PAGE
TRANSLATOR’S NOTE[5]
INTRODUCTION
The Decoration of Leather in the Past[13]
CHAPTER I
Tools and Leather[15]
CHAPTER II
Methods of Working in Leather[19]
CHAPTER III
Leather Mosaic[42]
CHAPTER IV
Dyes, Patines and Gilding[64]
CHAPTER V
The Choice of Design and Colour[76]
APPENDIX
Leather Hangings and Furniture[80]
NOTE
Some Extracts from the Report of the Committee on Leather for Bookbinding, appointed by the Council of the Society of Arts, February, 1900[90]
Index[96]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT

Fig.PAGE
[1.]Tracing-point[20]
[2,] [3.]Incising knife used downwards like a pencil[21]
[4,] [5.]Incising knife used upwards[22]
[6,] [7.]Incising knife held like a graver and pushed forward[23]
[8.]Executing a slanting cut when the edge of the leather is to be subsequently turned up[24]
[9.]Opener[25]
[10.]Enlarging the outline with the opener[25]
[11.]Slanting cut[26]
[11a.]Showing the difficulty of raising the inner edge A[26]
[12.]Lowering the outer edge with a modeller[29]
[13.]Ball-shaped steel tool with handle[32]
[14.]Position of hands in embossing leather[32]
[15.]Tool for working reed decoration[34]
[16.]Using a hand punch[36]
[17.]Cutting-out knife[40]
[18.]Paring knife[43]
[19.]Paring knife[43]
[20.]Paring leather[44]
[21.]Cutting-out knife[46]
[22.]Cutting-out knife[46]
[23.]Cutting-out knife[46]
[24.]Cutting out inlay[48]
[25.]Using roller to secure adhesion of inlay[51]
[26.]First position of outlining tool[53]
[27.]Second position of outlining tool[53]
[28.]Gouge outliner[56]
[29.]Outlining wheel[56]
[30.]Gouge outliner[56]
[31.]Straight outliner[56]
[32.]Polishing mosaic[57]
[33,] [34.]Sticking inlay on morocco ground with tool (Fig. 33) instead of roller, to avoid crushing the grain[60]

FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATEPage
[1.]Blind-stamped leather binding of the Winchester Domesday Book. English, 12th century.([Frontispiece])
Society of Antiquaries, London.
[2.]Casket covered with stamped leather, cuir bouilli. German, 14th century.[22]
South Kensington Museum.
[3.]Coffret covered with leather, incised, coloured and gilt. French, 14th century.[24]
South Kensington Museum.
[4.]Casket covered with embossed leather, cuir bouilli. French, early 15th century.[28]
South Kensington Museum.
[5.]Case of cut and embossed leather, cuir bouilli. Italian, 15th century.[32]
South Kensington Museum.
[6.]Blind-stamped morocco binding with gilt roundels and coloured cameo design. Celsus. De Medicina. Venice, 1477. Italian, 15th century.[37]
British Museum.
[7.]Case of cut and punched leather. German, 15th century.[40]
South Kensington Museum.
[8.]Brown leather binding, cut and engraved, with punched background. German MS. Chronicle of Events. German, 15th century.[44]
Bodleian Library, Oxford.
[9.]Cover of case for a cup in wood covered with leather, cuir bouilli, cut, embossed, painted and gilt. Italian, about 1500.[49]
South Kensington Museum.
[10.]Cover of work-box of wood covered with embossed leather, cuir bouilli. German, 16th century.[56]
South Kensington Museum.
[11.]Powder-flask of wood covered with leather, cuir bouilli, cut and embossed. Italian, 16th century.[56]
South Kensington Museum.
[12.]Shield of cut and embossed leather, cuir bouilli. Italian, 16th century.[60]
South Kensington Museum.
[13.]Top of casket covered with brown calf, cut and slightly embossed. By Florence Hornblower. Modern English.[65]
South Kensington Museum.
[14.]Embossed and punched brown calf binding. Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Designed by Mary G. Houston. Modern English.[66]
South Kensington Museum.
[15.]Mirror case of punched black leather, cuir bouilli. Executed by Miss Casella. Modern English.[71]
South Kensington Museum.
[16.]Black morocco binding with applied panels of tooled, cut, painted and gilt calf. Le Roman de Tristan et Iseut. Designed by Robert Engels. Modern French.[74]
South Kensington Museum.
[17.]Binding of stained calf, cut, embossed, tooled and patinated. By Henri Godin. Modern French.[78]
South Kensington Museum.
[18.]Gold-tooled and inlaid morocco binding. The Letters of Princess Lieven. By S. T. Prideaux. Modern English.[82]
[19.]Back and seat of chair in cut, embossed and gilt cowhide with punched background. Executed by Rosalie Vigers from a design by Frederick Vigers. Modern English.[84]
[20.]Embossed calf binding. Book of Common Prayer. Executed by Rosalie Vigers from a design by Frederick Vigers. Modern English.[86]

INTRODUCTION