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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manycats, post: 2502016, member: 13761&quot;]I&#039;m not even sure this is a book - there appears to be very little space for pages between the thick covers. La Vita Nuova is the most likely text if it is, since that&#039;s Dante&#039;s work most involving Beatrice. </p><p><br /></p><p>If it is a binding, it&#039;s not done by a professional binder. It appears to be actual wood boards gessoed or plastered, then painted &amp; gilt. The spine seems to be a strip of leather literally tacked on, which no skilled binder would do, and the decoration, to my eye, looks more Spanish or Spanish Colonial than Italian Renaissance, but in clear imitation of something Florentine. </p><p><br /></p><p>The binding in Debora&#039;s picture has brass edges, which would not be untypical of a high-end renaissance binding. Here are some other bindings with wood covers held by the British Library:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/bookbindings/Results.aspx" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/bookbindings/Results.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/bookbindings/Results.aspx</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Not the easiest website to browse, but I entered the keyword &#039;wood&#039; in the CoverMaterials space.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m afraid the original book/object is a one-off unique item, and you&#039;re not going to find anything about it if you can&#039;t track down the original offer.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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