Coptic Binding, 7th or 8th Century - The Morgan Library & Museum

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	Coptic Binding, 7th or 8th Century Detached from: The Gospels, in Coptic Illuminated manuscript on vellum Egypt: Monastery of Holy Mary Mother of God, Perkethoout near Hamuli, the Fayum, 7th or 8th century Goatskin over papyrus boards; decorated with onlaid panels of red leather tracery sewn to a gilded leather ground, with plain edges MS M.569. Purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan, 1911 See CORSAIR catalog record for this item » This is the finest surviving Coptic bookbinding. Its decorative scheme is both elaborate and complicated. To a background panel of gilded leather was applied a tracery pattern cut from a single piece of red-dyed sheepskin or goatskin; the border bands contain strips of white vellum laced through parallel slits. This openwork pattern was then sewn to the gilded background, shining through the cutouts; to it were added colored circles, along with concentric circles of dark and light brown with a red leather central dot. It is possible that the decorative panels are considerably older than the binding itself, having been transferred from an earlier binding. About this department List of works Text only list Search images Order images

Collections | Printed Books & Bindings