Decorative edges: Difference between revisions
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== History of decorative edges == | == History of decorative edges == | ||
Decorative book edges are very popular today, but they are not a modern invention. In the Middle Ages, books were considered luxury items, and were very expensive. [[Illustrated book|The books]] were bound and decorated elaborately with expensive materials like gold and silver, and were filled with colorful illustrations and calligraphy.<ref>Minneapolis Institute of Art. “Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts.” ''Artsmia'', 2021, [https://new.artsmia.org/programs/teachers-and-students/teaching-the-arts/art-in-context/medieval-illuminated-manuscripts new.artsmia.org/programs/teachers-and-students/teaching-the-arts/art-in-context/medieval-illuminated-manuscripts].</ref> However, some of these decorations were also practical. Originally, sprayed edges (also known as "spredges"), were used to identify books. Instead of the title being on the [[spine]] of the book like it is today, it was painted onto the page side and books were stored on shelves with the page side out. | Decorative book edges are very popular today, but they are not a modern invention. In the Middle Ages, books were considered luxury items, and were very expensive. [[Illustrated book|The books]] were bound and decorated elaborately with expensive materials like gold and silver, and were filled with colorful illustrations and calligraphy.<ref>Minneapolis Institute of Art. “Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts.” ''Artsmia'', 2021, [https://new.artsmia.org/programs/teachers-and-students/teaching-the-arts/art-in-context/medieval-illuminated-manuscripts new.artsmia.org/programs/teachers-and-students/teaching-the-arts/art-in-context/medieval-illuminated-manuscripts].</ref> However, some of these decorations were also practical. Originally, sprayed edges (also known as "spredges"), were used to identify books. Instead of the title being on the [[spine]] of the book like it is today, it was painted onto the page side and books were stored on shelves with the page side out. Later in the 1500s, book titles began to be put on the spine instead. However, this did not stop scribes from adding embellishments onto the spine. Gilded pages, or edges painted with gold leaf, were popular for Bibles. Besides looking nice, gilded edges made books easier to wipe dust from.<ref>Whiteley, Imogen. “Essay: A History of the Sprayed Edge.” ''Faber'', 23 June 2025, [https://www.faber.co.uk/journal/essay-a-history-of-the-sprayed-edge/?srsltid=AfmBOoqv1lSJnpyu0OPGziMXHNkyFPBk7xR2N1nczDl-3Uy2eY7Mue76 www.faber.co.uk/journal/essay-a-history-of-the-sprayed-edge/?srsltid=AfmBOoqv1lSJnpyu0OPGziMXHNkyFPBk7xR2N1nczDl-3Uy2eY7Mue76]. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.</ref> | ||
In the sixteenth century, Cesare Vecellio, a Venetian painter, began to paint detailed scenes on book pages | |||
Revision as of 07:00, 5 December 2025
[1][page is still being edited] Decorative edges refers to book page edges that have been painted, cut, engraved, or otherwise embellished, usually for purely aesthetic purposes.
History of decorative edges
Decorative book edges are very popular today, but they are not a modern invention. In the Middle Ages, books were considered luxury items, and were very expensive. The books were bound and decorated elaborately with expensive materials like gold and silver, and were filled with colorful illustrations and calligraphy.[2] However, some of these decorations were also practical. Originally, sprayed edges (also known as "spredges"), were used to identify books. Instead of the title being on the spine of the book like it is today, it was painted onto the page side and books were stored on shelves with the page side out. Later in the 1500s, book titles began to be put on the spine instead. However, this did not stop scribes from adding embellishments onto the spine. Gilded pages, or edges painted with gold leaf, were popular for Bibles. Besides looking nice, gilded edges made books easier to wipe dust from.[3]
In the sixteenth century, Cesare Vecellio, a Venetian painter, began to paint detailed scenes on book pages
- ↑ Gustavson, Denise. "New Digital Print Paradigm." Printing Impressions, vol. 59, no. 7, 2016, pp. 24-24,26. ProQuest, http://libgateway.susqu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/new-digital-print-paradigm/docview/1917636710/se-2.
- ↑ Minneapolis Institute of Art. “Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts.” Artsmia, 2021, new.artsmia.org/programs/teachers-and-students/teaching-the-arts/art-in-context/medieval-illuminated-manuscripts.
- ↑ Whiteley, Imogen. “Essay: A History of the Sprayed Edge.” Faber, 23 June 2025, www.faber.co.uk/journal/essay-a-history-of-the-sprayed-edge/?srsltid=AfmBOoqv1lSJnpyu0OPGziMXHNkyFPBk7xR2N1nczDl-3Uy2eY7Mue76. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.
