Musinsky Rare Books

STEEL-PLAQUE BOOKBINDING — BIBLE, NEW TESTAMENT.

Das gantze Neue Testament unsers Herzen und Heylands Jesu Christi, recht grundlich nach der Griechischen Haubt Sprache verteutschet. [With:] LOBWASSER, Ambrosius. Die CL. Psalmen Davids, durch D. Amb Lobwasser in Teutsche Reimen gebracht. [With:] Die kleine Bibel: oder: der Psalter Davids. Zurich: David Gessner, 1730-1727-1733.

3 works in one volume, 8vo (150 x 82 mm., binding 160 x 94 mm). 256; 192, [16]; 64 pages. New Testament and Psalms each with additional engraved titles by Johann Georg Seiller, woodcut vignettes to letterpress titles, text in very small types in double column, letterpress music in Psalms. (First title with small damaged spot from adhesion, affecting a word, foxing and gutter tears in final quire.) Contemporary Swiss binding of steel ajouré plaques over black velvet-covered pasteboards, commissioned by the publisher: the carefully assembled steel pieces cut and etched to a floral design, covering the sides, spine (hinged to the cover plaques at upper and lower joints), headcaps, and board edges, with two fore-edge clasps, the steel further decorated with a total of one hundred and sixty-seven small faceted diamond-like bosses; pastedowns of contemporary purple and white floral block-printed pastepaper. (Much but not all the pile of the velvet in the major open areas rubbed, a couple of tiny tears to the velvet along joints, but the steel carapace in very fine condition.) ***

A singular phenomenon in bibliopegic history, this splendid and beautifully preserved “treasure” bookbinding, decorated with imposting overall plaques of worked steel over velvet-covered pasteboards, was produced for the Zurich publisher David Gessner II (1671-1752), by a presumably local, highly skilled master metalworker. A few other analogous bindings are known, all on Gessner editions of small pocket New Testaments from the 1730s; hence one can reasonably deduce a link between the publisher and these ferrous bookbinding decorations. Referred to by those who have handled them somewhat misleadingly as iron or steel bindings (the bookbindings themselves are not steel), they nonetheless represent the earliest known use of steel as a major element in a bookbinding (still uncommon). The history of their production remains to be explored.

Hardened and tempered carbon steel had been used for centuries by armorers, who developed techniques of acid-etching iron and steel that became prevalent by the 17th century. Similar techniques and materials must have been used here, as well as a method for “bluing” the steel in order to prevent it from rusting. Although more efficient production methods had been devised in the 17th century, with the introduction of the blast furnace and production of crucible steel, steel was still expensive and produced only on a small scale, being thus reserved for objects of luxury. More than one artisan may have contributed to the manufacture of these binding plaques, given the specialization of metallurgical trades in Switzerland (for example, in the mid-18th century, “the Zurich blacksmith’s trade brought together 17 trades” - Dubler).

Without venturing into technical production details, it is clear to the naked eye that the metal was cut into various arabesque and floral forms, etched, and skillfully joined and applied with small nails to the binding. The decoration of each cover is composed of nine pieces: four side pieces, one central arabesque and foliate lozenge, and four separate parts for the large carnations that emerge from each corner. The side pieces wrap snugly around the board edges, and are edged with textile strips under the pastedowns (partly visible under an unglued corner of the lower pastedown). The hinged and curved spine plaque consists of five separate pieces in the shapes of leafy plants, with a single blossom at center, that are mounted together on a mostly hidden vertical bar. The top and bottom pieces of this spine armature extend at a right angle into elaborate headband coverings. The fore-edge clasps are original and in the same style. All are etched with decorative shading and leaf forms, and most unusually, on the steel are mounted the aforementioned 167 faceted bosses (of which 8 narrow lozenge-shaped corner bosses), at least some of which must conceal the nailheads. The five-sided facets create a sparkling, bejeweled effect. The workmanship is very fine

The Zurich publishers David Gessner (died 1729) and his son of the same name issued many editions of small format German-language Bibles and New Testaments, usually bound with Psalms or other devotional texts, as here (Darlow and Moule list only a 1746 edition, no 4243).

The Grolier Club has a copy of a Gessner New Testament from 1738, bound with the same two works as here, also in 1738 editions, in a simple binding of openwork iron or steel over velvet. A gift from S. P. Avery, it is no. 106 in the 1903 catalogue of an Exhibition of Silver, Embroidered and Curious Bookbindings. Two other Gessner bibles in similar bindings have recently appeared in the trade. One, also from 1738, surfaced in the collection of Cornelius Hauck (sold Christie’s New York, 27 June 2006, lot 362) and is presently with our colleague Philip Pirages. Like this one, it has faceted bosses, but only 83, and lacks a clasp. The other one, on the same 1738 edition, was with Patrick Olson Rare Books, in his catalogue 28 (2024), no. 12; that simpler binding had only rounded bosses; it was recased, and the clasps were detached. It was Patrick who made the connection to Gessner, and he traced a further such binding, described as on a Zurich New Testament from 1740, no doubt by Gessner, that appeared in a Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge sale on 27 March 1911 (lot 13).

Our binding is in better condition and more richly decorated than the three examples above for which there are images. The carnations of the covers provide a luxurious decorative element, as do the plethora of faceted bosses, and it is in near-perfect condition.

Of this edition OCLC locates one copy, at the Harry Ransom center (all three of the texts, in the same editions (lacking the last leaf); a copy of the New Testament only is in the Zurich Zentralbibliothek.

Cf. Anne-Marie Dubler, “Artisanat des Métaux,” in Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse. Our thanks to Scott Ellwood for his help locating the Grolier Club binding. Item #4504

Price: $8,000.00