The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church according to the use of the Church of England; together with the Psalter or Psalms of David, pointed as they are to be sung or said in Churches. [Fore-edge Painting]

Paris: Printed by P. Didot, Sen. and Sold by W. Edwards and Sons, Halifax , 1791.

$3,000.00

Out of Stock Item Number: RRB-138941

Custom Clamshell Box

Hand made by the Harcourt Bindery. ~90 days

+$450

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Rare 18th Century Book Of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments; elaborately bound and with a fore-edge painting likely produced by Edwards of Halifax and Sons who popularized the technique

Rare 18th century Book of Common Prayer with the imprint of Edwards of Halifax and sons; with a fore-edge painting and exquisite binding likely produced by the Edwards of Halifax bindery (which did not sign or ticket its bindings and popularized the fore-edge painting in the 18th century). 16mo, bound in full contemporary polished "Etruscan" tree calf with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine with bird ornaments in Edwards's original manner, black goatskin label lettered in gilt, central tree-calf panel within a gilt roll to the front and rear panels with a stained border of classical palmettes within an outer Greek key roll, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, ribbon bound in, decorated with a richly detailed concealed fore-edge painting of Eton College. The binding is characteristic of the work of the Edwards of Halifax bindery under William Edwards, and given the Edwards imprint and overall appearance, it seems probable that this fore-edge painting is an authentic product of theirs. The Eton College Library records at least three examples of the present work in Edwards bindings and another example of this design design on a duodecimo copy of Falconer's The Shipwreck has been traced at auction, supporting the comment by Bryan Maggs in the firm's catalogue 1075, "This would seem to support the view that these bindings and fore-edge paintings were to some extent mass-produced to satisfy a market." In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco and folding chemise slipcase. An exquisite example, likely executed by the renowned bindery that created the market for the modern fore-edge painting.

The term 'fore-edge painting' can refer to any painted decoration on the fore-edges of the leaves of a book, such as was not uncommon in the 15th and early 16th centuries, particularly in Italy. The term is most commonly used, however, for an English technique quite widely practiced in the second half of the 17th century in London and Edinburgh, and popularized in the 18th century by John Brindley and, in particular, Edwards of Halifax, whereby the fore-edge of the book, very slightly fanned out and then held fast, is decorated with painted views, or conversation pieces. The edges are then squared up and gilded in the ordinary way, so that the painting remains concealed while the book is closed: fan out the edges and it reappears. The technique was practiced by a few other English binders in the late 18th and 19th centuries, and a certain number of undoubted examples survive.