Sangorski & Sutcliffe, binders, calligraphers and illuminators – Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) - photo 1
Sangorski & Sutcliffe, binders, calligraphers and illuminators – Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) - photo 2
Sangorski & Sutcliffe, binders, calligraphers and illuminators – Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) - photo 3
Sangorski & Sutcliffe, binders, calligraphers and illuminators – Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) - photo 4
Sangorski & Sutcliffe, binders, calligraphers and illuminators – Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) - photo 5
Sangorski & Sutcliffe, binders, calligraphers and illuminators – Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) - photo 6

Sangorski & Sutcliffe, binders, calligraphers and illuminators – Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)

Lot 120
28.04.2021 11:00UTC +01:00
Classic
Sold
£ 25 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 519411
Lot 120 | Sangorski & Sutcliffe, binders, calligraphers and illuminators – Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)
Estimate value
£ 10 000 – 15 000
Sangorski & Sutcliffe, binders, calligraphers and illuminators – Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)
Epithalamion. [London: c.1920].
A jewelled binding set with garnets and turquoise on a manuscript on vellum, written, illuminated and bound by Francis Sangorski and George Sutcliffe. Having first met in a class taught by Douglas Cockerell, Sangorski and Sutcliffe founded their bindery in 1901 and were the first to ‘create the art of jewelled leather binding’ (Elkind in The Book Collector, 1975, p.401). Their first jewelled binding covered an edition of Spenser’s Epithalamion (now at the British Library) and many of its design elements are found on the present manuscript of the same Spenser poem. Sangorski and Sutcliffe’s greatest masterpiece – the Great Omar, created in 1910 – famously went down with the Titanic. The present work was acquired by the New York collector Phoebe A.D. Boyle, described by Sutcliffe as ‘rivalling the Medici in her patronage of the production of beautiful books’ (Shepherd, The Cinderella of the Arts, p.63). She owned 45 Sangorski and Sutcliffe bindings, of which 31 were manuscripts.

Folio (260 x 191mm). Illuminated manuscript on vellum, 24 pages on 13 leaves (including colophon), 4 blank vellum leaves at front and 3 at end, written in a fine calligraphic hand in black, opening double-page with 2 large miniatures (Hymen on title, a harpist opposite) and elaborate scrolling ivy border, two major historiated initials depicting dancing musicians and a virgin, verse initials in gold with decorative infill, line initials mostly in red, colophon statement: ‘This copy...written out, illuminated and bound by F. Sangorski and G. Sutcliffe of London. For Gannon and Cassidy of New York. Registered design No. 574636.’ Jewelled binding, front cover set with 5 garnets and 5 turquoise jewels: brown morocco gilt over sunken panel sides, rose at centre composed of white, red and green onlays set in an elaborate border of scrolling floral vines of white and green onlays, interlaced roundels at panel intersections and frame fillets in green morocco onlays, spine in compartments lettered and with white cinquefoil at centre of gilt foliate tooling, inner covers with panel of crushed green morocco within wide brown morocco gilt, floral spray with onlays at corners, gilt edges, original olive straight-grained morocco hinged box lined in green velvet and cream satin.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
14.04.2021 – 28.04.2021
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