JEFF CLEMENTS, designer bookbinder. CRANACH PRESS. GILL, Eric. ~ Canticum Canticorum Salomonis, quod hebraice dicitur Sir Hasirim.
11 wood-engravings and 18 wood-engraved initials by Eric Gill. Jenson Antiqua type cut for the Press by E. Prince, printed in red and black throughout. One of 200 paper copies, out of a total edition of 268 numbered copies (this no.145) and editions French and German. Tall 8vo., bound in 1990 by Jeff Clements for Lord Wardington in a rich binding of geometric patterned deep brown, green, tan and orange/brown morocco with two tooled pale blue lines and an inlaid panel of vellum, top edge gilt, others uncut, housed in the original grey and blue cloth solander box with tan morocco and pale blue titled spine label. An extremely handsome book.
A superb copy bound for the collector Lord Wardington by Jeff Clements, with Wardington’s booklabel on the lower pastedown. Sold at the Wardington Library sale of 12th July 2006 at Sotheby’s, this was lot 257. Prior to commissioning the binding, Wardington had bought the book from Sotheby’s via Charles Traylen on 20th June, 198.5
Kessler seems to have got the very best out of Gill, with a darker mood and deeper intensity in his engravings than was usual for the artist. Some of this is achieved by the style of printing but much must have been due to Kessler's tight control of the production and strong influence over Gill's work for it. The partnership produced a truly remarkable work of sensual art.
Jeff Clements was born in 1934 in Plymouth, studying there before moving to the L.C.C. Central School of Art and Crafts. He taught at several colleges, later becoming head of the faculty of Art and Design at the University of the West of England. He was President of the Designer Bookbinders 1981 and 1983 and moved to live in Holland producing only a few bindings a year for personal expression and relaxation. His designs are very bold and sure with a strong appreciation of the dramatic use of colour. They are much sought after and are held in private and public collections all over the world with an extensive collection being held by the Keatley Trust and in the Anthony Dowd Collection of Modern Bindings kept at the John Rylands Library.