Icilio Federico Joni "Dantes" Panel Book Bindings, Imitating Fifteenth-Century Sienese tavolette di Biccherna Book Covers

No place (Italy), no date (Circa late 19th-early 20th C.) Book. Very Good. Hardcover. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. Icilio Federico Joni (1866-1946) was an Italian artist and trained antiquities restorer who quickly became a forger. His hand-painted and gilded book covers, in imitation of fifteenth-century tavolette di Biccherna book covers, are today widely collected and treasured for their beauty and skill. 12 1/2" h x 10 1/2" w, with embossed leather spine, Very Good, wear and some tearing to leather, boards appropriately distressed with some chipping at raised boarders. The front panel features the famous image of Dante with a book in hand, and bears the painted title "Dantes". The rear panel bears a painted emblem. The interior is covered in paneled silk with a patterned cloth inside the covers.( see Beinecke Library, Yale University (GEN MSS 1452). . (Inventory #: 010396)