Jewelled bookbinding
Encyclopedia
Jewelled bookbindings were used in the Middle Ages
to cover important books, especially liturgical and devotional works for the church and kings. The vast majority of these bookbinding
s were later destroyed as their valuable gold and jewels were removed by looters, or the owners when in need of cash. Others survive without their jewels. Some still exist in major libraries - for example the Morgan Library
in New York
, the John Rylands Library
in Manchester
, the British Library
in London
and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris
.
In about 1905 the English binders Sangorski & Sutcliffe
reinvented Jewelled Bindings, as part of the revival of English decorated bookbindings. These were not large uncut gems as in Medieval times but semi-precious stones en cabochon set into beautifully designed bindings with multi-coloured leather inlays and elaborate gilt tooling. The craftsmanship of these bindings was unsurpassable; only their competitors Riviere
produced work of similar quality. The most famous of these bindings "The Great Omar" on a large copy of FitzGerald's
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
had over 1,000 jewels; it went down with the Titanic. The largest collection of these masterpieces was the Phoebe Boyle one; over 100 jewelled bindings were sold in 1923. Jewelled bindings occasionally appear at auction; literature on them is surprisingly scant given their superb quality.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
to cover important books, especially liturgical and devotional works for the church and kings. The vast majority of these bookbinding
Bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
s were later destroyed as their valuable gold and jewels were removed by looters, or the owners when in need of cash. Others survive without their jewels. Some still exist in major libraries - for example the Morgan Library
Morgan Library
The Morgan Library & Museum is a museum and research library in New York City, USA. It was founded to house the private library of J. P. Morgan in 1906, which included, besides the manuscripts and printed books, some of them in rare bindings, his collection of prints and drawings...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the John Rylands Library
John Rylands Library
The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
In about 1905 the English binders Sangorski & Sutcliffe
Sangorski & Sutcliffe
Sangorski & Sutcliffe is a firm of bookbinders established in London in 1901. It is considered to be one of the most important bookbinding companies of the 20th century, famous for its luxurious jeweled bindings that used real gold and precious stones in their book covers.Sangorski & Sutcliffe...
reinvented Jewelled Bindings, as part of the revival of English decorated bookbindings. These were not large uncut gems as in Medieval times but semi-precious stones en cabochon set into beautifully designed bindings with multi-coloured leather inlays and elaborate gilt tooling. The craftsmanship of these bindings was unsurpassable; only their competitors Riviere
Rivière
Rivière, La Rivière, Rivières and Les Rivières is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:- Places :* Rivière, Indre-et-Loire, in the Indre-et-Loire département...
produced work of similar quality. The most famous of these bindings "The Great Omar" on a large copy of FitzGerald's
Edward FitzGerald (poet)
Edward FitzGerald was an English writer, best known as the poet of the first and most famous English translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The spelling of his name as both FitzGerald and Fitzgerald is seen...
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his translation of a selection of poems, originally written in Persian and of which there are about a thousand, attributed to Omar Khayyám , a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer...
had over 1,000 jewels; it went down with the Titanic. The largest collection of these masterpieces was the Phoebe Boyle one; over 100 jewelled bindings were sold in 1923. Jewelled bindings occasionally appear at auction; literature on them is surprisingly scant given their superb quality.