“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a popular adage that can be compellingly applied to many situations. However, its wisdom misses the mark in the context of treasure bindings.
Treasure bindings, also known as jeweled bindings, are a type of bookbinding where covers are adorned with lavish materials which can include gems, silver, gold, ivory, and enamel. This style emerged during the Middle Ages and typically heralded that the book’s interior contained important and precious text along with beautiful miniature illustrations. Thus, the exterior adornment was appropriate veneration. These books were meant to be displayed not by their spines, but by their covers.
‘Berthold Sacramentary’
In the Middle Ages, treasure bindings were status symbols representing an owner’s wealth—even plain books were a luxury. In this period, every part of the laborious bookmaking process was done by hand, from creating the vellum pages to copying the text to making the binding. Many medieval manuscripts—intrinsically fragile—have not survived to the present day. Extant treasure bindings are an even greater rarity, since historically their precious materials were often plundered and repurposed.
The 13th-century “Berthold Sacramentary,” part of The Morgan Library & Museum’s renowned collection of medieval illuminated manuscripts, is the most luxurious surviving German manuscript of its period and is considered one of Romanesque art’s masterpieces. It features the texts used for the celebrant of high Mass and is named for the cleric who commissioned it: Berthold, the abbot of Weingarten.
During his tenure, Berthold focused on the production of exceptional cultural objects to reinforce his abbey’s reputation as an internationally renowned religious institution. A devastating fire in 1215 reinforced Berthold’s determination, and he commissioned a new set of illuminated liturgical books, which include what is now called the “Berthold Sacramentary.”
The practice of creating gold-tooled Moroccan leather bindings (the technique of applying gold leaf to vegetable-tanned goatskin leather) for printed volumes flourished at the 18th-century court of Versailles. Although these bindings are not bejeweled like their medieval predecessors, they continued to be viewed as status symbols and are reflective of their owner’s excellent aesthetic taste. Exceptional and important examples that were created for royals and those of their closest circle are prized today.
One of the greatest modern-day collectors of 18th-century French art was the late philanthropist Jayne Wrightsman. As Christie’s specialist William Strafford explained on The AD Aesthete podcast, “Very often, as for so many collectors of the 18th century, it’s the fascination with provenance, who was it commissioned for. … I think her book collecting was another way to enter those worlds that she was collecting through her paintings and furniture. … They were miniature pieces of history.”
An interest in and pursuit of significant and rare examples formed a critical part of her distinguished collection, which is a testament to the artistic and historical importance of bookbindings. Wrightsman donated a large portion of this subcollection to museums, with The Metropolitan Museum of Art being a notable beneficiary.
Among the books gifted to The Met are ones formerly in the libraries of King Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour, and Marie Antoinette. A King Louis XV example is bound in red Moroccan leather with gold-tooled decorative elements. The borders contain fleurons, stylized flower or leaf motifs, which in this case are acanthus leaves and olive branches. The corner pieces, decorative designs at the corners of a binding, show fleurs-de-lis, a symbol of the French monarchy.
Sangorski & Sutcliffe
Bindings akin to medieval examples encrusted with jewels experienced a revival during the Arts and Crafts movement. This artistic movement looked to the Middle Ages for inspiration and rejected cheap mass manufacturing and printing. One standout bookbinding firm that adhered to these principles of craftsmanship, beauty, and creativity was Sangorski & Sutcliffe, founded in London in 1901 and still in business today.
Sangorski & Sutcliffe’s treasure bindings, like their historic predecessors, are collected today by prominent institutions and private collectors. A binding now part of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Library of the text “Wine, Women, and Song” is a rare example of the firm’s early output. It features Moroccan leather with gold stipple (a surface marked with numerous small dots), intricate foliate motifs, and embedded amethysts that represent grapes, befitting the book’s subject matter.
Sangorski & Sutcliffe’s most famous creation began its life in 1909, when the firm was commissioned to create a unique binding of the “Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám,” a famous book of English translated Persian poetry. This binding, known as “The Great Omar,” took two years to complete. The front cover was decorated with three gilded peacocks complete with jeweled feathers set within tooled borders of vines. In total, the entire book showcased 1,050 gems, including topazes, emeralds, and rubies and abundant amounts of gold leaf. It magnificently lived up to the designer’s and patron’s intention that it be the finest modern bookbinding.
Alas, this copy is only known from photographs. In April 1912, it was on its way to America and just missed its intended passage. Instead, it boarded a subsequent vessel, the Titanic. The book seemingly went down with the ship and is presumed to lie within its wreckage. In the 1930s, a second version of the binding was made by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. At the start of World War II, it was placed in a London vault for safekeeping during the Blitz. However, its location was heavily bombed and the book, despite its protective coverings, was greatly damaged: its leather melted and its pages burnt. In 1945, a third version was begun by the firm, utilizing a number of intact jewels from the ruined second version, and this work continued into the 1980s. This copy now resides in the British Library. Access is highly restricted and, hopefully, it will remain safe evermore.
The aesthetic experience of paging through paperback or hardcover, or especially a digital book, pales in comparison to these treasure bindings. Unfortunately, it would be difficult today to recreate these objects as the craftsmanship required has become endangered. The reverence, labor, and funds lavished on these magnificent bindings, however, continue to emphasize for the modern viewer the power and importance of the written word.
