Beschreibung:

ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT] LOWELL, JAMES RUSSELL The Vision of Sir Launfal . Illuminated manuscript on vellum. Blue-black morocco, covers with gilt fillet, rules and onlaid red morocco gilt corner ornaments; smooth spine gilt lettered longitudinally in a panel; board edges with gilt fillet, turn-ins gilt tooled, white watered silk doublures, free endpages and loose interleaves, top edge gilt, the binding unsigned, matching blue-black quarter morocco gilt folding box. 9 1/16 x 6 3/16 inches (23 x 16 cm); 22 leaves, plus 2 blank flyleaves each at front and back, written on 41 pages, the poem occupying 18 lines per full page, written in a semi-gothic book hand in black and red, the title page in blue, green and violet with a three-line opening initial in gold incorporating a colored and gold three-quarter border, facing the opening page of the poem, with a tree in a landscape incorporating a colored and gilt vignette of "the musing organist," one oval miniature of Sir Launfal, framed in colored tracery, occupying a full page, tailpiece vignette and 2 pictorial headlines in colors and gold, verse capitals in alternating red, green and violet, some heightened with gold. The colophon reads "Designed written out and illuminated by [signed:] John H. Tearle. I certify that this copy differs in many respects to any other copy done by me." A fine example of an American calligraphic manuscript. The Paul Edward Chevalier copy, his sale at Christie's November 9 1990, . Tearle, born in England, was a Boston-area calligrapher, active 1900-1920, who contributed his calligraphy and illumination to a number of deluxe Arts and Crafts era publications. C