Lot 206: JONI, Icilio Federico (b. 1865/6) -- Painted 'tavolette' book covers in Biccherna style.

JONI, Icilio Federico (b. 1865/6) -- Painted 'tavolette' book covers in Biccherna style. [Siena: late 19th century].

Each panel 387 x 283mm. Two wooden book covers joined by a leather spine, the front panel with 7 coat-of-arms and 8 lines of text, rear panel depicting the Archangel St. Michael carrying scales to weigh the souls of the dead on Judgement Day and triumphing over Satan, characteristic scroll-work borders and punched decoration to both covers, four bosses and 2 catchpieces on each panel (rubbed and scuffed, some cracking, most of which is almost certainly intentional.)

AN EXAMPLE OF THE WORK OF THE SELF-PROFESSED FORGER, ICILIO FEDERICO JONI. Joni was a Sienese painter and restorer who produced imitations of the wooden panel bindings (tavolette della biccherna) used to cover the accounts of Siena from the middle of the 13th to the end of the 17th centuries. While he sold a number of his imitations as medieval and Renaissance originals, he openly described his forgery work in his autobiography (Le Memorie di un pittore di Quadri Antichi, 1932, English trans. 1936). Joni bindings -- undetected -- have graced some of the greatest book collections, including those of Borghese, Hoe, and Wilmerding. Even recognised as imitations, they had great caché, as the commission by Lady Wantage for a binding in 1904 demonstrates. More than 14 examples of Joni's work are known. Somewhat curiously, the present binding is almost identical to one in the British Library (illustrated in Foot, op.cit.), where the Archangel St. Michael is on the front, not back, cover, and the shields bear different arms. See H.M. Nixon, 'Binding Forgeries,' Transactions of the VIth International Congress of Bibliophiles, 1969, Vienna: 1971, pp.69-83; and M. Foot, 'A Pair of Bookcovers of the late 19th Century by I.F. Joni, The Book Collector, 1985, pp.488-89.

This lot will be subject to VAT at the rate of 17.5% on the buyer's premium only.