Adaptation

1785 · rif. 173867 — Bath: printed by R. Cruttwell; and sold by Rivingtons' Dilly Robson & Robinsons' 1785. With three Biblical fore edge paintings An imposing Bible handsomely bound by Edwards of Halifax in their celebrated "Etruscan" style. The set is unusual in featuring motifs relevant to the contents on all three fore-edges - scenes from the Old and New Testaments - as opposed to the more typical landscapes. Edwards famously almost never signed their bindings and their style was very frequently reproduced by others. This set is cited by Weber in his Annotated Dictionary of Fore-Edge Paintings as "a notable Bible from the Edwards bindery" Weber 2010 p. 118-9 and it is used as an example in a chapter devoted to distinguishing genuine Edwards bindings and paintings from imitations. The technique of concealing a painting under the gilt fore edge of books was revived in England by William Edwards about 1780. "The Edwards family not only carried on the art but enlarged it from the mainly floral and heraldic early efforts with occasional religious scenes and royal portraits to embrace views of well-known country houses set in landscapes" Marks p. 194. They were the originators of the bucolic English fore-edge painting which became standard in the 19th century. Scholars believe that the paintings were made in Halifax rather than in London by artists both within and outside the family and under the supervision of Thomas Edwards. Inspiration for the images was taken from various sources often engravings appearing in other books; for landscapes the favourite artist was William Gilpin a pioneer of the "picturesque". Volume I features a moment from Genesis: Abraham welcoming three angels into his home an act of hospitality which moved the Lord to bless Abraham and his wife with a son despite she was far beyond childbearing age. On Volume II is an episode from Exodus: an Egyptian princess and her attendants discover the infant Moses in the bulrushes of the Nile. Volume III displays an animated scene from the life of St. Paul as he preaches in Rome. The "Etruscan" style binding with a border of palmettes and other classical ornaments stencilled in black on brown calf was one of the firm's most popular designs. The origin of this style is debated: some 19th-century writers attributed the invention to John Whitaker while others ascribe it to the Edwards firm. It is known that Edwards employed it from at least 1775. Provenance: a Herman Frasch Whiton probably the American sailor and Olympic champion 1904-1967 with his elaborately designed bookplate featuring his arms and a ship on the verso of an initial blank in each volume. b Randall J. Moskovitz MD American collector from Memphis Tennessee with his bookplates loosely inserted. 3 vols large quarto 306 x 238 mm. Contemporary "Etruscan" calf by Edwards of Halifax spines with raised bands compartments tooled in gilt with flower and urn centerpieces and pediment cornerpieces black morocco labels covers with gilt pentaglyph and metope border stencilled frame of palmettes central panel of tree calf enclosed by gilt Greek key roll board edges and turn-ins tooled in gilt marbled endpapers each vol. with a contemporary fore-edge painting depicting a Scriptural scene edges gilt green silk bookmarkers. Spines uniformly darkened binding judiciously refurbished joints and spine ends repaired gilt retouched on spine light rubbing to palmettes design in places intermittent foxing and slight toning else clean the fore-edge paintings beautifully preserved. A handsome set. P. J. M. Marks "The Edwards of Halifax Bindery" British Library Journal vol. 24 no. 2 1998; Jeff Weber Annotated Dictionary of Fore-Edge Painting Artists & Binders 2010. See also: G. E. Bentley The Edwardses of Halifax 2015; Carl J. Weber Fore-Edge Painting 1966. hardcover