Who is the Mystery Pre-Cosway Binding Binder?

by Stephen J. Gertz

[COSWAY-STYLE BINDING]. Etrennes historiques,
 ou mélange curieux d'anecdotes Instructives & nécessaires
 sur les differens pays de l'univers...
Paris: Cailleau, 1775.

A binding of historical significance to the art & craft, in Cosway-style 130 years prior to J.H. Stonehouse, a director of the bookselling firm of Henry Sotheran, introducing Cosway bindings (in collaboration with binders Riviere & Son and artist "Miss Currie" and named after eighteenth century miniaturist Richard Cosway), has come to market.

It is bound in blond morocco with smooth spine decorated with small golden fleur de lis, with colored metal inlays surrounding a central engraved medallion composed of several landscape scenes in miniature and finely colored with gouache, all framed  in black morocco  adorned with carved and gilded iron with a thin transparent sheet of mica.

The binder is, alas, unknown but this anonymous visionary appears to have actually developed the Cosway-binding concept. I am aware are of only three other similar examples of these extremely scarce bindings, one of which is seen below:

[COSWAY-STYLE BINDING]. Exercice du Chrétien...

Saumur: De l'Imprimerie de Francois-Paschal-Jean-Marie de Gouy, 1774.

The above is in full contemporary vellum with elaborately gilt decorated red morocco to boards  and spine, inlaid with 20 colored metal disks within pierced roundels, and with the upper and lower boards each possessing three hand colored miniatures in gouache under original mica.

Both of these extravagant bindings, contemporaneous with the books' publication  and obviously for owners of means, appear to  have been wrought by the same unknown hand; the miniature paintings certainly were. The combination of  metal work and mica-covered miniatures is so unusual for late eighteenth century French (or any other nationality) binding that it is not unreasonable to conclude that each was produced in the same atelier. But whose?

Fast forward to the early twentieth century: It may be that J.H. Stonehouse came across one of these scarce bindings from the last quarter of the eighteenth century and, thus inspired, initiated the Cosway binding project.

Anyone with any further knowledge of these pre-Cosway-style bindings is encouraged to provide whatever information they possess. We thank you in advance.

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Image of Etrennes historiques... courtesy of Librairie Ancienne Denis, with our thanks.

Image of Exercice du Chrétien... courtesy of David Brass Rare Books, with our thanks.
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A Book Marketing Ploy Worthy of "Mad Men"

Let's say you're a bookseller with a pile of unsold—and seemingly unsaleable—biographies of an 18th century British portrait miniaturist. What do you do? "Accidentally" drop a match? Make a very unwelcome donation to your local library? Not if you're the clever London bookseller Henry Sotheran Ltd. Oh, no. In that case, you tart those books up with a fancy binding that includes a never-before-seen feature and watch them fly off the shelves.

In 1909, the Sotheran firm had remaindered copies of a book on artist Richard Cosway that they needed to unload. Some bright light at the firm hit upon the idea of having them bound in leather, and inserting a miniature portrait of Cosway in the cover (because Cosway painted miniatures—get it?). They were an immediate hit, and collectors demanded more. Thus did the "Cosway binding" come into being.

Sotherans employed a talented artist, Miss C. B. Currie (who also painted fore-edges), to paint miniature portraits on ivory of various authors. They engaged the Riviere firm to bind the books in their usual fine style, usually following designs by J. H. Stonehouse. The Riviere binding on Dickens' Pickwick Papers, pictured above has "Cosway Binding" and "Invented by J. H. Stonehouse" stamped in gilt on fore edges of boards. Some Cosway bindings have the portrait set into the front cover, as does the book on the left, below; most, like the book on the right, have the portrait set into the front doublure.

We know more or less for certain that Currie did at least 950 miniatures in her lifetime, as a Cosway binding that sold at Christie's on 12 July 2000 bore that number. She worked for Sotheran for some 30 years, until her death in 1940.


The popularity of Cosway bindings insured that there would be imitators, and there was none better than Riviere's great rival, Sangorski & Sutcliffe. These artisans often incorporated a Cosway style miniature in their dazzling jewelled bindinga, to great effect.


Rarely, if ever, in the history of marketing has a sales gimmick resulted in so many beautiful works of art. Don Draper would be proud--or jealous.

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All images courtesy of Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books & Manuscripts.
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