Jewelled Binding.- Sangorski (Alberto, calligrapher and illuminator, 1862-1932).- Poe (Edgar Allan) Annabel Lee and Other Poems [To the River; Dream Land; The Sleeper; To One in Paradise; Fairy Land], illuminated manuscript in black, gold and colours on vellum, 33pp., illuminated frontispiece incorporating watercolour portrait of Poe within floral border with 2 putti at head and 2 fairies at foot, title in red and gold with miniature watercolour portrait of Annabel Lee within large gold initial "A" and floral border, 4 large full-page watercolours and 3 smaller illustrations, text written in black ink with 28 initials, most illuminated and with richly decorated full or half-borders in gold and colours, with colophon at end stating "...designed, written out, and illuminated by Alberto Sangorski...This manuscript will not be duplicated" and signed by him at foot, all mounted on stubs, ivory silk guards to leaves with watercolours, magnificently bound in turquoise morocco elaborately tooled in gilt and inlaid with 35 jewels, by Rivière & Son, upper cover with central sunken ovular panel of green morocco tooled with flowers and stars around a built-up onlay of an eagle with wings outspread in tooled brown and black morocco incorporating a small ruby as its eye, perched atop a raised oval panel of turquoise morocco containing the author's initials in gilt and framed in tan morocco, around the panel is a gilt-tooled floral pattern of yellow, red, green, blue and brown moroccos onlaid against a background of purple morocco, the whole within a strapwork border filled in with intricate flower and vine design amid dense pointillé in gilt and 10 red morocco onlays at intersections incorporating floral design made up of jewels (large amethyst at each corner and four seed pearls around a small ruby on the sides), lower cover with oval-shaped panel with floral pattern of gilt-tooled morocco onlays of red, purple and green around a central oval of turquoise morocco with titles of the poems in gilt and framed in tan morocco, all against a background of red morocco intricately tooled in gilt with flower and stem design and edged in black morocco, elaborate corner-pieces of inlaid dark blue morocco containing flower in yellow, turquoise and green, spine in six compartments with five raised bands, title and author in gilt in two compartments and date at foot, the others with floral design amid pointillé in gilt, doublures of beige morocco with interweaving floral and strapwork border of onlaid moroccos in red, green and brown and floral corner-pieces of red, white and blue, green watered silk flyleaves (slightly frayed at fore-edge), g.e., signed at foot of front turn-in, some very slight rubbing to bands on spine, with silk-lined dark green straight-grain morocco case with hinged lid and brass catches, spine titled in gilt, a little rubbed and scuffed at edges, 4to (c.260 x 210mm.), [c.1928].

⁂ A superb and unique work of art, displaying craftsmanship of the highest quality.

Alberto Sangorksi was the elder brother of Francis Sangorksi who established the famous bookbinding firm with partner George Sutcliffe. He worked for Sangorksi & Sutcliffe, who became known for their jewelled bindings, and also for Rivière & Son from 1910. He produced for both many such highly-decorated illuminated manuscripts, the most famous of which, "the Great Omar", was lost when the Titanic sank in 1912.