, while the covers are…

English This book is a post incunabula and was printed in 1512. It shows with more abundance, almost exaggeration, the use of printed ornamental initials of different sizes and formats. Français Cette page montre une utilisation abondante, voir…

EnglishThis image displays yet another example of a register of signatures, with the colophon appearing just be- low. Here we see the beauty and finesse of printed text as realised by Aldus Manutius, The italic font, the spacing of characters and the…

English The binding seen here is characteristic of the style of leather bindings where the calf leather is manipulated to give it texture. In this example, the leather is stained with drops of diluted acid to give the binding a mottled look. There…

Englishhe smaller size of the comb that is passed through the coloured solution. The smallness of the comb allows for the creation of the spiral designs in this particular pattern. Adding to the aesthetic beauty of this item are the gilt edges.…

English This first example is that of what is termed an “armorial binding”, where the coat of arms of an aristocratic family will serve to indicate ownership on a book’s binding. Such bindings are executed with exquisite care and a family’s arms are…