English printers' ornaments / by Henry R. Plomer.

  • Henry Plomer
Date:
1924
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: English printers' ornaments / by Henry R. Plomer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    London printer. We are not surprised to find that his ornaments show no originality, and were either copies from those of London printers or were bought from them. The first printer in Cambridge was a foreigner, John Lair of Siberch or Siegburg, near Cologne, who called himself John Siberch. His first book, a speech of Doctor Henry Bullock’s printed in the early part of 1521, has no ornaments ; but in Cujusdam fidelis Christiani epistola, printed a month or two later, a couple of border-pieces, evidently from a Book of Hours, are seen on the title-page. Siberch also possessed some good initials and a border which will be dealt with in their proper places. His successors, Thomas Thomas and John Legat, would appear to have obtained their ornaments, excepting, of course, the block of the University arms, from London. At any rate they were all quite common in London books of the sixteenth century. The seventeenth century was a period of decline in the art of printing in England. During the first forty years woodcut ornaments are found in almost all books, and though woodcut borders to title-pages are sometimes met with, they gave place in the early part of the century to engraved title- pages of very elaborate character. The fleuron, worked up into borders, etc., retained its popularity. The Civil War, while it stimulated the printing of controversial tracts and news-sheets, killed all artistic effort. Some notable books, it is true, appeared during the Commonwealth, such as Dugdale’s Monasticoti Anglicanum, a handsome folio with engravings
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