Sale Price:
£620.00
Original Price:
£680.00
1850 Owen Jones Edtn With Brunel Provenance
BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER
By Church of England
KEY DETAILS
Condition: Good
Format: Hardcover, Octavo (Standard) (8vo 6 × 9 in 152 × 229 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Published By: John Murray, London, 1850
Language: English
Signed By: Isambard Brunel's Son
Illustrated By: Owen Jones
Collation: xl, 484 pp., with eight chromolithographic general and divisional title-pages, coloured borders, initials, vignettes and numerous illustrations throughout.
Dust Jacket: None, as issued, No Jacket
SKU: BTETM0002356
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
DESCRIPTION
Book of Common Prayer
and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, according to the Use of the United Church of England and Ireland. With Notes and Illustrations
An important and visually striking Victorian edition of the Book of Common Prayer, published by John Murray in 1850 and lavishly decorated by the celebrated architect and designer Owen Jones.
The 1850 issue reproduces the celebrated design first published by Murray in 1845 and is one of the notable achievements of early Victorian colour printing. The text is richly ornamented throughout with coloured borders, initials and vignettes, together with eight chromolithographic general and divisional title-pages. The illustrations include designs and adaptations after Old Masters and contemporary artists, with material drawn by George Scharf and engraved by Samuel Williams. Printed by Vizetelly Brothers & Co.
Of particular interest is the strong Brunel-family provenance. The volume bears the engraved bookplate of Isambard Brunel (1837–1902), eldest son of the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, together with an apparent ownership signature “I. Brunel” to the front endpaper. A further contemporary inscription records:
“Isambard Brunel / Left him by / Sarah Fox Wilder / October 31st / 1871.”
Sarah Fox Wilder, née Hawes (1830–1871), was the daughter of Sophia Macnamara Hawes, née Brunel, sister of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, making Sarah I.K. Brunel's niece and a first cousin of Isambard Brunel (1837–1902).
Also mounted at the front is an autograph letter signed “E. Woodfall”, dated 25 January 1862 and addressed to Mrs Wilder. An early manuscript note identifies the writer as the daughter of the printer of the Letters of Junius. This attribution is consistent with Elizabeth Woodfall (1768–1862), daughter of Henry Sampson Woodfall, the celebrated printer associated with Junius, who lived for many years at Dean's Yard, Westminster. The letter refers to her willingness to write her name in Mrs Wilder's Prayer Book. No Elizabeth Woodfall inscription has been located in the present volume, and the letter is therefore offered as associated Wilder-family provenance rather than as proof that it refers specifically to this copy.
The volume retains its highly decorative original-style full calf binding, with deeply embossed ecclesiastical ornament and central cross motifs. The binder's ticket reads “BOUND BY EDMONDS & REMNANTS.” This London firm, also known as Remnant & Edmonds, was particularly associated with elaborate mechanically embossed Victorian bindings.
CONDITION, COLLATION & COPY NOTES
A visually impressive and historically interesting association copy in its elaborate embossed calf binding by Edmonds & Remnants.
Binding rubbed and scuffed overall, with significant surface wear and areas of leather loss at the extremities, corners and joints consistent with age and use. Spine with six raised bands and gilt-lettered title label. The deeply embossed ecclesiastical decoration to both boards remains strong and clearly defined.
Front inner hinge structurally weak/broken, with sewing structure exposed in places. Front endpapers and preliminary material loose or partially detached, with some individual leaves loose but present. The binding would benefit from sympathetic conservation rather than rebinding.
Internally with scattered foxing, age-toning and occasional staining or handling marks. Occasional minor edge or marginal tears. The extensive colour decoration remains notably bright and attractive.
Provenance comprises the engraved Isambard Brunel bookplate with the motto “EN AVANT”; an apparent ownership signature “I. Brunel”; the manuscript inheritance inscription recording the volume as left to him by Sarah Fox Wilder on 31 October 1871; and the mounted 1862 letter signed “E. Woodfall” addressed to Mrs Wilder.
Assuming final physical collation confirms the pagination, the volume is complete, with preliminaries, main text, all eight chromolithographic general/divisional title-pages and the principal illustrated material present.
A particularly appealing example of Owen Jones's Victorian book design, considerably enhanced by documented Brunel-family provenance and associated nineteenth-century correspondence.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
REFERENCES
Griffiths, The Bibliography of the Book of Common Prayer, 1850/26
McLean, Victorian Book Design and Colour Printing, pp. 88–90
Getty Research Institute / Internet Archive, digitised 1850 copy
Cambridge University Library, Rare Books Provenance Index: Brunel, Isambard (1837–1902)
British Museum, Remnant & Edmonds / Edmonds & Remnants
Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth Woodfall
Trinity College Cambridge Archives, Brunel-Hawes-Wilder family records
SYNOPSIS
The Book of Common Prayer provides the forms of worship, sacraments and principal rites of the Church of England, combining public liturgy with private devotion. Its language and structure exerted an enormous influence on English worship, literature and culture.
This 1850 John Murray edition transforms the familiar liturgical text into an elaborate work of Victorian decorative art. Owen Jones surrounds the text with continually changing coloured borders, initials and ornaments, while chromolithographic sectional titles and illustrations derived from major works of religious art give the book exceptional visual richness.
As an object, this copy additionally documents the interconnected Brunel and Hawes families through the ownership of Isambard Brunel, eldest son of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and the recorded bequest from his cousin Sarah Fox Wilder.
AUTHOR BIO
The Book of Common Prayer is the historic liturgical book of the Church of England and one of the most influential works in the history of English religious literature. Its services encompass Morning and Evening Prayer, Holy Communion, baptism, matrimony, burial, the Litany, collects, readings, the Psalter and other rites and offices of the Anglican Church.
By the nineteenth century the Prayer Book had also become an important vehicle for fine printing, illustration and decorative binding. John Murray's Owen Jones edition represents one of the most ambitious Victorian attempts to unite the traditional Anglican text with contemporary developments in colour printing and ornamental design.
ILLUSTRATOR
Owen Jones
Owen Jones; George Scharf; Samuel Williams; John Callcott Horsley; Henry Warren; after various Old Master and contemporary artists
Owen Jones (1809–1874) was one of the leading British designers, architects and theorists of ornament of the nineteenth century. A pioneer in the sophisticated use of colour printing and chromolithography, he later became internationally known for The Grammar of Ornament (1856). His work for John Murray's illuminated Book of Common Prayer is regarded as an important example of Victorian commercial book design, combining historical ornament, colour theory and modern printing technology.
1850 Owen Jones Edtn With Brunel Provenance
BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER
By Church of England
KEY DETAILS
Condition: Good
Format: Hardcover, Octavo (Standard) (8vo 6 × 9 in 152 × 229 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Published By: John Murray, London, 1850
Language: English
Signed By: Isambard Brunel's Son
Illustrated By: Owen Jones
Collation: xl, 484 pp., with eight chromolithographic general and divisional title-pages, coloured borders, initials, vignettes and numerous illustrations throughout.
Dust Jacket: None, as issued, No Jacket
SKU: BTETM0002356
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
DESCRIPTION
Book of Common Prayer
and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, according to the Use of the United Church of England and Ireland. With Notes and Illustrations
An important and visually striking Victorian edition of the Book of Common Prayer, published by John Murray in 1850 and lavishly decorated by the celebrated architect and designer Owen Jones.
The 1850 issue reproduces the celebrated design first published by Murray in 1845 and is one of the notable achievements of early Victorian colour printing. The text is richly ornamented throughout with coloured borders, initials and vignettes, together with eight chromolithographic general and divisional title-pages. The illustrations include designs and adaptations after Old Masters and contemporary artists, with material drawn by George Scharf and engraved by Samuel Williams. Printed by Vizetelly Brothers & Co.
Of particular interest is the strong Brunel-family provenance. The volume bears the engraved bookplate of Isambard Brunel (1837–1902), eldest son of the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, together with an apparent ownership signature “I. Brunel” to the front endpaper. A further contemporary inscription records:
“Isambard Brunel / Left him by / Sarah Fox Wilder / October 31st / 1871.”
Sarah Fox Wilder, née Hawes (1830–1871), was the daughter of Sophia Macnamara Hawes, née Brunel, sister of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, making Sarah I.K. Brunel's niece and a first cousin of Isambard Brunel (1837–1902).
Also mounted at the front is an autograph letter signed “E. Woodfall”, dated 25 January 1862 and addressed to Mrs Wilder. An early manuscript note identifies the writer as the daughter of the printer of the Letters of Junius. This attribution is consistent with Elizabeth Woodfall (1768–1862), daughter of Henry Sampson Woodfall, the celebrated printer associated with Junius, who lived for many years at Dean's Yard, Westminster. The letter refers to her willingness to write her name in Mrs Wilder's Prayer Book. No Elizabeth Woodfall inscription has been located in the present volume, and the letter is therefore offered as associated Wilder-family provenance rather than as proof that it refers specifically to this copy.
The volume retains its highly decorative original-style full calf binding, with deeply embossed ecclesiastical ornament and central cross motifs. The binder's ticket reads “BOUND BY EDMONDS & REMNANTS.” This London firm, also known as Remnant & Edmonds, was particularly associated with elaborate mechanically embossed Victorian bindings.
CONDITION, COLLATION & COPY NOTES
A visually impressive and historically interesting association copy in its elaborate embossed calf binding by Edmonds & Remnants.
Binding rubbed and scuffed overall, with significant surface wear and areas of leather loss at the extremities, corners and joints consistent with age and use. Spine with six raised bands and gilt-lettered title label. The deeply embossed ecclesiastical decoration to both boards remains strong and clearly defined.
Front inner hinge structurally weak/broken, with sewing structure exposed in places. Front endpapers and preliminary material loose or partially detached, with some individual leaves loose but present. The binding would benefit from sympathetic conservation rather than rebinding.
Internally with scattered foxing, age-toning and occasional staining or handling marks. Occasional minor edge or marginal tears. The extensive colour decoration remains notably bright and attractive.
Provenance comprises the engraved Isambard Brunel bookplate with the motto “EN AVANT”; an apparent ownership signature “I. Brunel”; the manuscript inheritance inscription recording the volume as left to him by Sarah Fox Wilder on 31 October 1871; and the mounted 1862 letter signed “E. Woodfall” addressed to Mrs Wilder.
Assuming final physical collation confirms the pagination, the volume is complete, with preliminaries, main text, all eight chromolithographic general/divisional title-pages and the principal illustrated material present.
A particularly appealing example of Owen Jones's Victorian book design, considerably enhanced by documented Brunel-family provenance and associated nineteenth-century correspondence.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
REFERENCES
Griffiths, The Bibliography of the Book of Common Prayer, 1850/26
McLean, Victorian Book Design and Colour Printing, pp. 88–90
Getty Research Institute / Internet Archive, digitised 1850 copy
Cambridge University Library, Rare Books Provenance Index: Brunel, Isambard (1837–1902)
British Museum, Remnant & Edmonds / Edmonds & Remnants
Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth Woodfall
Trinity College Cambridge Archives, Brunel-Hawes-Wilder family records
SYNOPSIS
The Book of Common Prayer provides the forms of worship, sacraments and principal rites of the Church of England, combining public liturgy with private devotion. Its language and structure exerted an enormous influence on English worship, literature and culture.
This 1850 John Murray edition transforms the familiar liturgical text into an elaborate work of Victorian decorative art. Owen Jones surrounds the text with continually changing coloured borders, initials and ornaments, while chromolithographic sectional titles and illustrations derived from major works of religious art give the book exceptional visual richness.
As an object, this copy additionally documents the interconnected Brunel and Hawes families through the ownership of Isambard Brunel, eldest son of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and the recorded bequest from his cousin Sarah Fox Wilder.
AUTHOR BIO
The Book of Common Prayer is the historic liturgical book of the Church of England and one of the most influential works in the history of English religious literature. Its services encompass Morning and Evening Prayer, Holy Communion, baptism, matrimony, burial, the Litany, collects, readings, the Psalter and other rites and offices of the Anglican Church.
By the nineteenth century the Prayer Book had also become an important vehicle for fine printing, illustration and decorative binding. John Murray's Owen Jones edition represents one of the most ambitious Victorian attempts to unite the traditional Anglican text with contemporary developments in colour printing and ornamental design.
ILLUSTRATOR
Owen Jones
Owen Jones; George Scharf; Samuel Williams; John Callcott Horsley; Henry Warren; after various Old Master and contemporary artists
Owen Jones (1809–1874) was one of the leading British designers, architects and theorists of ornament of the nineteenth century. A pioneer in the sophisticated use of colour printing and chromolithography, he later became internationally known for The Grammar of Ornament (1856). His work for John Murray's illuminated Book of Common Prayer is regarded as an important example of Victorian commercial book design, combining historical ornament, colour theory and modern printing technology.
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