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ex-libris THE WORLD OF EX-LIBRIS |
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A historical retrospective 1 EARLY PRINTED EX-LIBRIS 1470-1700 |
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1e
FROM TUDORESQUE TO EARLY ARMORIAL BRITISH BOOKPLATES 1625-1700 Bookplates did not develop to any substantial extent in Britain until the 1700s, and during the 1500-1700 period booklabels and supralibros are much more common. Brian North Lee, in his British Bookplates (London 1979), suggests that the early flowering of ex-libris in Germany is related to the fact that the Renaissance, in that country, corresponded to the greatest period of engraving the world has seen. The fashion – always an important factor – was set by Dürer and the ‘Little masters’, or more importantly, by their powerful and prestigious customers. In Britain such a fashion did not exist until around 1698-1720, when the workshop of William Jackson set a trend. Earlier bookplates tend either to be gift plates, such as the rare Bacon (1574), Willmer (1613), Hackett (1670) or Countess of Bath (1671) ‘ex-dono’ plates, or to have belonged to a few atypical bibliophiles. In general, one can add that British ex-libris rarely have the flamboyance and size of their continental relatives, and until around 1730 tended to be straightforward, undecorated armorial presentations, with the exception of a few rare portrait plates and allegorical compositions. Then decorative style exerted its rights, and strongly affected bookplate aesthetics in the 18th century. |
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1e/1. William Marshall (GB, fl. 1630-1650)  SIR EDWARD
LITTLETON, C2, 181 x 132, c.1630. F18417.
Viz. BNL #7. This rare tudoresque-style bookplate, with its characteristic tassels, is the earliest signed British bookplate. It must have been engraved before the owner was knighted in 1634, otherwise the helm would have been shown frontal. Formerly in the Levine collection. |
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1e/2. ? (GB) SOUTHWELL, C2, 39 x 45, c.1630. F 27638.
This rare Carolian-style ex-libris is another of the few pre-1680 examples shown here. The collection is not very rich in early British plates, as they are all scarce and much sought after. Formerly in the Summers collection. |
1e/3. ? (GB) ? SIR GEORGE ENT, C2, 80 x 69, pre-1636.
F 9904.
Ent was a doctor, 1604-1689. The well-balanced mantling and the tasseled ribbon is characteristic of early 17th century British heraldry. |
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1e/4. ? David Loggan (GB) HUMBERSTON, C2, 115 x 103,
c.1660. F 15692.
The engraver of this unusual early armorial, by comparison with the Isham and Astry ex-libris of the same period, was probably David Loggan – born in Danzig c.1630 and settled in England around 1650. |
1e/5. William Faithorne (GB, 1616-1691) ?SIR GEORGE
HUNGERFORD, C2, 177 x 138, c.1670. F 15725.
Viz. BNL p. 30
This rare large armorial is one of the four ex-libris engraved by Faithorne. A print is pasted in the Bible of the church at Cadenham, where Hungerford was from, thus giving proof of its use as a bookplate. Formerly in the H. E. Jones collection. |
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1e/6. ? (GB) SIR ROBERT CLAYTON, C2, 87 x 73, c.1680.
F 6024, *252.
One of the earliest dated British ex-libris. However, as the date refers to Clayton’s lord mayorship of London, the bookplate might be slightly later than the printed date. |
1e/7. ? (GB) BIDDULPH, C2, 153 x 149, post-1686.
This very rare plate is thought to have been that of Anthony Biddulph of Ledbury (†1718). It is highly uncommon that British ex-libris show a shield shape other than square-topped and with pointed base before the 1730s. |
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1e/8. ? (GB) SIR HENRY HUNLOKE, C2, 125 x 26, c.1680.
F 15732.
Viz. BNL #17. Hunloke (1645-1715) was made Baronet in 1648. Ex-libris which are too large for certain books are sometimes mutilated, but more often an inscription is cut off by a later owner to adapt the ex-libris to his use; this plate also occurs in its uncut state with a four-line inscription below. It can be attributed to the same artist who engraved for Blome’s Guillim in 1679. |
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1e/9. William Jackson (GB) FRANCIS GWYN OF LANSANOR,
C2, 132 x 101, 83 x 75, 1698. F 13143, *185; F13144, *326.
Gwyn (1648-1734) was a politician and lawyer. The two sizes of this ex-libris vary slightly in the mantling and in the arms, which are simpler in the small size. These plates were engraved in the workshop of William Jackson, whose influence on the fashion of bookplates in Britain was very great. They exist in what is referred to as the Brighton collection, a volume of some 640 ex-libris bought in the late 19th century by Lord de Tabley from a Brighton bookseller, and today in the Franks collection. |
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1e/10. William Jackson (GB) SIR WILLIAM BROWNLOWE, C2,
132 x 108, 1698. F4114, *134.
The Fourth Baronet of the line (1665-1701). Also from the workshop of Jackson, but obviously by a different hand. |
1e/11. Samuel Pepys (GB, 1633-1703) ARTHUR CHARLETT,
C2, 70 x 93, 1699. F 5614.
This typical ‘bookpile’ design was to last: over 160 plates with this motif have been registered before 1870 (Viz. B.N.Lee, Bookpile Bookplates, Birmingham 1992). Perhaps engraved by Robert Dale, this ex-libris was designed by the celebrated Samuel Pepys, for his secretary Arthur Charlett (†1722). |
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1e/12. ? (GB) SIR PHILIP SYDENHAM, C2, 149 x 96, 1699.F 28677. One of the eleven ex-libris in twenty-three varieties used by Sir Philip Sydenham, 3rd Baronet,(†1739). No other British biblio-phile used so many bookplates until the mid-nineteenth century. |
1e/13. ? (GB) KEMP(E), C2, 129 x 93, c.1700. ?F16946.
This early armorial ex-libris was probably made just after the turn of the century, though its style would suggest an earlier date. |
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