Easton Press, 1979. One of a kind copy of this ground breaking book by Charles Darwin. With a preface by Ashley Montagu and drawings by Fritz Kredel. Fore-edge painting by Melody Krafft. Genuine black leather binding with decorative gilt.
The fore-edge painting depicts the evolution of the horse. Five of the six evolutionary time periods are represented in this illustration of the horse: the Mesohippus 30 million years ago, the Merychippus 20 million years ago, the Pliohippus 14 million to 7 million years ago, and the Equus, the modern horse.
What are fore-edge paintings?
Fore-edge paintings are rare and found mainly in museums and in private collections. Painting a fore-edge requires patience, a keen eye, a steady hand, as mistakes cannot be corrected; and a willingness to keep alive a forgotten art form, and finally to bring some new life into it for the present day.
For an artist to create a fore-edge painting the pages are fanned. Then by clamping the fore-edge of a book, a surface is formed exposing the tiny edges of each page. A miniature watercolor painting is applied to these edges. An edge decoration, such as gold gilt, sometimes marbling, hides the painting. The fore-edge painting is only seen when the book is open and fanned. When closed the painting all but disappears, creating a phantom image.
The origins of fore-edge painting began in the 10th century. Monks who worked in monastery libraries identified books by painting on the closed edges. These “class-marks” and marbling of edges are today referred to as edge decoration. In the 17th century the fanning and painting on the edges began. The Lewis brothers are credited with the first fore-edge, signed in 1653 on a Bible.
For those who are interested in learning more about fore-edge paintings I recommend John Mitchell’s A Craftsman’s Guide to Edge Decoration, and Fore-Edge Paintings by Carl J. Weber. Coming soon a new book will be available on fore-edge paintings authored by Jeanne Bennett.
How can I purchase a fore-edge painting?
All of my fore-edge paintings are sold exclusively through Yeoman’s in the Fork, a rare bookstore located in historic Leiper’s Fork. Click here to view the exciting world of fore-edge paintings and how to have one of your own.