Elizabeth I contemporary gilt-tooled calf bookbinding on Sansovino's Della origine de caualieri, 1570
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1570
The binding features the Royal arms, specifically Oldfield stamp number 5, at the center of the front cover. The central heraldic device is flanked by the initials E R.
The leather surface is decorated with a semé of quatrefoils pattern and elaborate arabesque corner tools. The spine is flat and divided into tooled compartments. The edges of the book are finished with gilt and gauffering, and there are traces of two pairs of original fore-edge ties. The binding currently houses a 1570 first edition of Francesco Sansovino's 'Della origine de caualieri', an octavo volume measuring 146 x 94mm.
The craftsmanship reflects the distinct royal library style of the Elizabethan era. The book remains in its original structural form, though it now comes with a protective modern morocco box for preservation. This binding serves as a significant artifact of royal book collecting and English decorative arts from the late Renaissance period.
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
- calf leather
- Dimensions
- 146 x 94mm
Technical characteristics
- Features
- gilt and gauffered edges, fore-edge ties
- Binding type
- gilt-tooled calf
Design
- Spine
- flat, tooled in compartments
- Obverse
- Royal arms (Oldfield stamp 5) flanked by initials E R on a semé of quatrefoils, arabesque corner tools
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.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.