April 26, 2010
A 16th CENTURY BIBLE related to George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax
A MAGNIFICENT SIGNED ARMORIAL BINDING BY HERING
The Bible:
Pierre de Saint-André; François Estienne; William T Smedley. Biblia Sacra veteris et noui testamenti : iuxta vulgatam editionem maiori quàm antehac vnquam doctorum studio. Geneuae : Apud Petrum Santandreanum, 1583. A reissue, with a different title page, of an edition of François Estienne, Geneva, 1567. The title page of the New Testament bears the imprint: Ex Officina Francisci Stephanii, 1567. Signatures: *8a-z8A-2H82I4(2I4 blank) 2A-2R8 2S4. Includes indexes. Description: [8], 435, [1], [113] leaves, 1 leaf of plates : ill. (woodcuts), 2 maps ; 8vo. COMPLETE. Occasional staining, some browning, but overall a VERY FINE COMPLETE COPY. PROVENANCE: Likely George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax (who formed the original library at Old Rufford Abbey) with Old Rufford Abbey bookplate. Rufford Abbey is an estate in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England. In 1626, the house was sold to Sir George Savile, and later inhabited by his descendant, the Marquess of Halifax. This copy bears, in fact, the 17th century ownership inscription of John Savile 1666, presumably Sir JOHN SAVILE, 6th Bart., who succeeded to the Thornhill and other estates on the death of his cousin, the 2d Marquis of Halifax. Beautiful signed armorial binding by Hering, bound between 1815 and 1845 when the famous bookbindery was located at 9 Newman St. Charles Hering bound many books for the Prince Regent, George IV, following the style of Roger Payne, binder to George III [$2500]
