Binding for The Fairie Queen

John Leighton, designer

1855

Elaborate gilt blocking on navy blue cloth

7 x 4¼ x 2¼ inches

One of Leighton's early figurative designs which represent an episode or character from the text, this binding combines a touching image of Una and the Lion (which appears on the upper board), and (on the backstrip) the dragon that is slain by the Red Crosse Knight. The polarities of good and evil are thus symbolised in gilt before the text has been read, and prepare the reader/viewer for what is to unfold: a straightforward iconography.

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