The Life of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, With the Lives of the Holy Apostles and Evangelists by Rev. John Fleetwood - 1850

Glasgow: James Lumsden & Son, 1850. Full leather. Very Good +. Theophilus Fragonard. The illumintated edition in its original incarnation. From the Publisher's Advertisement: "THE ILLUMINATED EDITION, now submitted to the Public, will be found to be one of the finest illustrated books that has yet appeared, and to far surpass any edition of Fleetwood ever published. The type chosen is a large, clear, legible type, technically called 'English' and the size of the book is Elongated Quarto. Each page is surrounded by an ILLUMINATED BORDER of the richest and most variegated description, interspersed with figures and picturesque decorations. Every chapter of the work is introduced by a VIGNETTE appropriate to the subject, and an Initial Letter, designed by THEOPHILUS FRAGONARD after the style of the Illuminated Manuscripts of the fifteenth century. The work is also Embellished with a series of LARGE ENGRAVINGS, executed by SLY & LINTON of London, from designs chiefly by the ancient Masters, in addition to the numerous other illustrations introduced in the letter-press, together with a highly finished Portrait of our Saviour, by D'Caisne, engraved by Watt". A lovely book, published c. 1850 (with an 1853 inscription at the front free endpaper to the former owner) and bound in a rich, full red leather, with wonderful, decorative gilt-bordering and design to the panels and fine gilt-tooling and titling along the spine. Just a touch of wear to the front outer hinge, light wear at the pastedowns and endpapers. Thick quarto, all edges gilt. Beautiful engraved illustrations and bordering thruout, and remarkable chapter openings by the great Fragonard. Appropriately sumptuous and exalted.