1548 Roman chestnut morocco gilt bookbinding by Niccolò Franzese
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1548
This example represents a 16th-century contemporary Roman bookbinding, specifically commissioned for the 1548 edition of Leo I's Epistolae decretales ac familiares, printed in Cologne.
The binding is crafted from chestnut morocco leather, finished with sophisticated gilt tooling. Measuring 160 x 109 mm, the covers are decorated with a central gilt stamp depicting St. John the Baptist, framed by an intricate, interlaced gilt border featuring both solid and outline leafy motifs. The spine is detailed with small gilt flowers within distinct compartments, and the edges are gilt and gauffered in a decorative knotwork design.
The structure includes stubs for two pairs of ties, indicative of the period's binding techniques. This specific style of binding has been attributed to the binder Niccolò Franzese. While the contents comprise 199 leaves of 8vo text in Roman type, the binding itself serves as a significant specimen of Renaissance Italian book-art, exhibiting the decorative hallmarks and craft standards associated with high-status Roman bibliophily during the mid-1500s.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- chestnut morocco leather
- Dimensions
- 160 x 109 mm
Technical characteristics
- Edges
- gilt and gauffered to a knotwork design
- Spine
- small gilt flower in compartments
- Binding type
- contemporary Roman morocco gilt
Design
- Cover decoration
- gilt interlaced frame with solid and outline leafy stamps, central gilt stamp of St John the Baptist
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- Niccolò Franzese
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.