Exhibition Celebrates Centures of English Decorative
Bindings
Fore-edge painting of Venice from
'The Doge of Venice' by Lord Byron (London: John Murray,
1821)
|
By Pamela Higgins Sheridan Libraries
Bound to Please, an exhibition of more than 60
beautifully bound and tooled works from the late
17th to the mid-20th century, opens at the George Peabody
Library on Thursday, Nov. 6, and will be
celebrated with a reception at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9.
The show explores the art of finishing, from
simple adornments on vellum bindings to exquisite
gilt-tooled bindings.
The exhibition, which runs through Feb. 3, 2009, is
drawn from an extraordinary collection of
200 volumes, a gift to the Sheridan Libraries in 2006 from
longtime Johns Hopkins friend Dorothy
McIlvain Scott. Many of the books are decorated with
fore-edge paintings--scenes painted on the
edges of the page--which are visible only when the pages
are fanned. More than 20 fore-edge
paintings are displayed.
"The scope of the Scott collection enables us to
present not only a stunning visual display but
also allows us to trace the history of bookbinding," said
Sophia Jordan-Mowery, the Joseph Ruzicka &
Marie Ruzicka Feldmann director of library preservation,
and curator of the show.
"Bindings are products of time and place, with
uniquely identifiable styles and purposes
reflective of their era," she said. "They can be defined by
technique or the craftsmanship of a
particular binder, and they reveal cultural shifts, changes
in materials and technology, and changes in
taste. As such, they serve as clues to past and
present."
At the opening reception, noted conservation expert
and fine bookbinder Don Etherington will
present an illustrated talk on English decorative
bindings.
Etherington began bookbinding as a 13-year-old student
at the Central School of Arts and
Crafts in London and worked as an apprentice at Harrison's
& Co., also in London. In 1970, he joined
the Library of Congress, where he developed new techniques
that shaped the field of book
conservation. Etherington now has his own company, and his
work is held in significant collections
worldwide.
To reserve a place at the reception, contact Stacie
Spence at
libraryfriends@jhu.edu or 410-516-7943.
The George Peabody Library is located at 17 E. Mount
Vernon Place. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday,
and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
GO TO NOVEMBER 3,
2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
GO TO THE GAZETTE
FRONT PAGE.
|