Antique India Book Prize Binding Finnemore Menpes Plates 1907
Antique India Book Prize Binding Finnemore Menpes Plates 1907
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The binding stopped me before I even opened it. Full scarlet leather over raised bands, gilt-tooled spine panels, marbled edges to the text block, and the armorial stamp of Boston Grammar School gilded onto both boards, the three-crown crest of Boston, Lincolnshire, with the motto Floreat Bostona on its ribbon beneath. Inside, the prize certificate is still present, dated July 1908, Form V, awarded for the prize subject. The book itself is John Finnemore's 1907 account of India for Adam and Charles Black, illustrated with twelve full-page colour plates by Mortimer Menpes, the Whistler-trained Australian painter whose portraits of Indian subjects, a veiled Rajput woman wearing a large nose ring, a Sikh warrior with sword and pipe, an elder in a yellow-green turban at prayer, are among the finest things the Peeps at Many Lands series ever produced. This is a prize binding commissioned for a specific student at a specific school in a specific year, and that chain of particulars is exactly what makes it worth keeping.
The scarlet leather is sound and intact, with surface scuffing and light scratching across both boards consistent with age and handling, most visible on the front. The gilt armorial stamp is clear and legible on both boards, with minor wear at the high points of the relief. The spine retains its gilt tooling well, with some rubbing to the leather between the raised bands and light fading toward the head. The marbled edges to the text block are bright and unfaded. The marbled endpapers are vivid, blue-dominated with red, orange, and cream swirling pattern, and show no foxing or toning. The prize certificate on the front paste-down is clean and fully legible. The text block is tight and the pages are clean throughout, with light age-appropriate toning to the paper. All twelve colour plates are present and show no foxing, tears, or detachment. A very good copy overall, with wear appropriately confined to the exterior.
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Important Info About Antique & Vintage
Every antique and vintage item we carry has lived a life before arriving in your home. These are not factory-made products. They are objects with history, character, and the marks of time.
Age-appropriate wear, patina, minor imperfections, and signs of previous use or repair are inherent to antique and vintage items and are not considered defects. These characteristics are part of what makes each piece unique and are often what give it its beauty and value.
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Colors may appear slightly different on screen due to monitor settings and photography lighting. We do our best to represent each item accurately.
