Class XVII.]
425
hand-tooled and illuminated. A fine specimen of whatcan be effected where care and judgment in the executionare combined, even under the disadvantages of workingafter a day’s hard labour, this Bible having been boundin the winter evenings, by gas-light, after Mr. Neil’s dailyoccupation.
Mr. Budden, Cambridge (97, p. 544).—An Album,inlaid in colours, with interlacing band pattern, insidejoints, and inlaid vellum, gilt and painted, displayinggreat care, skill, and taste in the execution.
Mr. Orr, Loudon (109, p. 544).—A number of volumesneatly blocked, and a thin book under the title of“ l’iddy,” very neatly bound.
Mrs. Leighton and Sox, Harp Alley, London (158,p. 547).—Various specimens of blocking, some in silver,said to be protected from tarnishing. “ The Women ofthe Bible,” a volume showing good block-gilding.
Mr. Riviere, Great Queen Street (89, p. 543).—A volume, “ Virgilii Opera,” royal 8vo, inlaid whitemorocco, inside covers tooled in foliated curves, beauti-fully put out of hand; “ The Chronicles of England,”4to, tree-marbled calf, also a fine specimen of this styleof binding.
Mr. John Clarke, of Frith Street, Soho (68, p.541).—Sir Joshua Reynolds’ “ Discourses,” and a folioBible in the Harlcian style ; a Bible in antique morocco,single hand-tooling , remarkable for its extremely wellforwarded and finished style of work. Four volumes incalf, tree-marbled, in which Mr. Clarke excels.
Mr. Macnair, of Glasgow (117, p. 544), Mr. Clark,of Dunfermline (68, p. 541), Messrs. Clark and Donald-son, of Mauchline (135, p. 545), exhibited specimens ofaverage workmanship.
After having attentively observed the amount of elabo-rate work which is bestowed on most of the productionsexhibited by the bookbinders of the United Kingdom ,the Jury cannot disguise the fact that there is a generalwant of good designs; and they beg to remark that moreattention should be paid to a subject which impresses aspecial character on the products of a country. Theattempts at emblematic binding are generally not verysuccessful; but the imitations of the old English style ofbindings are a nearer approach to simple, useful, and goodwork.
M. Xiedree, of Paris (665, p. 1211), exhibitednumerous works, among which several are forwarded,designed, and finished in a first-rate style. The orna-mental tooling in gold is a near approach to all that caube desired.
A. Lortic, Paris (1652, p. 1256), among'other worksbound in a superior manner, a large folio “ Balbusde Janua,” illuminated Greslier intersected pattern, withthe insides elaborately gilt, is deserving of high praise.Some few specimens of very tliin books displayed adegree of skill seldom surpassed.
Madame Gruel, of Paris (857, p. 1221), exhibiteda smaller number of elegantly bound books than couldhave beeu expected from her well-known establishment.Those that were in her glass-case were principally orna-mented in elaborately carved wood and ivory. A largefolio, “ Espana Artistica y Mouumenta,” red moroccoilluminated, intersected pattern, deserves commendationfor its elaborate workmanship.
M. Simier, of Paris (693, p. 1212): this name bringsback recollections which impose duties on his successor,whose specimens contain merit of only an average kind.
M. Le Brun (No. 906, p. 1223) and M. AugustePauthuille, of Paris (1171, p. 1233), exhibited bindingsof an average description.
The Jury regret that MM. Beauzonnet, Ottman,Cape, and other eminent bookbinders in Paris , haveabstained from sending their works to the Great Exhi-bition .
In general, the bindings of French artists are remark-able for a superior degree of taste in their design, as wellas for neatness of execution in the hand-tooling andfinishing. Their best designs, however, are imitations ofold artists.
! Bookbinding on a large scale is carried on in Vienna and in Prussia, where also the manufactory of fancyi leather articles has considerably increased of late years,j The principal part of the specimens exhibited wereI placed in M. Leistler’s rooms, enclosed in a bookcase,
' and as the Jury were informed that these goods were| private, there was a certain degree of delicacy in askingi more than once for leave to inspect them. The names of| the binders aud ornamenters of the books and album-cases| were not found by any number affixed to the cases, andj it was not until the 20th of June that it was eommuni-j cated to the Jury that the books, Sec., were exhibited by! individual persons who were desirous that they might noti escape notice.
! The designs of the portefeuilles exhibited by M.
; IIabenjciit (376, p. 1029), bookbinder of Vienna , are| by Professor Charles Raesxkr and Professor Van derj Nulh, and show what can be accomplished when artists; are employed, instead ot leaving the workman to follow: his own notions of what constitutes appropriate omament-i ation. These portefeuilles, got up by M. Habenicht, can| only be noticed in this place for the very superior work-I manship displayed in gilding and ornamenting, for theydo not constitute bookbinding in its strict meaning. Allthe portefeuille-cases in the shape of books are specimensof first-rate workmanship and appropriate design, andreflect great credit on M. Ilabenicht and the artists whodesigned them.
The following is a list of six of those elegantly finishedand ornamented productions :—
An elephant folio, in dark-blue velvet cover, with thefigure of our Saviour aud Cross, in chased silver, in thecentre.
An elephant folio, green velvet, with exquisitelypierced ivory ornaments.
An elephant folio, with tortoiseshell cover, profuselyornamented with inlaid metal ornaments, Gothic design,pierced ivory and coloured glass border, silver and giltdevice of three figures in the centre; the lettering in ex-quisitely formed raised letters of metal gilt.
An elephant folio, in bine and red morocco, illuminatedin gold, with rose bouquet, and raised intersected orna-ments, in ten compartments, each filled with highlyfinished tableaux.
An elephant folio, in dark puce velvet, raised gold or-naments, with three small ivory figures, and beautifullycarved ivory ornaments round the sides.
An elephant 4to, light purple velvet, profusely orna-mented with gilt metal, ebony, and pearls; females play-ing harp and lute in the centre, in gilt metal. liaisedgilt letters, top, bottom, and sides.
M. Girardkt, of Vienna , had also two beautiful porte-feuilles, designed by Professor Charles Raesner, and ofperfect workmanship. One an elephant folio, covered inlight blue, red morocco tooled border, gold aud ivoryscroll ornaments, gilt metal centre, with female figureholding a tablet, in gilt metal, on a brown ground, withthe names of celebrated Austrian music composers —per-fect in the forwarding and finishing. The other, anelephant 4to, in dark-blue velvet, bronze and gilt metal,raised intersected pattern in fourteen compartments, orna-mented with gold, with highly finished drawings of thecostumes of Austria , and the imperial arms in the centre,in bronzed and gilt metal.
M. Girardet had also in the book-case upwards of 200volumes of books, exquisitely bound. The whole of M.Girardet’s productions were supposed to be with thebook-ease, and not exhibited for competition, and no in-formation was afforded to the Jury to enable them toview them as a collection placed there by an exhibitor—there was neither number nor name to indicate who wasthe binder. Considering the superior workmanship, it isprobable that M. Girardet would otherwise have receivedthe marked approbation of the Jury by their awardinghim a Prize Medal.
Only two bookbinders have submitted specimens,although some of the booksellers and printers, combining