Binding by John Illingworth Kay for F. B. Harrison’s ‘The Battlefield Treasure’

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Cloth binding for ‘The Battlefield Treasure’

Probably by John Illingworth Kay

[1896]

Cloth binding

7¼ x 5 inches

This is a prime example of the high-quality designs produced by Kay, one of the Silver Studio’s prime designers, for Blackie, the Scottish publisher that did so much to promote Art Nouveau in the 1890s. [Commentary continues below.]

Scan and text by Simon Cooke [Click on image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]

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Kay makes his design engagingly child-like to appeal to the juvenile audience, especially in his representation of a lyrical, dream-world menagerie: rabbits graze along the bottom margin, birds are placed above their nests in the middle zone, and squirrels prance, like deer in a medieval bestiary, in the top corners. These figures are contained within highly abstracted and sinuous rustic frame in the manner of the New Style; the heart-shaped leaves, in particular, are a characteristic motif that is found in many designs of the period.

Bibliography

Harrison, F. Bayford. The Battlefield Treasure. London & Glasgow: Blackie [1896].

Created 19 November 2021