An Essay in the History of Gold-Tooled
Bindings by Herbert P. Horne
London 1894
had been brought into use at Venice. I t appears to have been first employed here, in the
workshops of Thomas Berthelet, the king's Printer and Stationer, who dwelt' nere to the condite
at the sign of Lucrece,' in Fleet Street. He was the second after Pynson, who had the honor of
being made king's Printer: and his patent granting him an annual fee of 41 sterling, in that
office, is dated 22nd February, 1530. In Brewer's State Papers of Henry VIII., several documents
are to be found calendared, which relate to books bound for the king, by Berthelet: but of such
evidences, the most important is a bill of his, for proclamations printed, books bound, and
stationery supplied to the king's use, during the years, 1541, 1542, and 1543. Attached to the
bill, which is in the form of a paper book of twelve leaves, is a warrant under the sign manual of
Henry VIIL, addressed to Sir Edward North, the treasurer of the Court of Augmentations,
directing payment to be made to Berthelet of' the Somme of one hundred Seventene poundes
sixe pence and one halfpenny sterling,' the amount of the bill. The original document, which has
been printed by Mr. Arber in his transcript of the Register of the Stationers' Company [London,
1875, vol. ii. p. 50.] is now preserved among the Additional Manuscripts in the British Museum
[No. 28, 196.].
The designs on the gold-tooled bindings of Thomas Berthelet, were avowedly imitated from the
various styles then in vogue throughout Italy: and in this bill, we find books described as being'
bounde after the Italian fascion,' or ' after the fascion of Venice.' Others are mentioned as being,
bound in crymosyn satyne,' 'covered with black velvet,' or' gorgeously bound and gilt on the
leather.' One entry I will give at length as a specimen of the rest: 'Item delyvered vnto the
Kinges highnes, the xv day of January a New Testament in latyne and a psalter englisshe &
latyne bounde backe to backe in white leather gorgiously gilted on the Leather: the books came
to the byndying and arabaske drawyng in gold on the transfile, iiijs. Summa vjs.' None of the
books described in this bill, have as yet been identified with any volume remaining out of Henry
VIII.'s collection: but a copy of Sir Thomas Elyot's Image of Governance, printed by Berthelet in
1541, and retaining its original binding, is preserved among the books of the Old Royal
Collection [C. 21. b. 7.]. The binding of this book, which answers to that of the New Testament
and Psalter, described in the foregoing passage, was, in all probability, executed by Berthelet
for the king. I t is covered in white leather, probably doeskin, and richly tooled in gold with
arabesques, surrounded by a border with flowered pieces at the angles; and each cover bears
the initials H. R., with the legend DIEV ET MON DROIT: