Book of Common Prayer, The

Oxford: Printed by W. Jackson and A. Hamilton, 1790. The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden
A Superb Fore-Edge Painting by the 'Double-Line Painter'

FORE-EDGE PAINTING. DOUBLE-LINE PAINTER, artist. BIBLE IN ENGLISH. The Book of Common Prayer, And Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, According to the Use of The Church of England: Together with the Psalter or Psalms of David… Oxford: Printed by W. Jackson and A. Hamilton, 1790.

With a very fine early twentieth century fore-edge painting by the "Double-Line Painter" depicting the Expulsion of Adam & Eve from the Garden (truncated) of Eden.

Large quarto (11 1/2 x 9 1/8 inches; 292 x 231 mm.). 206 un-numbered leaves (including title-page). Some occasional and very minor toning, otherwise near fine.

Full contemporary dark blue straight-grain morocco, covers panelled in gilt with gilt corner fleurons. Smooth spine elaborately ruled, decorated and lettered in gilt in compartments, decorative gilt board-edges and turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Silk ties missing otherwise near fine. Housed in an early twentieth century fleece-lined, blue cloth slipcase, spine lettered in gilt.

Ink notation on front blank "Eugene Field/Chicago, Dec. 6th. 1893". Ink notation on verso of rear blank leaf: This book came from the library/of my father, Eugene Field./Nov 9-1931/ Eugene Field II."

The "Double-Line Painter" was an English artist, name unknown, possibly active in the 1920s. The most identifiable feature of this artist's work is the label for the painting. The artist labels his own paintings on the the front fly-leaf. If you look carefully you will see a neat light penciled double-line above and below the written title (like an architect would do). The painting title itself is also neatly written in tiny letters. This artist is highly skilled painter with high productivity." (Jeff Weber. Annotated Dictionary of Fore-Edge Painting Artists & Binders, pp. 95-96). Jeff Weber cites eight example of the "Double-Line" artist in his book on pp. 96-97.

Provenance: Eugene Field Sr. 1893; Eugene Field II, 1931; Swann Galleries, April 18th, 1991, lot 79 - Randall Moscovitz, (Inventory #: 05158)