Some skilful artists produce in leather not only the relief, but the turned over edges of petals, etc., and treat twisted ribbons in open-work; the result, though pleasing, is essentially evanescent, owing to the extreme fragility of the detached portions of the leather.
Of all the uses to which leather work may be applied, none offer greater scope to the inspiration of the artist than bookbinding. It has become the fashion not only to provide a more or less rich covering for a beautiful edition, but to suggest in its design the nature of the contents of the volume, should these lend themselves to such treatment. The artist, however, will do well to practise this principle with due restraint, avoiding, on the one hand, what may be called anecdotal design, and, on the other, an over subtle symbolism.
Leather coffers, when well executed, constitute veritable works of art. They present considerable difficulties in
the mounting of the leather over the wooden coffer so that the lines of the ornament come exactly in the right place. It is necessary that the lines forming the framework of the design should accurately correspond with the dimensions of the coffer to be covered. A coffer usually consists of a box with a hinged lid; the measure is taken by laying the leather round the whole; the leather is then cut, leaving a small surplus at the edges to be pared and folded over at the sides. The join should be arranged for at the lower border and not at the intersection of the lid and the box. The leather at this point is better left to be cut after it has been stuck on the wood in mounting.
When the leather is decorated in mosaic and consists of panels each enclosed within a patterned border, the probability of its stretching when it is fixed on the wood, must be taken into consideration; Cape morocco, however, if fairly thick will hardly stretch perceptibly.
During the process of outlining the design, which is done before mounting the leather on the wood, it should be stretched to its full extent on a flat board.
When the decoration is in relief, the padding should be very firm, so as to counteract the tendency to stretch during the process of mounting.
Generally speaking, designs based on naturalistic flowers do not give the most satisfactory effects in the decoration of coffers, since the style is not suited to the restricted size of the panels, even when the design ignores them and extends beyond. Designs in the modern style, or Gothic designs in the style of the fifteenth century, or those based on the Arabic decoration of the best period, are much to be preferred; in the last two styles punches used with a hammer will greatly assist in lowering the groundwork, so that the design stands out in relief without the necessity of stuffing it, as in embossed work. By introducing gouache or bronzes into the impressions made with the punches, rich effects of colour can be produced.
