DOI issue:
No. 156 (March, 1906)
DOI article:The arts and crafts exhibition at the Grafton Gallery, [2]
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20714#0158
Arts and Crafts Exhibition. Second Notice
Cockerell's case. No one knows more thoroughly a brass bedstead. He advocated trimming before
than Mr. Cockerell the ins-and-outs of the art of sewing and gilding the edges in the rough, and
bookbinding, its history, and its traditions. He explained that edges "gilt on the rough " have a
also is the possessor of a wide-minded understand- richness exceeding in beauty edges " gilt on the
ing of what is demanded of the modern book- solid," and have, moreover, a look of appropriateness,
binder who, whilst retaining the true because they are so obviously the edges
traditions of his art, wishes to meet the of leaves of paper and not the side of
demand for beautiful books, at a not B55B a so'id block. All this is a very interest-
prohibitive price, which does certainly BLjjP^^B ing word to have on this vexed question,
exist and, we suppose, always will. The author also pointed out that the
Bookbinding is an art so inextricably investigation of the committee ap-
bound up with the history of civilisation kHkI pointed by the Society of Arts to
that its study is one of absorbing interest HB^Spl enquire into the causes of the prema-
apart from the acquisition of any know- KiBr!51H'J ture decay °f trie leather used in
ledge of how to design and use the KSf wvf l modern bookbinding showed that it is
tools. In an essay on bookbinding, Htgt Scwtl impossible almost for any but highly-
written by Mr. Cockerell some time H| SShI .skilled experts to test leather for
since as an introduction to an exhibi- PSraHVfl binding. With regard to the tooling
tion of his works at the Book Lovers' of books, which always gives such
Library, the author dealt with his sub- BJ interesting quality to Mr. Cockerell's
ject in such a way as to arouse general BflS^ftM own work> we cannot do better than
interest and to attract fresh students to go -dfl quote from his admirable essay : " The
the fascinating craft. We remember ■mask. -^M great beauty and life of good gold-tooled
that a healthy vein of common sense, ornament comes from the fact that each
coupled with humour, ran through Mr. pendant exhibited t00i [s pUt down separately, so the im-
Cockerell's essay, as where he depre- guild of pressions reflect the light at slightly
cates the unsightly ragged edges of handicraft different angles. An elaborately gold-
entirely uncut leaves, with the harbour they offer tooled binding, costing many pounds, can be
to dust and the difficulty of turning them over. copied on a block and hundreds of copies made
On the other hand, he rightly objected to the solid at a trifling cost. The copy may reproduce every
gilt edge, suggesting, to use his own words, part of line of the original, but being all in one plane the
miniatures by joseph e. southall
138
Cockerell's case. No one knows more thoroughly a brass bedstead. He advocated trimming before
than Mr. Cockerell the ins-and-outs of the art of sewing and gilding the edges in the rough, and
bookbinding, its history, and its traditions. He explained that edges "gilt on the rough " have a
also is the possessor of a wide-minded understand- richness exceeding in beauty edges " gilt on the
ing of what is demanded of the modern book- solid," and have, moreover, a look of appropriateness,
binder who, whilst retaining the true because they are so obviously the edges
traditions of his art, wishes to meet the of leaves of paper and not the side of
demand for beautiful books, at a not B55B a so'id block. All this is a very interest-
prohibitive price, which does certainly BLjjP^^B ing word to have on this vexed question,
exist and, we suppose, always will. The author also pointed out that the
Bookbinding is an art so inextricably investigation of the committee ap-
bound up with the history of civilisation kHkI pointed by the Society of Arts to
that its study is one of absorbing interest HB^Spl enquire into the causes of the prema-
apart from the acquisition of any know- KiBr!51H'J ture decay °f trie leather used in
ledge of how to design and use the KSf wvf l modern bookbinding showed that it is
tools. In an essay on bookbinding, Htgt Scwtl impossible almost for any but highly-
written by Mr. Cockerell some time H| SShI .skilled experts to test leather for
since as an introduction to an exhibi- PSraHVfl binding. With regard to the tooling
tion of his works at the Book Lovers' of books, which always gives such
Library, the author dealt with his sub- BJ interesting quality to Mr. Cockerell's
ject in such a way as to arouse general BflS^ftM own work> we cannot do better than
interest and to attract fresh students to go -dfl quote from his admirable essay : " The
the fascinating craft. We remember ■mask. -^M great beauty and life of good gold-tooled
that a healthy vein of common sense, ornament comes from the fact that each
coupled with humour, ran through Mr. pendant exhibited t00i [s pUt down separately, so the im-
Cockerell's essay, as where he depre- guild of pressions reflect the light at slightly
cates the unsightly ragged edges of handicraft different angles. An elaborately gold-
entirely uncut leaves, with the harbour they offer tooled binding, costing many pounds, can be
to dust and the difficulty of turning them over. copied on a block and hundreds of copies made
On the other hand, he rightly objected to the solid at a trifling cost. The copy may reproduce every
gilt edge, suggesting, to use his own words, part of line of the original, but being all in one plane the
miniatures by joseph e. southall
138