Detached fine binding
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
[1900?]
This detached fine bookbinding was designed by Constantin Meunier and made in Brussels, Belgium, circa 1896 to 1900. It originally enclosed the publication "Les Maîtres de l'art contemporain: L'Oeuvre de Constantin Meunier", published in Brussels by Becker-Holemans, though the volume itself is now missing. The binding measures approximately 50 cm in height by 39 cm in width.
Constructed from brown morocco goatskin leather, the cover features a large central repoussé panel of moulded leather. This panel depicts the profile head of a miner wearing a cap. Beneath the relief portrait is the moulded inscription "L'Oeuvre de Constantin Meunier" along with the initials "C.M.". The leather border surrounding the central plaque is stamped in gold with additional text. Along the upper right section is the inscription "Les Maîtres de l'art contemporain", while the lower area bears the stamped gold publisher's credit "BECKER-HOLEMANS ÉDITEUR. BRUXELLES".
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.
Historical context
Constantin Meunier was one of the first modern artists to portray the harsh lives of industrial workers in his paintings and sculpture. In 1882, he was appointed professor at the Louvain Academy of Fine Arts. Coal mining was a major industry in Belgium, and the image of a miner in a cap featured on this binding is typical of Meunier's work.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Height: 50 cm; Width: 39 cm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Meunier, Constantin
- Place recorded
- Brussels
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Detached fine binding
- Museum object number
- L.369-1916
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.