Binding for The Fairie Queen

John Leighton, designer

1855

Elaborate gilt blocking on navy blue cloth

7 x 4¼ x 2¼ inches

One of Leighton's early figurative designs which represent an episode or character from the text, this binding combines a touching image of Una and the Lion (which appears on the upper board), and (on the backstrip) the dragon that is slain by the Red Crosse Knight. The polarities of good and evil are thus symbolised in gilt before the text has been read, and prepare the reader/viewer for what is to unfold: a straightforward iconography.

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

Photograph and text by Simon Cooke. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one.]

References

Spencer, Edmund. The Fairie Queen. London: Routledge, 1855.

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Last modified 3 December 2013