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These 3 commissions contain probably some of the most important occult, alchemy and
Hermetic texts ever written, as you can see from the title pages below.
These are 3 of the 6 occult and alchemy books that I print and bind in a 17thC style. These 3 copies were commissioned by one client. The text and engravings are printed on a very fine watermarked ivory wove and the endpapers handmarbled. The sheets are folded into sections and flexibly sewn on raised cords with laced-in boards in a 17thC herringbone style.
The leather is graded, cut and pared and a grain bordered in by hand. The books are covered, the bands nipped and the edges coloured before turning in.
The 3 books are turned-in and coloured up using 2 fermented veg dyes and left to dry and the wax and tallow applied for blind tooling the covers. The inner panels are blind tooled using fillet rolls and small hand tools.
The outer borders are now blind tooled using 2 fillet rolls as are all the edges and the inner dentelles. Work to commence on the centre panels and then the gilding.
The centre is blind tooled using gauges (curved tools) and individual impressions of small tools.
The colours used I make from fermented plants etc... The outer colour on all 3 is mahogany, the centre on 2 are oak bark and saffron crocus and the red center is cochineal and beet.
Using pallets (straight lined tools) I've created a sun and moon on all the front and back covers and the clients own personal sigil is worked out using the Hebrew Aiq Beker method and is gilt as the centrepiece on the front cover of each book.
The back cover centrepieces are different seals, one each of 3 of the 7 angels who stand in the presence of God, which are created from pallets, gauges and handletters.
The spines are gilt with the clients sigil and one of the 72 Hebrew names of God and handlettered. Each book is dated at the foot MDCLXVI.
A clamshell box is also made for each book that will afford much protection over the next centuries.
CLAVICULA SALOMONIS
The Greater Key of Solomon in Two Books with Six Additional important
Occult and Alchemy Texts.
CORPUS HERMETICUM
The Kybalion
Hemetis Trismegisti Books one and Two
The Emerald Tablet all 13 translations
The Tabula Smaragdina
MOSES ARCANA MAGICKA
The complete unexpurgated Magickal Texts of Moses
With engravings by William Blake
For all enquiries email: [email protected]
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Period Fine Bindings 1983 to Infinity All rights reserved.