[EMBROIDERED BINDING]. The Holy Bible, Containing the Old Testament and the New. London: Bonham Norton and John Bill, 1619.

[EMBROIDERED BINDING]. The Holy Bible, Containing the Old Testament and the New. London: Bonham Norton and John Bill, 1619.

12o (150 x 82 mm). (Title-page chipped with some loss.) Wood-engraved title-page with some early-handcoloring; ruled in red throughout.

An early 17th-century binding in white satin over canvas embroidered in colored silks, silver cords and thread and silver guimp. On the front cover is a female figure standing within an columned arch worked in shading-stitch, holding a blue bird in her right hand, in her left hand she holds a cross. On the rear cover is another standing female figure within a columned arch holding a sword in her left hand. The figures are robed, and are worked in various colored silks in various reds, blues, greens, browns, and gold. The arches are depicted in high relief, worked in gold and silver thread, an silver guimp. The area within the arches surrounding the figures is filled with large stitches of silver wire. In the spandresl of the arches are birds worked in shading-stitch in green, red and yellow. The spine is divided into four compartments, each having a four-petalled flower in yellow and red. Both the sides and the spine originally had a roll border surround worked over with silver thread (this has mostly been worn away); edges gilt and gauffered. Provenance: purchased from George Sexton, Ltd., Brighton, 16 December 1949.

Apart from some wear and some minor defects to parts in high relief, this is a well-preserved specimen of EARLY 17TH-CENTURY ENGLISH EMBROIDERED BOOKBINDING. Darlow & Moule 287; STC 2257. Sold as a binding, not subject to return.