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Tapley

Title

Subject

bookbinding proposal

Description

Design draws upon late eighteenth-century Rococo patterns as well as the world-wide pan-historical tradition of making jeweled bindings for spiritual texts. Exuberant lines incorporate references to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Crucifixion, and the Trinity and are also meant to suggest growth and renewal. Flyleaves (visible through the grill work of the boards) include an abstracted thorn bush pattern to be digitally printed using archival carbon pigment inks on .5 mm thick Hewit undyed calfskin. Boards of hand forged Argentium sterling silver 1/8" square wire mounted with synthetic rubies set in sterling bezels, all fixed connections silver soldered, with sterling silver tube hinges connecting the covers to the binding spine. Spine strip will be made of blackened Argentium sterling silver with the title laser etched into the metal revealing untarnished silver. Text will be disbound, then attached to binding using ruby-headed bolts screwed through spine strip and into threaded inserts counter sunk into the hardwood spine form.

Creator

Publisher

Bridwell Library Special Collections

Date

Rights

This work is protected by copyright law. No commercial reproduction or distribution is permitted. This file may be used for educational uses only, provided it is not altered in any way, and the copyright line is cited. (Bridwell Library Special Collections, SMU).

Format

Displayed as .jpg

Language

Type

Book

Collection

The 6th DeGolyer Competition

Citation

Tapley, James, “Tapley,” Bridwell Library Special Collections Exhibitions, accessed May 19, 2026, https://bridwell.omeka.net/items/show/2244.