English Embroidered Bookbindings Part 4

Obviously any coloured silk can be used in making this thread, so that it may be said that for coloured silk work, where strength is required, flowers worked in purl are the best. The colours used when roses are represented are usually graduated,--yellow or white in the centre, then gradually darkening outward, yellow, pale pink, and red, or pale yellow, pale blue, and dark blue. Purl flowers are usually accessories to some regular design, but, in one instance at least, to be described later on, it supplies the entire decoration of a small satin book.

_Bible, etc._ London, 1642.

The design on a Bible with Psalms, printed in London in 1642, bound in fine canvas, and measuring 6 by 3-1/2 inches, is the same on both sides.

The ground is all laid, or couched, with silver threads, caught down at intervals by small white st.i.tches. In the centre is a circular silver boss, and out of this grow four lilies worked with silver thread in b.u.t.ton-hole st.i.tch; each of these lilies has a shape similar to its own underneath it, outlined with fine gold cord, and filled in with red silk; representing altogether white flowers with a red lining. These four red and white lilies make together the form of a Maltese cross, and between each of the arms is a purl rose with yellow centre and graduated blue petals. A double oval, with the upper and lower curves larger than the side ones, marked with a thick gold cord, encloses the central cross, and the remaining s.p.a.ces are filled with ovals and lines of gold guimp, with here and there a little patch of red or yellow purl, the extremities of the upper and lower ovals being filled with threads of green silk loosely bound with a silver spiral, worked to represent a green plot.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 13--Bible, etc. London, 1642.]

The upper and lower curves of the oval are thickened by an arch of gold thread laid lengthwise, and kept in place by little radiating lines of red silk. In each corner is a purl rose, with blue centre, the petals graduating in colour from pale yellow to dark red, with leaf forms and stalks of gold cord and guimp. At the top and bottom of the oval is a many-coloured purl rose, and the s.p.a.ces still left vacant are dotted with little pieces of red, blue, and yellow purl and spangles. On the front edges are the remains of two red silk ties.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 14--Bible. London, 1648.]

The back is divided into four panels by a thick gold twist. The upper and lower panels have each a blue purl rose worked in them, with a white and red lily in the same silver thread as those on the sides, with gold leaves and stalks; the two inner panels contain each three purl roses, with gold leaves and stems. The upper of these panels has a large rose of blue, yellow, and red, and two smaller ones yellow with blue centres; the lower panel has a large rose of red, pink, and yellow, and two smaller ones of red, with yellow centres.

Dotted about the groundwork of the panels are several spangles and short lengths of coloured purl.

The edges of the leaves are plainly gilt.

_Bible._ London, 1648.

A Bible, printed in London in 1648, formerly the property of George III., is bound in canvas, and has embroidered upon the boards emblematic representations of Faith and Hope. It measures 6-3/4 by 4-3/4 inches.

On the upper side is a full-length figure of Faith. She has fair hair, and is dressed in an orange and red dress cut low, and showing in the front a pale blue under garment. She has a large white collar and cuffs, both in point-lace, and bears in her right hand an open book with the word 'FAITH' written upon it, while her left hand rests upon a pointed shield, pale purple with a yellow centre. She is standing upon a rounded hillock, on which are a strawberry plant with two fruits, two caterpillars, a red tulip, and another flower.

In the right-hand upper corner is a turreted and gabled house, the windows of which are marked with little glittering pieces of talc. Below the house is a caterpillar and a large blue b.u.t.terfly. In the left-hand upper corner is the sun, in gold, just appearing under a blue cloud.

Underneath this, in succession, come a tree with a b.u.t.terfly upon it, a bird, most likely meant for a wren, and another caterpillar. The remains of two red tie-ribbons are near the front edges. The background is worked in silver thread, and the edges of the boards are bound with silver braid having a thread or two of red silk on the innermost side.

On the under cover Hope appears in a curiously worked upper garment of blue and white, short in the sleeves, in needlepoint, with a belt. Under this is a dress of red and orange, showing a blue under skirt in front.

A scarf of the same colour as the dress is gracefully folded over the shoulders and hangs over the left arm; a rather deep collar and cuffs are both worked in needlepoint. The right hand rests upon an anchor with a 'fouled' rope.

Hope stands upon a rounded hillock, on which are a snail and spray of possible foxglove, and out of which grow a red carnation and another flower. In the upper right-hand corner is a gabled cottage with a tree, and under it a moth, flower, and caterpillar. Towards the upper left-hand corner is a bank of cloud with red and yellow rays issuing therefrom, and under it a pear-tree with flower and fruit, and a many-coloured b.u.t.terfly. All the background is worked in silver thread.

The five panels of the back, indicated with silver cord, are each filled with a different design. Beginning at the top, these are: a rose, a parrot with a red fruit, a double rose, a lion, and a lily. The edges are plainly gilt.

CHAPTER III

BOOKS BOUND IN VELVET

It seems probable that velvet was a favourite covering for royal books in England from an early period. Such volumes as remain 'covered in vellat' that belonged to Henry VII. are, however, not embroidered, the ornamentation upon them being worked metal, or enamels upon metal. It is not until the time of Henry VIII. that we have any instances remaining of books bound in embroidered velvet.

Velvet is very troublesome to work upon, the pile preventing any delicate embroidery being done directly upon it, hence the prevalence of gold cords and applique work on canvas or linen, on which of course the embroidery may be executed as delicately as may be desired.

_Tres ample description de toute la terre Saincte, etc._ [By Martin de Brion.] MS. of the sixteenth century, probably bound about 1540.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 15--Tres ample description de toute la terre Saincte, etc. MS. 1540.]

The earliest extant English binding in embroidered velvet covers this ma.n.u.script, which belonged to Henry VIII., and is dedicated to him. The ma.n.u.script is on vellum, and is beautifully illuminated. It is bound in rich purple velvet, and each side, measuring 9 by 6 inches, is ornamented with the same design. In the centre is a large royal coat-of-arms, surrounded by the garter, and ensigned with a royal crown.

The coat-of-arms and the garter are first worked in thick silks of the proper colours, red and blue, laid or couched, with small st.i.tches of silk of the same colour, arranged so as to make a diamond pattern, on fine linen or canvas. On the coat are the arms of France and England quarterly; the bearings, respectively three fleur-de-lys and three lions, are solidly worked in gold cord, and the whole is applique on to the velvet with strong st.i.tches. On the blue garter the legend 'Honi soit qui mal y pense' is outlined in gold cord, between each word being a small red rose, the buckle, end, and edge of the garter being marked also in gold cord, and the whole applique like the coat. The very decorative royal crown is solidly worked in gold cords of varying thickness directly on to the velvet. The rim or circlet has five square jewels of red and blue silk along it, between each of these being two seed pearls. From the rim rise four crosses-patee and four fleurs-de-lys, at the base of each of which is a pearl, and also one in each inner corner of the crosses-patee. Four arches also rise from the rim, the two outer ones each having three small scrolls with a pearl in the middle; at the top is a mound and cross-patee, with a pearl in each of its inner corners. There is a letter H on each side of the coat-of-arms, and these letters were originally doubtless worked with seed pearls, but the outlines of them alone are now left. In each corner is a red Lancastrian rose worked on a piece of satin, applique, the centres and petals marked in gold cord, and the whole enclosed in an outer double border of gold cord. On the front edges of each side are the remains of two red silk ties.

This is certainly a very handsome piece of work, and is wonderfully preserved. It is the earliest example of a really fine embroidered book on velvet in existence, and it has perhaps been more noticed and ill.u.s.trated than any other book of its kind. The crown has an interesting peculiarity about it, which does not appear, as far as I have observed, on any other representation of it, namely, that the four arches take their rise directly from the rim. They generally rise from the summits of the crosses-patee, but I should fancy that the rise from the circlet itself is more correct.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 16--Biblia. Tiguri, 1543.]

_Biblia._ Tiguri, 1543.

This Bible also belonged to Henry VIII. It is bound in velvet, originally some shade of red or crimson, but now much faded. It measures 15 by 9-1/4 inches. It is ornamented with arabesques and initials all outlined with fine gold cord. In the centre are the initials H. R., bound together by an interlacing knot, within a circle. Arabesques above and below the circle make up an inner panel, itself enclosed by a broad border of arabesques, with a double, or Tudor, rose in each corner. The edges of the leaves of the book are elaborately painted with heraldic designs.

It has been re-backed with leather, but still retains the original boards.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 17--Il Petrarcha. Venetia, 1544.]

_Il Petrarcha._ Venetia, 1544.

Another fine example of the decorative use of Heraldry occurs on a copy of Petrarch printed at Venice in 1544, and probably bound about 1548, after the death of Henry VIII. It belonged to Queen Katherine Parr, and bears her arms with several quarterings--worked applique on rich blue purple velvet, and measures 7 by 6 inches. The first coat is the 'coat of augmentation' granted to the Queen by Henry VIII.--'Argent, on a pile gules, between six roses of the same, three others of the field'--and the next coat is that of 'Parr.'

The various quarterings on this coat are worked differently from those on the last book described. Here the red and blue are well shown by pieces of coloured satin--except in the first, fifth, and seventh coats, where there is some couched work in diamond pattern, just like that on Martin Brion's book. The entire coat, which is of an ornamental shape, is applique in one large piece, and edged by a gold cord. The crown surmounting it is heavily worked in gold guimp--the cap being represented in crimson silk thread and all applique. There are two supporters--that on the right, an animal breathing flame, and gorged with a coronet from which hangs a long chain, all worked in coloured silks on linen and applique, belongs to the Fitzhugh family, the coat of which is shown on the third quarter; that on the left, a wyvern argent, also gorged with a coronet, from which depends a long gold chain, is that of the Parr family. The wyvern is a piece of blue silk, finished in gold and silver cords, in applique. The gold cord enclosing the armorial design is amplified at each corner into an arabesque scroll. The book has been most unfortunately rebound, and the work is badly strained in consequence--the back being entirely new; nevertheless it is in a wonderful state of preservation. It is said to have been worked by Queen Katherine Parr herself. The design is too large for the book, and the crown is too large for the coat-of-arms. It is probable that the binding of the book was done after the death of Henry VIII., otherwise the supporters would have been the lion and the greyhound; also the coat-of-arms would have been different; also, as the Seymour coat does not appear, it is likely that the binding was done before Queen Katherine Parr's marriage with Lord Seymour of Sudley, in 1547. The design is the same on both sides.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 18--Queen Mary's Psalter. 14th-century MS.]

_Queen Mary's Psalter._ 14th-century MS. Bound about 1553.

The beautiful English ma.n.u.script of the fourteenth century known as 'Queen Mary's Psalter' was presented to her in 1553. It is bound in crimson velvet, measuring 11 by 6-3/4 inches, and applique on each side is a large conventional pomegranate-flower worked on fine linen in coloured silks and gold thread. This flower is much worn, but enough is left to show that it was originally finely worked. Queen Mary used the pomegranate as a badge in memory of her mother, Katharine of Aragon. The volume has been re-backed in plain crimson velvet, and still retains the original gilt corners with bosses, and two clasps, on the plates of which are engraved the Tudor emblems,--portcullis, dragon, lion, and fleur-de-lys.

Christopherson, _Historia Ecclesiastica_. Lovanii, 1569.

Many fine bindings in embroidered velvet of the time of Queen Elizabeth still remain, several of them having been her own property.

One of the most decorative of these last is unfortunately in a very bad state, owing possibly to the fact that there were originally very many separate pearls upon it, and that these have from time to time been wilfully picked off. The book is in three volumes, and is a copy of the _Historia Ecclesiastica_, written by Christopherson, Bishop of Chichester, and printed at Louvain in 1569. Each of these volumes is bound in the same way, so the description of one of them will serve for all, except that no one volume is perfect, so the description must be taken as representing only what each originally was.

It is covered in deep green velvet, and measures 6 by 3-1/2 inches, the design being the same on each side. In the centre the royal coat-of-arms is applique in blue and red satin, on an ornamental cartouche of pink satin, with scrolls of gold threads and coloured silks, richly dotted with small pearls. The bearings on the coats-of-arms are solidly worked in fine gold threads.

From each corner of the sides springs a rose spray, with Tudor roses of red silk mixed with pearls, and Yorkist roses all worked in pearls cl.u.s.tering tight together, the leaves and stems being made in gold cord and guimp. A decoratively arranged ribbon outlined with gold cord and filled in with a line of small pearls set near each other, encloses the design, and numerous single pearls are set in the s.p.a.ces between the roses and their leaves and stems.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 20--Christian Prayers. London, 1570.]

The back is divided into five panels bearing alternately Yorkist roses of pearls and Tudor roses of red silk and pearls, all worked in the same way as the roses on the sides.

The ill.u.s.tration I give of this binding (Frontispiece) is necessarily a restoration. But there is nothing added which was not originally on the book. Each pearl that has disappeared has left a little impress on the velvet, and so has each piece of gold cord which has been pulled off.