Cloth binding for Gatty's ‘Parables from Nature’
Unsigned binding
1864
Purple cloth, gilt
8 x 5¼ inches
This luxurious ornamental binding is made up of purple cloth overlaid with an elaborate Renaissance-style interlace in gilt, combined with a central mandorla in white with gilt lettering. The designer of this attractive cover is unknown, but it could be the work of John Leighton.
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Photograph and text by Simon Cooke