De navitatibus

The illustration shows the work in its old boards, but this was one of a group of books from the library of Percy H. Bate (1868-1913), an art curator, writer and collector who was also an accomplished finisher and who specialised in producing vellum bindings decorated with celtic-influenced Art Nouveau designs.

This volume was contained in one of these bindings, but the convoluted coloured ink decoration was in this instance unfinished.

An interesting 16th century broadside from the West Sussex sale was featured in last week's Antiques Trade Gazette, but there is one other early work that I might mention. In a broken binding of blind and gilt panelled calf, the upper cover blocked with a single large Tudor rose, The Lamentations and Holy Mournings of the Prophet Jeremiah was an undated (c.1587?) translation from the French (of Daniel Toussaine?). Printed by John Windet for Humfrey Bate. STC, it lists only three copies, and this one brought a bid of £2200.