Kelmscott Press William Morris Original Illust. Page Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

Description: Kelmscott Press, William Morris. Original illustrated Page Works of Geoffrey Chaucer Kelmscott Press. Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Original final text page hand-printed in red and black, featuring a woodcut illustration by Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) with full floral borders. The page includes perhaps the single most important image in the entire volume, showing the book’s author, Geoffrey Chaucer, saying farewell to Poesis herself. The final words on the page, are printed in red using old English and read, “Heere is ended the book of the Tales of Caunterbury, compiled by Geffrey Chaucer, of whos soule Jhesu Crist have mercy. Amen.”This an original page from what is unquestionably the most important book of the most famous press of the nineteenth century private press movement. The Kelmscott Press was the final major project of William Morris (1834-1896), who founded the Arts and Crafts Movement as a pioneer in personally reviving diverse media, including stained glass, weaving, dying, tapestry, and embroidery, in addition to being a widely read poet, novelist, and translator, and in his later years, political activist. The Kelmscott Press began in 1891, and its Chaucer, published the year that Morris died, is its most acclaimed accomplishment, culminating Morris’s dedication to literature, design, and craft. In the words of a catalogue issued by the Spencer Art Museum (Patricia J. Fidler, Art with a Mission: Objects of the Arts and Crafts Movement, 1991, p. 77), ”The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer published in 1896 by the Kelmscott Press was the culmination of William Morris's vision for an ideal book... The Kelmscott Chaucer is often referred to as one of the most beautiful printed books in existence.” Or in the words of the University of Maryland Libraries, “The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer published in 1896 by the Kelmscott Press was the culmination of William Morris’s vision for an ideal book. It embodied his love of medieval literature and art, as well as his love of beauty. Its vast scope and magnificence inspired his friend and collaborator Edward Burne-Jones to compare it to a ‘pocket cathedral.’”This page is archivally framed using acid-free mat board and UV filtering plexiglass in a custom molding. The frame is ca. 21 ½ x 26 ½”, and the page itself ca. 11 ¼” x 16 ½”. Note: when we purchased it decades ago the page was already removed from the book, we did not break-up the volume and this is the only page we’ve ever had. Please reference photos for details, and ask questions before bidding. Item will be shipped by USPS Mail, US buyers only, do not ship internationally. Returns not accepted.

Price: 2950 USD

Location: Corning, New York

End Time: 2024-09-27T21:00:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD