New-York tribune., 1886-05-16
AN ARTISTIC INDUSTRY.

The establishment of any remuneratlye ana
useful industry is surely more laudaDlc work
than the giving of thousands to support the IN
dolent and thriftless. Such work was that Df
Jean Groler in the sixteenth century. On his
return to Paris as Ambassador from Italy he
brought a few artistic workmen from tkat coun-
try and literally gave of his wealth and ability
TO the promotion of fine bookbindng in France.
As the result of his patronage Paris, in an
artistic sense at least, has kept the lead in that
industry to this day. The enhanced value
which "a Groler or other fine binding lmparts to
a book worthy of its covering is little under
stood by the general public. The object OF the
Crolier Club in this city is to cultivate public
taste for all the arts pertaining to fine book-
making. BY exhibitions, lectures and book
talks it has already done much to instruct even
those who were considered c0nnoisseurs
A short time ago the Grolier Club exhibited
large collection of old artistic bindings, and
many visitors were surprised at the number OF
original specimens of the sixteenth and sever
teenth centuries in the possession of few col
lectors in this city. The club has now on ex-
hibition samples of French, English and Ameri-
can bindings of this century. There are l 6S
binders. Here are notable examples OF book
orpamentation, the Grolier, Maiol and Eve, lie
Gascon and De Rome, worked by the best
modern binders. The specimens OF French
work fill five cases, the English two, and the
American two France, as we have said, has
al ways taken the lead in artistic binding, and
other than Partisan booklOvers have stoutIy
contended that no other country can approach
its excellence in the art In the past there have
been good grounds for this caim as English
patrons have not evnced the same gener-
Gus enthusiasm with French bibophiles and
"a Americans have shown but little faith in
the ability of their binders to produce any
thing creditable in so difficult an art But it is
4 long lane that has no turning 1t must be a
very difficult work that American ingenuity
cannot master We think that both In ollgl-
naity of design and exactness and quality OF
execution the Partisan binders Will have TO be
careful of their laurels
On another page mention is made OF lew oi
the exhibits in each national department OF
this Groier exhibition. The excellence OF a
well-finished or Ornamented binding consists
first in the beauty and appropriateness OF
design, symbols not being necessary adjunct !;
and, secondly, in the exactness, solldity and
brillancy of tooling. Rendering judgment on
the national collections in accordance with
these principles, we have no hesitation in pro-
nouncing the American samples second to none
in the exhibition. We believe that this excel
lence arises from two causes painstaklng care
on the part of the American binders, and care
lessness on the side of the French and English
binders While the American binder has been
striving to excel in this beautiful art, his
foreign rivals have been needless in the exccu-
ton of their orders for their American patrons,
assuming doubtless that very little is known in
this country respecting artistic Dookcovering'
and that inferior work could not be distin
guished here from good.