Accession number
PML 751
Creator
Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400.
Object title
The Canterbury Tales.
Published
[London] : Richard Pynson, [between June 1491 and 13 November 1492]
Description
[324] leaves : illustrations (woodcuts) ; 30 cm (fol.)
Credit line
Purchased with the Bennett collection, 1902.
Notes
Title from ISTC.
City and date from ISTC. Pynson's device, leaf K5v.
Printed in Pynson's types 1:120G and 2:101G.
On the date, see BMC.
Signatures: a-v, aa-kk⁸ ll⁶; A-I⁸ K⁶: 324 leaves, leaf K6 blank.
Paper format: Chancery folio.
47 woodcuts from 21 blocks illustrating the riders, derived from Caxton's 2nd edition.
PML copy leaf dimensions: 29 x 20 cm.
PML copy missing 2 leaves: a1 (Pynson's prologue), replaced in facsimile, and K6 (blank). Leaves a2-b8, q4, hh7, D7 (remargined) and G1 (remargined) from former PML 750/ChL 1832 (deaccessioned 1970), a slightly smaller copy (28.8 x 19.8) with gilt and gauffered edges (see note in PML Bennett catalogue).
City and date from ISTC. Pynson's device, leaf K5v.
Printed in Pynson's types 1:120G and 2:101G.
On the date, see BMC.
Signatures: a-v, aa-kk⁸ ll⁶; A-I⁸ K⁶: 324 leaves, leaf K6 blank.
Paper format: Chancery folio.
47 woodcuts from 21 blocks illustrating the riders, derived from Caxton's 2nd edition.
PML copy leaf dimensions: 29 x 20 cm.
PML copy missing 2 leaves: a1 (Pynson's prologue), replaced in facsimile, and K6 (blank). Leaves a2-b8, q4, hh7, D7 (remargined) and G1 (remargined) from former PML 750/ChL 1832 (deaccessioned 1970), a slightly smaller copy (28.8 x 19.8) with gilt and gauffered edges (see note in PML Bennett catalogue).
Binding
Modern full green goatskin, gilt-tooled in a retrospective style, over paper boards (30 x 21.5 cm), sewn on 5 supports by Riviere & Son for Bennett. Marbled paper pastedowns and endleaves, with plain paper endleaves; decorative endbands; gilt edges.
Inscriptions/Markings
Hand decoration: Rubrication unrealized. Annotations: No marginal notations in text.
Provenance
[Thomas Grenville (1755-1846), note in PML Bennett catalogue suggests copy sold at Sotheby's, "Collection of Valuable Books," 2 Feb. 1898 to Leighton, but Bennett already had this copy at that time]; Richard Bennett (1849-1930), armorial bookplate (front pastedown) and bibliographical notes: No. 121, 30/3/96 and price code: wrl/-/-, Binding: oo/wm/-, Fac.: w/wm/- (front endleaf 1 verso); Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), purchased with the Bennett collection, 1902.
Classification
Catalog link
Century
Department