Holy Bible with Fore Edge Painting of the Virgin and Child 1810

6B Containing Old and New Testaments. Beautiful Concealed Fore Edge painting of The Virgin and Child. Oxford: Printed at the Clarendon Press, by Dawson, Bensley, and Cooke, Printers to the University 1810.

Notes

The Holy Bible is one of the most influential texts in human history, shaping religious belief, moral philosophy, law, art, and literature for over two millennia. Comprising the Old Testament (shared with Judaism) and the New Testament(centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ), the Bible has been central to the development of Christianity, the world’s largest religion. Its translation into numerous languages—most notably the Latin Vulgate, the Gutenberg Bible, and the King James Version—made it increasingly accessible and helped fuel movements like the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the spread of literacy. Beyond its religious significance, the Bible has played a key role in historical debates on human rights, law, governance, and social justice, deeply embedding itself in the cultural and ethical foundations of many societies around the world.

Fore-edge paintings are a unique form of book art in which a scene, image, or decorative writing is painted on the edges of a book’s pages or in such a way that they reveal themselves when fanned out. This decorative technique became popular in Europe from the 17th century onward, particularly in England, and was often used to personalize or embellish prized books. Bibles sometimes featured landscape scenes, biblical narratives, or symbolic imagery on their fore-edges, allowing readers to see a visual representation of sacred stories or places while keeping the text itself intact. Subjects were chosen to evoke the worship of studying the Bible and biblical events enhancing devotional engagement and turning the Bible into not only a spiritual guide but also an object of aesthetic beauty and craftsmanship. In this Bible the painting is of the Virgin and Child with two angels swooping in which is revealed when the pages are fanned out. 

Description

Dark blue morocco with boards and spines decorated in gilt. Spine lettered in gilt. All edges gilt with superb fore edge painting of the Virgin and Child with two angels in the Renaissance style. Some rubbing to the spine and joints and bumping to corners. Internally very good with only slight toning and marking in places.