Book

The wooden plates are covered with calf veal skin. The decoration of the front and back plates are identical, placed in a surface enframed by a narrow, double, gold lines. The surface is painted in dark brown, enriched with a gilt leaf in the outer corners, and a dotted, gilt flower in the inner ones. The centre shows a circular frame in an oval twined with a ribbon lozenge, bearing the inscription: ART TREASURES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM and a coat of arms: a stick twined with ribbons, placed under three flowers a stick twined with ribbon, surmounting the horizontally divided escutcheon, with a brig in the chief. The base is tierced in bend sinister, with red and gold. There is also an inscription just below the escutcheon: CONCILIO ET LABORE. The gilt, flowery-leafy decoration fills the oval at the top and bottom. The decoration was modelled on book-bindings by Le Gascone, who was the most famous French bookbinder in the 17th century. His name is first mentioned in 1622, but already between 1627 and 1629 he made ornamental bindings for several French book lovers. His works are attributed based on style, since he never marked them little is known about his life, either. The Le Gascone name was identified with several binders however, according to certain presumptions, it can be identified as Master Jean Gillede - the style can be recognized by the punched gilding. Among his customers there was Louis XIII and Louis XIV, Kings of France, Maria Theresa, Duke Condéé and the bibliophiles -Séguier, Du Puy, Habert de Mont- mort. The above mentioned binding is a copy of a bookbinding made by Le Gascon and introduced at the exhibition in Manchester. The spine is not divided, decorated with plaited ribbons placed in a double, gold lineal frame. A gilt inscription appears at the top: ART / TREASURE / OF THE / UNITED / KINGDOM. The date 1858 appears below. The endpaper is blue, the edges of the papers are gilt the headband is sewn of blue and white yarn. The chromolithography of the title page and the inner illustrations were made by F. Bedford the woodcuts in the text by Robert Dudley (activity 1865-1891).