Royal English Bookbindings Part 3

At the Burlington Fine Arts Club a fine specimen of binding for King James I. was exhibited by Mr. James Toovey. It is bound in white vellum, stamped in gold. In the centre are the royal arms, and it has large corner-stamps of unusual design, containing a sun with rays and an eagle, the ground being thickly covered with a semee of ermine spots. 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 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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. 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.

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. In 1609 he purchased the library of Lord Lumley, who had been his tutor, and which was the finest then in England, except that of Sir Robert Cotton. This library had originally belonged to Henry Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, Lord Lumley's father-in-law, and it had been largely increased since his death. Prince Henry only possessed the library for three years, as he died in 1612, but during this time he made many important additions to it. Not many of the original bindings remain upon the Earl of Arundel's books, and those that do are usually simple. There is one specimen in the British Museum that is especially good; it bears a "cameo" of a white horse, galloping, with an oak spray in his mouth, in an oval medallion, and if there were many others like it, Prince Henry destroyed much beautiful work when he had them rebound.

It must be supposed that the bindings of both Lord Arundel's and Lord Lumley's collection were in a bad state when Prince Henry acquired them, as they now are almost invariably in bindings that were made for him after 1610, when he was made Prince of Wales. On the Prince's death, his library, which was then kept at St. James's, reverted to the king, and served largely to augment the old royal library, which had not been very carefully kept up to the present time, and which, even afterwards, suffered various losses.

The majority of Prince Henry's rebindings are designed in a fas.h.i.+on which has been very adversely criticised, but nevertheless they are not all without interest. 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. But there are other books bound for the Prince the designs on which are often original and effective. Perhaps the best of these is on a copy of Livy's _Romana Historia_, Avreliae Allobrogvm, 1609 (Fig. 15). In this instance the Prince of Wales' feathers form the central design, impressed in silver and gold, and with the initials H. P. at the sides of it, all enclosed in a border composed of a dotted ribbon arranged in right angles and segments of circles, enriched at the corners with ornamental arabesques. This design is particularly pleasing, and it is likely that it was executed by the same binder who bound the edition of Thevet's _Vies des hommes ill.u.s.tres_, described above, for James I., the peculiar design of the dotted ribbon appearing in both instances.

_Petrus de Crescentiis, De omnibus agriculturae partibus_, Basileae, 1548, has the Prince of Wales' feathers in silver, with H. P. at the sides, and on two upright labels the words "O et presidium | Dulce decus meum." It has very heavy corner-stamps.

A little book of _Commentaries_ of Messer. Blaise de Monluc, Bordeaux, 1592, has a small Prince of Wales' feathers in the centre, and very pretty angle-stamps of sprays of foliage, the feathers still being in silver.

_Rivault, Les Clemens d' Artillery_, Paris, 1608, is remarkably pretty. It is a small book bound in olive morocco, and has a tiny Prince of Wales'

feathers in an oval in the centre, stamped in gold and silver, within a broad border of sprays of foliage. There are large angle-pieces of the same sprays, all enclosed in a border stamped in gold. A common design is the coat-of-arms, with label within an ornamental border, ensigned with a prince's crown, enclosed in a single line rectangle, at the corners of which are small stamps of the Prince of Wales' feathers, crowned roses, crowned fleurs-de-lis, and crowned thistles. There are several examples of this design, both in the British Museum and at Windsor.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 15.--_Livius. Romana Historia. Avreliae Allobrogvm, 1609. Henry, Prince of Wales._]

_Pandulphi Collenucii Pisaurensis Apologus cui t.i.tulus Agenoria_ and other tracts in one collection was dedicated to Henry VIII., and originally his property (Fig. 16). It afterwards belonged to Magdalen College, Oxford, and they presented it to Prince Henry, for whom it was enclosed in a magnificent cover of crimson velvet, thickly embroidered with an elaborate design in gold and pearls. The edges of the cover project freely beyond the boards of the book, and have a rich gold fringe. The Prince of Wales'

feathers, thickly worked in pearls, forms the centre of the design. The coronet is of gold, and the motto is in gold letters on a blue silk ground. The very beautiful broad border contains a rich arabesque design with flowers thickly worked in seed pearls, and the inner angles have sprays in gold and pearls. There are innumerable single pearls dotted about. Both for beauty of design and richness of execution, this cover is certainly one of the finest specimens of late embroidery work in England.

With the exception of a few pearls missing, and some gold braid about the motto, it may be considered to be in a very fair condition.

Another crimson velvet book, _Becano Baculus Salcolbrigiensis_, Oppenheim, 1611, was bound for Prince Henry. It has the Prince of Wales' feathers in the centre, impressed in gold and silver, with a simple gold line round the edge. It is much faded, and the velvet is now more orange than crimson, but it is interesting as being the only instance in the British Museum of a stamped velvet book done for Prince Henry.

Prince Charles used two of the stamps which were first used by his brother Henry--the large coat-of-arms, with silver label, and the Prince of Wales'

feathers. Each of these is usually flanked by the letters C. P., and the Prince of Wales' feathers are always stamped in gold instead of silver. In cases where Charles has used the coat-of-arms, the corners are filled with a full arrangement of leaf sprays and arabesques. A fine example of this style, bound in olive morocco, occurs on a binding of Dallington's _Aphorismes, Civill and Militarie_, London, 1613, now in the British Museum. An example of the Prince of Wales' feathers used alone on dark blue morocco is in the library at Windsor. During the reign of Charles I.

several small, thin books were bound in vellum, stamped in gold (Plate VII.). Some of them were done for him both as prince and as king. A very good example covers a collection of Almanacks, dated 1624. In the centre is an ornament composed of four Prince of Wales' feathers arranged as a star, the corners are filled with large stamps, the remainder of the boards are filled with semees of flaming hearts. This particular book was probably a favourite one of the Prince's, as it contains his signature and other writings.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 16.--_Collection of Miscellaneous Tracts in MS. Henry Prince of Wales._]

The styles of ornamentation used on large books for James I. were generally followed by his son, but often the outer borders are of a broader and more decorative kind. An instance of this is found on the dark morocco binding of Raderus's _Theological Biography_, printed at Munich in 1628, a large book with a broad decorative border, corner-pieces, coat-of-arms, and semee of thistles, roses, and fleurs-de-lis. 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 Ma.n.u.script 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 semee 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.

A copy of _Hippocratis et Galeni opera_, Paris, 1639, in several volumes, bears in the centre of each board the full royal coat-of-arms and supporters, enclosed in an octagonal border, within a rectangle, in the inner corners of which is a handsome stamp of floral sprays, and at the outer corners the crowned monogram of King Charles and his wife Henrietta Maria. They are large books, measuring 17 11 inches.

A very decorative little book is covered in red velvet, with silver mounts. It is a copy of the New Testament, printed in London, 1643. On each side, in the centre, are medallion portraits of the king and his queen, in pierced and repousse silver, within ornamental borders. On the panels of the clasps are engraved figures emblematic of the elements, and on the corner clasps emblematic figures of Charity, Justice, Hope, Fort.i.tude, Prudence, Patience, Faith, and Temperance.

Although embroidered books were largely produced during the reign of Charles I., not many of them were made for himself. One exists in the British Museum, on a ma.n.u.script of Montenay's _Emblemes Chrestiens_, which is written by Esther Inglis, who was a calligraphist of great repute from the time of Queen Elizabeth to that of Prince Charles. She is said to have been nurse to Prince Henry; and it is probable that she worked the binding of the ma.n.u.script. It is covered in crimson satin, and embroidered in gold and silver cord with a few pearls. In the centre is the Prince of Wales'

feathers enclosed in a laurel wreath, and round it a very handsome border, with arabesques at the inner corners.

A copy of the Psalms, printed in London in 1643, is covered in white satin and embroidered. It may have belonged to King Charles, and was purchased by the British Museum in 1888. In the centre, in an oval medallion, is a minute portrait of the king, wearing a crown with miniver cape and red robe, with the jewel of the Garter flanked by the letters C. R. Enclosing this is an arrangement of arabesques and flowers, worked respectively in silver or gold guimp and coloured silks. There is no record with the book, but it is quite possible that it was worked for the king. It is one of the smallest embroidered books existing, measuring little more than 3 inches by 2.

At Windsor there is a copy of the Book of Common Prayer, printed in 1638.

It is bound in blue velvet, and richly embroidered in silver guimp. In the centre are the Prince of Wales' feathers, enclosed within a circular Garter, and surmounted by a prince's coronet, with C. P. on either side of it. Below are the rose and the thistle. A rich outer border of arabesques encloses the central design. Her Majesty lent this book to the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1891. It was figured in the _Queen_ of August 15, in the same year. There are several other bindings at Windsor that belonged to Charles; among them a particularly charming specimen covers a copy of _Ecphrasis Paraphraseos, G. Buchanani in Psalmos_, 1620. It is a small book, and bears the Prince of Wales' feathers in the centre, within a border of crosses, patee, and fleurs-de-lis, surrounded by the Garter. It has large corner-stamps and a semee of fleurs-de-lis. The other bindings made for Charles I. in the same library generally bear the royal coat-of-arms and large corner-stamps, and dates often occur upon them.

[Ill.u.s.tration: New Testament, etc. London, 1643. Charles I.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 17.--_Dallington. Aphorismes, Civill and Militarie.

London, 1613. Charles Prince of Wales._]

Charles himself certainly took very considerable interest in bookbinding, and abundant evidence of this is found in the history of Nicholas Ferrar's establishment at Little Gidding, in Huntingdons.h.i.+re, the beginning and ending of which was synchronous with Charles's reign. The king visited Little Gidding more than once, and always evinced the liveliest interest in its work, a very important part of which was bookbinding. The most remarkable feature about these Little Gidding bindings, which were the work of amateur hands, was the stamped work on velvet, which actually reached its highest development under the auspices, and probably by the hands, of some of the Collet family, nieces of Nicholas Ferrar. They bound books for Charles and for both his sons; but, unfortunately, no specimen of their finer stamped work done for either of these princes is in the British Museum.

The copy of the _Harmony of the Four Gospels_, known as "[Greek: MONOTESSARON]," which was given to Charles when Prince of Wales in 1640, is now in the library of the Earl of Normanton. It measures 24-1/2 16 inches, and is bound in green velvet, stamped elaborately in gold. A _Concordance of the Four Evangelists_, which was probably made for James, Duke of York, about 1640, is now the property of the Marquis of Salisbury, and is kept at Hatfield. It measures 20 14 inches, and is bound in purple velvet. Among the small stamps upon it is one of a fleur-de-lis.

_The Whole Law of G.o.d, as it is delivered in the Five Books of Moses_, is another Little Gidding harmony, which was probably made for Prince Charles. It measures 29 20 inches, and is bound in purple velvet, and decorated with gold stamp-work of a similar kind. It was probably made about 1642, and now belongs to Captain Gaussen. The whole history of Little Gidding is most interesting; and, from a binding point of view, its existence during the reign of Charles I., and his kindly appreciation and patronage of it in the midst of all his own troubles, will always mark his reign as an important epoch in English bookbinding. Ill.u.s.trations of many of the Little Gidding bindings are given in _Bibliographica_, part vi.

No particular binding seems to have been made during the period of the Commonwealth, at all events I have never been able to discover one in any of our large libraries; but, to make up for this, during the reign of Charles II. we have a profusion of royal bindings, many of which are of considerable beauty. The appointment of Samuel Mearne as royal bookbinder to Charles II. was in force from 1660 to 1683, and no doubt long before this Mearne was well known as a fine binder. There is a good deal of doc.u.mentary evidence concerning Mearne, chiefly relating to bindings of Bibles and Prayer Books bound for the royal chapels, and others for the royal library at St. James's. He decorated his bindings in three styles, easily distinguishable from each other. Books bound in the first, or simplest, style are always covered with red morocco, and have a rectangular panel of gold lines stamped on each side, having at the outer corners fleurons, or the device of two C's, adosses, crowned, and partly enclosed within two laurel sprays. This device occurs commonly on Mearne's books. The backs of these volumes are often richly stamped with ma.s.ses of small floral designs, and the lettering is remarkably clear and good.

There are numbers of examples, both in our royal libraries and in the hands of private owners. Although they cannot be called very ornamental, they nevertheless are of excellent workmans.h.i.+p, and are always in good taste.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Gil. [Greek: PARERGA], etc. Londini, 1632. Charles I.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 18.--_Common Prayer. London, 1662. Charles II._]

The second division are bound in red or dark morocco, the boards being decorated with what is known as the "Cottage" design, usually having the crowned monogram in the centre, the remaining s.p.a.ces being more or less filled with ma.s.ses of small stamped work. The fillets and many of the flowers and ornaments are often picked out with black stain.

The third division are bound in red or black morocco, ornamented with mosaic work of coloured leathers--red, yellow, green, and white. Many of these books are so intricate in their design that they deserve special mention; but it may be said, generally, that the leading motive upon them is a modification or elaboration of the cottage design, so called because its leading motive is in the shape of the gable of a cottage roof.

One of the earliest bindings done for Charles is a copy of the Bible and Prayer Book, printed at Cambridge, 1660. It is a large book covered in red morocco, and has a rectangular panel and border, with the royal coat-of-arms in the centre, all richly decorated with small gold stamp-work. The binding is not very characteristic of Mearne, although it is often considered to be his work, and bears some of his stamps. Neither the crowned monogram which is used upon it, nor the crowned dove bearing an olive branch, is found on any other bindings by Mearne. The stamp of the dove with the olive branch is of course symbolical of Charles's return to the throne of his ancestors. The book may have been bound for special presentation to Charles on his accession to the throne.

In the royal library at Windsor are several specimens of Charles II.

bindings. Among them are three copies of Charles I.'s _Eikon Basilike_.

One of them is bound in dark blue morocco, with large royal coat-of-arms and supporters, crest and crown. Another in olive morocco is delicately stamped with arabesques, and the crowned initials C. R.; it has two silver clasps, with medallion portraits of Charles I. Another is bound in calf, having in the centre of each board a decorative portrait medallion of Charles I. in silver, within an ornamental border of figures and arabesques, having also engraved silver corner-pieces on the two front corners.

In the same library a copy of the Bible, 1660, and Taylor's _Rule of Conscience_, 1676, are bound respectively in black and red morocco, and are brilliant specimens of Samuel Mearne's work. The boards are covered with many irregular small panels, each closely filled with small stamped work. The Bible was lent to the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1891, and is figured both in their Catalogue and in Mr. Holmes's book of the bookbindings at Windsor. A copy of the works of Charles I., 1662, now at Windsor, is a beautiful example of Samuel Mearne's inlaid work. It is bound in deep red morocco, with an inner panel marked with white leather.

In the centre is the royal coat, with supporters and crest; and the remainder of the boards, especially the corners, are ornamented with elaborate inlays of green and yellow leather, and richly stamped in gold.

The British Museum is also rich in Charles II. bindings. The Common Prayer, printed in London in 1622, measuring 17-1/4 11-1/2 inches, was bound for him in black morocco, elaborately inlaid, and stamped in gold (Fig. 18). A broad, yellow, rectangular panel encloses at the present time a stamp of the coat-of-arms of one of the Georges. This, of course, is a subsequent addition, and it is impossible to say for certain whether there was originally any stamp in the centre of the book or not; but probably there was a crowned initial. The inner sides and corners of this panel are ornamented with mosaics of white, red, and yellow leather, with gilded sprays and small stamps. The outer edges of the panel have at the top and bottom a cottage arrangement, filled in with small dotted scale ornament, and further decorated with red mosaic inlays, having gold stamps and sprays. A somewhat similar arrangement at the sides has scale patterns and red mosaics, and the crowned initials of the king are impressed at the roof angles. The gilt front edges of this volume are decorated with paintings of incidents chosen from the life of Christ, executed under the gold, and only visible when held in a certain position.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 19.--_A short View of the late Troubles in England, etc. Oxford, 1681. Charles II._]

A copy of the Book of Common Prayer, printed in London, 1669, is covered in red morocco, and bears upon each board a modification of the roofed pattern, stained black, and broken by curves at the upper and lower points and at the sides. In the centre, the crowned C's are enclosed in a small inner fillet, coloured black, and supplemented with very delicate arabesque stamped work in gold. The inner angles of the roof and sides are filled with scale patterns in dots. Above and below the centre-piece are bold leaf sprays. The corners and s.p.a.ces throughout are filled with very close gold stamped arabesques, circles, and small flowers. 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. The custom dropped into disuse after his time, until it was revived by Edwards of Halifax about a hundred years later.

A copy of the Scottish Laws and Acts of James I., Edinburgh, 1661, is covered in red morocco. It has in the centre a large irregular panel, inlaid in black morocco, bearing the royal coat-of-arms, crowned, within the Garter, and the initials C. II. R., the rest of the black panel being thickly gilded with ornamental sprays. There are large angle-pieces of yellow leather, richly stamped, and at the sides, upper, and lower edges of each board are urns carrying large branching sprays, with flowers inlaid in yellow and black leathers.

_A short View of the late Troubles in England_, Oxford, 1681 (Fig. 19), is bound in red morocco, and ornamented all over the boards with small, irregular panels, outlined by broad gold lines, and filled with mosaics of black and yellow leather, all ornamented thickly with small gold stamp-work. 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 fas.h.i.+on, 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."

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 20.--_Bible. Cambridge, 1674. James II._]

There are in the British Museum two large volumes of an English Atlas, measuring 23 15 inches. The first of them bears the large ornamental initials C. R. crowned. It has a modification of the cottage design, arranged in an interlacing fillet of yellow leather, within which is a symmetrical arrangement of irregular panels, inlaid with black and yellow morocco, all richly edged and filled in with small gold stamped work, picked out with silver. The second volume is ornamented in a similar manner with inlays, but has not the outer border or the initials.

Although there are many of Mearne's bindings to be found in the large private libraries throughout England, probably the finest is that which belongs to the Earl of Crewe, at Crewe Hall. It covers a folio Book of Common Prayer, 1662, and bears the cottage design, outlined in yellow leather, with scale pattern. There are fine mosaics of red, yellow, and green leathers in the corners of the inner panel, covered with close gold stamp-work and floral sprays. The crowned C's are in the centre within an ornamental border, and outside the yellow panel are red and green mosaics, thickly covered with small gold work.

Mr. Almack, in his valuable _Bibliography of the King's Book_ or _Eikon Basilike_, gives a plate of a binding that covers an edition of 1649, but which was bound for Charles II. by Samuel Mearne. It bears the royal coat-of-arms, with garter and crest, within a rectangular panel enriched with small gold stamps. It is in red morocco. Several of the editions of the _Eikon_ bear the initials C. R. upon their covers, with other emblems, but it is most likely that these letters refer to the author rather than to the owner.

Mr. E. H. Lawrence lent to the Burlington Fine Arts Club Exhibition of Bookbindings an exquisite specimen of Samuel Mearne's work. It is a collection of anthems, with music, bound in dark blue morocco. It is elaborately stamped in gold, with a curved adaptation of the cottage design, closely filled in with ma.s.ses of small gold work along the inner and outer edges. The crowned monogram, with laurel sprays, is in the centre of each of the sides, and it has a rich double border of scale patterns filled with gold stamped work.