A Granjon Arabesque

Marcham (England): Alembic Press, 1998. Claes, Brother Edgard. 71pp. One of 140 copies. A collection showcasing the six elegant and versatile typographic border units, or arabesques, designed by Robert Granjon in Antwerp in 1565. These units can be combined in seemingly infinite ways to create intricate page decorations, as illustrated here with many examples. Printed in purple and brown.

This copy specially bound by Brother Edgard Claes of the Holy Cross Fathers in Diest, Belgium. Claes' kinetic binding, the smallest he has ever created, encompasses the book in shades of blue, orange, gray, and black and is a striking feat of engineering, comprising milled plates with movable gears and shafts that create a kaleidoscopic effect when turned. The result is a testament to Claes' expertise with machined materials, and the gadgetry reflects the larger mechanisms, both philosophical and literal, of millennia of miniature book production. Housed in matching box with suede sleeve. Very fine. (2 15/16 by 2 3/4; 75x70mm).

After training in art, design, and layout, Claes studied binding with Renatus de Cock and August Kulche at the Rijksinstitut in Malines, where he was later appointed professor. His original intent was to do restoration work in the monastery library, but his creativity and zeal led him to the use of innovative materials and cutting-edge abstract designs which emphasize the structure of the book. He won the Prix International de Reliure d'Art in 1986 and was given a one-man show in Paris in 1993. In spite of his many monastic duties, he does all the work painstakingly himself, and master binder August Kulche said of his student, "He is one of the few whose hands obey his brain to perfection.