POEMS BY JAMES I, GEOFFREY CHAUCER, AND SIR WALTER RALEIGH

(ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM - MODERN). (BINDINGS - JEWELLED). SANGORSKI, ALBERTO, Designer, Illustrator, and Scribe

Verlag: ca. 1930, [England], 1930

Beschreibung

268 x 190 mm. (10 1/2 x 7 1/2"). 31, [1] pp., [1] leaf (colophon). LOVELY ROSE-BROWN CRUSHED MOROCCO, GILT, INLAID, AND BEJEWELLED (front turn-in stamped in gilt "Made in England," but almost certainly by Sangorski & Sutcliffe), covers framed by multiple plain and dotted gilt rules, sprays of tulips at corners, central panel of upper cover with animated floral design of onlaid white morocco flowers, each set with a petite rose-cut diamond, and of onlaid lilac and green morocco thistles, all on a stippled ground, raised bands, spine compartments with spray of onlaid purple morocco berries, green morocco label, turn-ins framed with gilt ribbon roll and other decorative rolls, ivory watered silk endleaves, all edges gilt. In the original black pebble-grain morocco case, with cushioned velvet lining (upper cover detached). WITH ILLUMINATED TITLE PAGE FEATURING A VIGNETTE of the Tower of London and a border with knights on chargers, SIX ADDITIONAL VIGNETTES, AND FOUR FULL-PAGE MINIATURES, AS WELL AS 10 FULL BORDERS, THREE THREE-QUARTER BORDERS, two half borders, AND 13 LARGE ILLUMINATED INITIALS, all executed with great imagination and skill. Pages with miniatures separated by silk guards (others separated by paper). â Leather with very slight (naturally occurring?) variations in hue, otherwise the volume IN PRISTINE CONDITION. This is a beautifully bound and exceptionally attractive modern illuminated manuscript celebrating English poetry and culture, executed by the 20th century's undisputed master of illumination, Alberto Sangorski. The text contains three early English poems: "While a Prisoner" by James I, of Scotland; "Merciless Beauty" by Geoffrey Chaucer; and "The Nymph's Reply" by Sir Walter Raleigh. Each poem is followed by a brief section of biographical information about the author. In addition to the many beautiful decorated initials and sparkling borders, Sangorski has also painted a total of seven vignettes and four full-page miniatures. The latter include an image of a woman dressed in Medieval garb, reading a small book in a courtyard; an intimate portrait of the "Merciless Beauty" herself, caught in a state of half-dress; the meeting of three young peasant women in a lush rural setting; and the boldly painted coat of arms of Scotland. Complex knotwork designs and precise gilt tooling among the borders demonstrate Sangorski's range and abilities, and the text and capitals could not be more perfectly executed. The color scheme in this manuscript is particularly attractive, featuring dark greens, dusky blues, and rich purples that contrast beautifully with the bright gold applications and white highlights. Most important, the vignettes and full-page miniatures are painted with exquisite taste and exacting skill; they reward repeated and protracted viewing. 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. The lovely jewelled binding here is not described in Ratcliffe, and the signature, "Made in England," offers no indication of the binder's identity. The design, however, clearly suggests that the creator at work here must have been familiar with the work of both Sangorski and Riviere, and it is possible that our binder may have been previously employed by one of these firms. The work is clearly on par with what those workshops were producing. Whatever the case may have been, the binding is an appropriately fine addition to an already beautiful manuscript. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers ST19362

Bibliografische Details

Titel: POEMS BY JAMES I, GEOFFREY CHAUCER, AND SIR ...

Verlag: ca. 1930, [England]

Erscheinungsdatum: 1930