Lot 63: SANGORSKI, Alberto, calligrapher and illuminator (1862-1932). -- MOORE, Thomas (1779-1852). Paradise and the Peri . [London: 1909].

SANGORSKI, Alberto, calligrapher and illuminator (1862-1932). -- MOORE, Thomas (1779-1852). Paradise and the Peri. [London: 1909].

4o (269 x 210 x 16mm). ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, 16 leaves plus 3 blank vellum fly-leaves at front and one at end, 2 additional paper fly-leaves (28 decorated pages plus colophon page), written in an upright roman script in black with some initial words or letters in red, full-page frontispiece of a pair of angels amidst clouds against a gold, red, blue and mauve tiled background, above a landscape; the facing title-page with the title in red, incorporating a very large historiated initial P with a full page-border and a vignette of three angels at the foot; 6 other vignettes and large borders; a total of 19 gold initials with backgrounds and borders of various colors, some with extravagant foliage and ornamental decoration, other initials in red and blue.

A JEWELLED BINDING SET WITH AN OPAL, DIAMONDS AND RUBIES. Original royal blue levant morocco, covers with five gilt fillets and a gilt dotted border enclosing an inner border of gilt stippled dentelle, upper cover with a large shaped oval medallion of gilt stippled dentelle with onlaid red morocco circlets, around a square device of elaborately interwoven brown and green onlaid morocco strapwork with large knotted corners, THE CENTER SET WITH A SINGLE OPAL CABOCHON FLANKED BY FOUR OLD MINE-CUT DIAMONDS AND FOUR CIRCULAR-CUT RUBIES, all on a densely stippled gilt ground; spine in six compartments with five raised bands, gilt lettered in two, the others gilt stippled panels with small red circular onlay; board edges with single gilt fillet, turn-ins gilt ruled and gilt dotted, doublures and free endpages of ivory watered silk, all edges gilt, by SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE, stamp-signed as such on the upper turn-in (upper joint repaired, spine bands lightly rubbed); cloth folding box.

The colophon statement reads: "This manuscript, the poem of 'Paradise and the Peri' by Thomas Moore, was designed, written out, and illuminated by Alberto Sangorski, London anno domini nineteen hundred and nine."

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR