17th-century English marbled vellum, with gold-tooling (Oo.8.28)
17th-century English vellum, marbled with green and brown, and tooled in gilt. From a presentation copy of Peter Gunning's The Paschal or Lent-Fast apostolical & perpetual (London, 1662).
17th-century painted and gilt binding (Cambridge) (Bb.6.20)
17th-century English (Cambridge) limp vellum binding with decoration in gilt and hand-colouring (see G.D. Hobson Bindings in Cambridge libraries, p.116). From Gratulatio Academiae Cantabrigiensis de serenissimi principis reditu ex Hispaniis exoptatissimo (Cambridge, 1623).
16th-century printed vellum fragment used as binding (Mm.14.2)
Limp vellum covers consisting of a fragment of a liturgical work printed in red and black. From Luis Mercado's Libellus, de essentia, causis, signis & curatione febris malignae (Basel, 1594).
16th-century vellum wrapper with clasp (Ff.16.10)
16th-century vellum wrapper with a brass clasp. From Paulus Soncinas' abridgment of Capreolus' commentary on Peter Lombard (1522).
From the Library of William Crashaw.
16th-century German blind-stamped pigskin (L.4.8)
16th-century German blind-stamped pigskin over wooden boards. The binding is from a multi-volume edition of the works of Luther (1564-70). Although each volume bears a similar binding, this, the first also has the initials M.H.V.K. stamped upon it. The central panels depict Martin Luther on the front cover, and Philip Melanchthon on the rear.
Early 16th-century Italian gold-tooled calfskin, with knotwork design & gauffering (Ii.1.26)
A northern Italian gold-tooled calfskin binding of c.1525-35, with differing central decoration in knotwork on each cover, and gauffering on the edges of the textblock (above). Knotwork decoration was a typical feature of Mudejar bindings produced by Moors still resident in Spain after the Reconquista, but also appears, as here, on Italian bindings of the period, where it may also indicate an Islamic influence.
17th-century Cambridge blind-tooled calf (Tt.1.16)
This binding, from the first published concordance to the Bible in Hebrew (Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1523-4), is typical of many to be found in St John's College Library. It is one of several such bindings produced by Philip Scarlet and Henry Moody in 1627/8, as recorded in the College accounts:
16th-century Salamanca blind-stamped calf (O.2.16)
16th-century Spanish blind-stamped binding over wooden boards produced in Salamanca. From a volume containing Pedro de Ledesma's Tractatus de magno matrimonii sacramento (Salamanca, 1599). The second image shows the decorated fore-edge incorporating the author's name and title.
16th-century German or Danish blind-stamped calf binding (T.3.16)
16th-century German or Danish blind-stamped calf over wooden boards for the first Bible in Icelandic (1584). The central panels (details below) depict four virtues each: on the front - Justice, Prudence, Fortitude and Temperance, with the black-inked initials I.D. just above; on the back - Faith, Hope, Charity and Patience.
16th-century English panel-stamped binding (Uu.10.17)
16th-century English panel-stamped calf (for panels see Oldham's Blind panels of English binders, plate 31, nos HM.25 and HM.26). From Johann Aepinus' Commentarius in Psalmum XIX (1545).